Covid cases nosedive in Thailand: Unvaccinated elderly hit hardest

The Public Health Ministry of Thailand yesterday announced there has been a dramatic reduction in Covid-19 infections in the kingdom adding that deaths related to the virus are largely those unvaccinated and over 70 years old.

Public Health Secretary Dr Opas Karnka­winpong yesterday revealed there has been a steady decline in worldwide Covid cases and related mortalities. Parallel to this trend, Thai reports were reassuring, showing a reduction in coronavirus inpatients and dissipating clusters of outbreaks.

Dr Opas made known that the majority of Covid-related deaths are among the “608” risk group. This group includes men and women who are 60 years or older, those with complicated health conditions, and pregnant women. The majority of them were unvaccinated and aged above 70.

In light of these findings, Dr Opas stressed the necessity of Thai citizens following Covid prevention measures, such as avoiding large gatherings. He also emphasised the wearing of masks, particularly when near elderly individuals, children, and those with chronic health conditions.

The Public Health Ministry is urging relatives of senior citizens, or those considered to be in the “608” group, to take advantage of the Covid vaccine boosters along with a flu shot.

Families of children between six months and five years old who have not yet been vaccinated should act promptly, Dr Opas advised. He stressed that by doing so, the risk of these children suffering severe Covid symptoms or even death would drastically reduce, reported Bangkok Post.

Dr Opas reassured the public that the prevalent subvariant in Thailand is of the Omicron lineage, which does not increase its likelihood of transmission. He confirmed that this particular virus can still be detected by conventional antigen-test kits or RT-PCR.

Meanwhile, the worldometer platform revealed there have been 4,751,563 coronavirus cases in Thailand since the pandemic emerged late in 2019 and early 2020. There have been 34,328 deaths and 4,692,636 people have recovered from the virus.