The number of new Covid-19 infections is expected to continue rising into the upcoming school term, following a spike in hospital admissions and deaths among at-risk groups since the Songkran holiday, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC).
From April 28 to May 4, a total of 1,792 people, or 256 cases per day on average, were admitted to hospital after becoming infected with Covid-19, according to figures published on the DDC’s website.
Of that number, 12 patients died in the same week.
The cumulative number of infections recorded from Jan 1 to May 4 was 13,057, with 93 deaths, the DDC said.
Even though Covid rarely causes serious illness nowadays, people aged 60 and older, those with seven underlying conditions, and heavily pregnant women — collectively referred to as the “608 group” — are more at risk, said Dr Taweechai Wisanuyothin, chief of the department’s disease control office in Nakhon Ratchasima.
All 81 deaths recorded nationwide between Jan 1 and April 29 were among this group, said Dr Taweechai, citing figures published by the Ministry of Public Health.
With a fresh Covid outbreak expected as students return to school for the new term, the public is advised to resume the standard preventive practices of frequent hand-washing, avoiding crowded areas and wearing face masks in heavily populated places, said Dr Taweechai.
The reason Covid-19 can spread so easily now is because people confuse it with the regular flu, he said. Covid tests are recommended for anyone who develops flu-like symptoms, he added.
The Omicron sublineages are mostly responsible for the current wave of Covid-19 infections, Dr Taweechai said, citing information supplied by the Department of Medical Sciences.