Covid-19: Chulalongkorn’s doctors warn that the new wave of Omikron is still unreliable after the Ministry of Health warns that the number of patients is the highest during September.

amid easing measures in various fields, including opening the country The Ministry of Public Health has come out to accept the trend of infected people. the patient is treating severely ill and the death toll increased This was partly due to the outbreak of the Omikron subspecies BA.4/BA.5, which was found mainly from foreign visitors to Thailand.

However, a doctor from Chulalongkorn Hospital assesses the situation of the outbreak in the next three months is still a concern. After the Ministry of Public Health gave a press conference on July 4, revealing that the situation with the Covid-19 has increased. and expected within 10 This week may see the highest number of hospital cases in September.

This was followed by the revelation of the Rural Medical Club page. It is a picture of an order letter “Urgently” signed by Dr. Kiatpoom Wongrachit, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health. To the Inspector General of the Ministry of Public Health under the jurisdiction to prepare for the situation Covid-19 outbreak A new wave that tends to increase new cases in many areas. ready to reserve beds for intensive care and referrals

Later in the morning of today (5 July), Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong Director-General of the Department of Disease Control Interview with the press at the Government House confirmed that the documents are real. As a reminder to be prepared is a normal measure to be taken. and in addition to the letter from the Permanent Secretary for Public Health, Mr. Suthipong Chulacharoen, Permanent Secretary of the Interior Ministry has made a letter to the government officials to continue to watch out for the epidemic

Although the Ministry of Health executives are of the opinion that the Omicron strain of COVID-19 will not cause severe symptoms in patients. But from the perspective of Prof. Dr. Thirawat Hemajuta, director of the Center for Emerging Health Sciences Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University, referring to a study by scientists at Imperial College in England released in June, said it had interesting data and a concerning factor.

Prof. Dr. Teerawat told BBC Thai that from the evaluation of the new data set causing more alertness in the part of the omikron species in appearance “turning from the front of the hand to the back of the hand” from the original understanding that infect quickly But the virulence was not much. Instead, the ability of the new virus to penetrate the vaccine’s immunity was found. Despite having received three doses of the mRNA vaccine Pfizer and Moderna

“For example, when Pfizer or Moderna has been injected but is infected, we originally believed that Omikron would act in an immune booster. But the result is not like that, that is, people who are already addicted to Omikron It is immune to only the first species. (Wuhan strains or alpha, beta and gamma) therefore can be reinfected within 2-3 months,” explains Prof. Theerawat.

In addition, the results of the study also found that covid-19 infection The omikron strain and its subspecies omikron cannot induce immunity to prevent re-infection with omikron. while Chulalongkorn Hospital observed that When subspecies BA.4/BA.5 are multiplying and are easier to attach. in such a manner When symptoms may not be very severe. But it was necessary to go to the hospital. especially among children and the elderly, or group 608

According to the Ministry of Public Health’s database as of July 4, there were 57,003,688 people who received the first dose of vaccine, representing 82%, the second dose was 53,217,012, or 76.5%, and the third dose was 29,828,634, or 42.9%.

According to a press conference by Dr. Chakrarat yesterday (July 4), the overall bed occupancy rate was 10%, while in some provinces, beds were used to treat other illnesses. increase the bed occupancy rate but at the level of 20-30%, not more than 50%, which is the level that requires increasing the number of beds

Prof. Dr. Teerawat sees that readiness in other areas is important and should be taken into account that the capacity to accommodate the increasing number of patients, such as medical personnel That may be at risk of contracting new strains more easily. If infected, it may affect the treatment system for both patients with COVID-19. and patients or emergency patients that may be affected as well

The doctor also called on government agencies to disclose the actual number of infections. Because he thinks that the daily number of infections today (5 July) 1,995 may be counter to the real situation.

“In the past, the government has always been in a defensive position. what is important is They must help each other in a coordinated way: 1. Vaccines are not the only answer; 2. Collaboration of everyone to wear masks, wash hands and make workplaces safe to move the economy forward, and 3. Access to treatment as quickly as possible. to reduce the loss,” suggested Prof. Dr. Teerawat.

While Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nithipat Jearakul, Head of the Department of Respiratory Diseases and Tuberculosis Department of Internal Medicine Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University The post on Facebook said he believed the daily number of 50,000 cases was different from the daily numbers we see in the reports. There is also a phenomenon of peak fall at the beginning of the week. This is a result of the infection detection and reporting system during the holidays. As for the number of severely ill patients, the increase from 600 to 700 before stopping is a result of the reporting system that has not been able to run regularly every day.

Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Public Health commented on the matter that Outbreaks in the omikron context have been going on for a long time. Easy to infect, not strong infection and opening the country This makes it more likely to see an increase in the number of infected people. As for the case of the critically ill and deceased groups, the criteria were kept under control. Because most people have been vaccinated.

In a press release summarizing the situation of COVID-19 Omicron breed on September 4 by Dr. Chakrarat Pittayawong Anon Director of the Division of Epidemiology, Department of Disease Control has suggested that the total number of infected people the patient is treating severely ill and the death toll increased Due to the easing of measures, the number of patients found in the home isolation system has increased to nearly 15 thousand. The registration for medicines received through the NHSO system as outpatients increased from 1.91 hundred thousand to 2.07 hundred thousand. this week The provinces with an increase in hospitalizations were Bangkok Metropolitan Region, large provinces, and tourism provinces.

When asking about the outbreak of the Omicron subspecies BA.4/BA.5 that is currently spreading in Bangkok, how to deal with it in particular or not? The Minister of Public Health said that he had prepared the matter of medical supplies. The hospital is ready

For an important agenda at the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CDC) meeting on Friday (July 8), Dr. Opas said he would propose measures to ease the quarantine period from the original. Used for 14 days and then reduced to 10 days, divided into 7 day isolation and 3 days to monitor for symptoms. But in the upcoming meeting The Academic Medical Committee will consider using measures 5+5, i.e. isolate and monitor for 5 days each.