The Department of Medical Sciences has projected that the Omicron variant will account for almost all new Covid-19 infections by the end of this month, with its current dominance already estimated to be at 87%, although it is the Delta strain that is still causing the majority of hospitalisations.
Speaking at a press conference, Dr Supakit Sirilak, chief of the Department of Medical Sciences, said that the Omicron variant has now been diagnosed in every province, with 10,701 cases reported so far. Bangkok has had the highest number, with 4,178 cases, followed by 837 cases in Chon Buri, 434 in Phuket, 355 in Roi Et and 329 in Samut Prakan respectively.
Meanwhile, the upper part of the northeastern region is currently reporting the highest proportion of Omicron infections among its cases, with the new strain making up 88.50% of positive test results, while the southern region has the lowest rate of 51.46%.
The department cited that although there may be socio-cultural factors behind the present split, infections in the South will almost certainly follow suit.
"Currently, the proportion of Omicron patients is up to 86.8%, and we believe that it will almost fully dominate the Delta variant by the end of this month. But please do not worry because its impact on health is less severe," Dr Supakit said.
He went on to explain that the study had also found that Omicron-infected patients generally have far milder symptoms but has been responsible for all eight cases of reinfected patients they had examined, as well as a number of medics who had tested positive despite a full course of vaccinations.
He warned that anyone yet to receive a Covid-19 vaccine should do so urgently, especially senior citizens as they have suffered the worst outcomes from infections since the pandemic began. Moreover, booster shots are also vital to maintain immunity the longer the virus lingers, he said.
When asked whether it is inevitable that most of the population will catch the new strain at some point, he said he doubted it was virulent enough to sweep through communities to that extent but pointed to panic over avian flu in 2009. At that time, only six million people were vaccinated, but the virus ultimately saw deaths fall as the symptoms became milder.
Next month, the Public Health Ministry will roll out a fourth vaccine shot for frontline medical personnel to boost their immunity, especially in high-risk provinces, he said.
