Omicron out-muscles Delta as cases surge

Bangkok alone has now surpassed 10,000 new cases since the beginning of the latest wave of Covid-19 infections on Jan 1, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) posted on its website on Tuesday, as one of the country's leading virologists revealed that the Omicron variant is now accounting for around 90% of all new infections.

With the latest headline-making strain blamed for the surge, Bangkok, one of 15 provinces to report in excess of 100 new cases, on Tuesday posted 753 more infections, while officials in Samut Prakan had passed on details of a further 598 new infections in their province.

Chon Buri, was another area to post a high infection rate with another 556 positive tests, bringing the total number to 12,096, said the CCSA.

Reacting to the latest figures, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said six more vaccination points have now been established at a number of well-connected locations spread around the capital.

Most of the new stations had been set up in shopping malls, including CentralWorld and Thanya Park, to make it as convenient as possible for people to travel to and from their appointments using public transport, explained the governor.

Close to 50,000 people in Bangkok have already received a third shot at hospitals under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), but more people need to be encouraged to follow suit in light of the current situation, he added.

His deputy, Pol Lt Gen Sophon Pisuthiwong, added that all agencies tasked with quelling the outbreak have been instructed to focus their efforts on dishing out booster shots, particularly to the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

CCSA figures show that out of the 110 million vaccine doses already administered nationwide, more than 10 million have been booster shots.

Meanwhile, Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, posted on Facebook on Tuesday that Omicron is now the dominant variant and already accounts for 90% of positive test results.