There are more cases of BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants of COVID-19, most of them are in Bangkok and they will spread to other provinces, according to the Department of Medical Sciences.
Dr SupakitSirilak, director-general of the department, said BA.4 and BA.5 infections were confirmed with three quarters of infected arrivals. Among local cases, the two sub-variants were found with 72% of cases in Bangkok and 34.7% of cases in other provinces.
Regarding the possibility of both sub-variants causing severe illness, Dr Supakit said 72% of examined cases had mild symptoms but among patients suffering serious lung inflammation or using ventilators and those who died, the two sub-variants were confirmed with 13 people or 77% of severely ill and dead patients.
He said that it had not been concluded that BA.4 and BA.5 caused severe symptoms. The Department of Medical Sciences asked hospitals under the jurisdiction of universities and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to send more cases of lung inflammation and fatalities for examination so that there would be enough data to reach a conclusion.
Next week the department will report how antibodies cope with BA.4 and BA.5. (TNA)
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