The number of new daily COVID-19 cases will not fall further for the time being because of the resumption of business and activities, according to Dr. Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health.
New cases were likely to remain at about 10,000 a day and would not drop further because some disease control measures were lifted to support economy and workers, he said.
People must continue to seriously protect themselves from COVID-19 and co-exist with the disease, Dr. Kiatiphum said.
However, in the near future COVID-19 would finally become endemic, beginning with the areas of large outbreaks, patients without severe symptoms and mass vaccinations such as Bangkok and Phuket. Bangkok recorded 2,000-3,000 new COVID-19 cases a day, he said.
Academics could not tell when the disease would become endemic. It would gradually subside and patients would no longer have a serious symptom, Dr. Kiatiphum said. (TNA)