Update on the situation of the covid epidemic “Omicron” or “Omicron” The BA.2 strain has 14 cases of infection in Thailand and is likely to spread faster than the coronavirus. “Omicron” Latest BA.1 strain “Doctor Chalermchai” Dr. Chalermchai Boonyaleephan, Vice-President of the Senate Public Health Commission, posted a Facebook post. Chalermchai Boonyaleepun stated in the same direction that the latest virus “Omicron” Subspecies 2 (BA.2) spreads 1.5 times faster than subspecies 1 (BA.1) after the virus. “Omicron” has become the main species of the world in causing coronavirus It took only 2 months.
As for the reason why BA.2 tends to spread faster than Dr. Chalermchai stated that it was due to “Omicron Virus” It has a very altered thorn structure. Therefore, it has the ability to spread 4-6 times more than Delta virus. Later it was found that the virus It has been separated into 3 subspecies (Subvariant) namely BA.1 , BA.2 , BA.3 where now the first subspecies is the main species, about 98% in 160 countries, but at the same time A second subspecies was also detected. since the end of December 2021 and appears to spread faster than the first subspecies. by the latest information It has been found in 54 different countries, with Denmark being the first to find it. And now more than half of the infected people in Denmark. It is now the second subspecies. by the Danish Minister of Health and administrators of the Danish National Institute provided information that Denmark’s coronavirus cases are increasing rapidly. with the second subspecies being the main species. and from the calculation of the preliminary ability, it was found that The second subtype spreads 1.5 times faster than the first subspecies and is more common in children aged 5-17, but there is no evidence to confirm that. second subspecies Will cause severe disease to the point of hospitalization than the first subspecies
while England has provided a second subspecies It is in the group that will need further investigation. (VUI), found that the effectiveness of the vaccine against the two subspecies Similarly, if two injections are taken longer than 6 months, the effectiveness remains only 9-13% if the third injection is given up to 2 weeks after stimulation. It has a similar 63-70% increase in effectiveness, and is also found in Norway, Sweden, Singapore, India, Philippines, US, and it is found in Thailand as well. therefore it can be concluded that
- Subspecies 2 spreads 1.5 times faster than Subspecies 1, but the severity of the disease is similar.
- The level of immunity in the body resulting from vaccination. Able to cope with both subspecies very closely. This is down from being able to deal with the Delta quite a lot.
- A second subspecies of the virus has been found in Thailand.
In such a case, it will result in
- second subspecies It may soon become the main species in the world instead of the first subspecies.
- This makes it possible to find re-infections, i.e. people who have been infected with COVID and have recovered. can come back to be infected with covid a second time again especially in the case of different subspecies
Therefore, there should be caution and measures such as
- People still have to maintain discipline in preventing epidemics. Because the second subspecies propagate faster and easier than the first subspecies.
- The government should not signal to the public that things are clearly going to improve. Whether it’s about Test&Go measures or anticipating endemic diseases. because it will reduce public awareness It’s a chance for an epidemic of omikron to increase today. Covid infection in Thailand is considered stable. Not yet a downtrend
- Should speed up the 3rd dose vaccination as soon as possible because the result is clearly better than the 2nd dose, so aiming for the second injection of 80% is not enough. It is necessary to adjust the target to the third injection by 80%.
- Accelerate vaccination of groups at risk of having severe symptoms, including Elderly and congenital disease groups to 100% or as much as possible to reduce the mortality rate
- All parties must have a common understanding that “Omicron” is still in a stable situation not a downtrend Measures and precautions are still needed to remain the same.
- The infection should not be allowed to occur naturally. by understanding that the symptoms are less severe because it can be re-infected and some may have a chronic complication known as Long Covid