Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are likely to decline in the next four to six weeks, according to the Department of Disease Control (DDC).
Dr Chakkarat Pittayawong-anont, director of the epidemiology division at the DDC, said the country is expected to see more Covid-19 cases in the provinces including family transmission and those who return home for care and treatment.
He said the Covid-19 situation in Bangkok is different from the surrounding provinces. Despite a rise in cases, the inoculation rate in the capital is relatively high at 50%.
"Infections in Bangkok are likely to level off with signs of improvement in four to six weeks. But the provinces will see high infections. So we need to cooperate to avoid the Wuhan model in which everything is shut down," he said.
Dr Chakkarat was responding to questions as to whether Wuhan-style disease control measures would be implemented as the country had been seeing five-digit daily caseloads for days.
He called on business operators and factories to implement the "bubble and seal method" if the premises remain free of infections.
For outlets where infections are reported, they are advised to avoid shutting down operations, as that would result in workers returning home and triggering community transmission.
However, an isolation programme must be in place to control the spread.
He admitted that public health resources were limited and the strategy was to minimise severe cases which require hospitalisation.
The provinces had eased the burdens in Bangkok and surrounding provinces after some had stepped in and accepted patients.
Thailand on Sunday registered a record high of 15,335 new Covid-19 cases along with 129 new fatalities.
Bangkok continues to lead new infections with 2,700 cases.
However, the data showed that the number of new cases in the other 71 other provinces combined rose from 5,228 last Tuesday to 7,405 on Friday and 8,606 on Sunday.
On Saturday, Dr Taweesap Siraprapasiri, a senior official with the DDC, said the number of new Covid-19 infections was on a steep upward curve, doubling or tripling weekly.
He said the number of new cases in Bangkok remained high yet the rise began to slow down, apparently as a result of measures being implemented.