Health authorities are expecting an increase in COVID-19 cases following the Songkran holidays and the start of the rainy season. To prepare for this, the Ministry of Public Health is urging the public to get COVID booster shots and annual flu vaccinations.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated that although the majority of current COVID-19 cases are not severe due to the immune protection from vaccines and previous infections, health officials are closely monitoring the new XBB.1.16 subvariant, also known as Arcturus. It is not believed to cause more severe complications, with flu-like symptoms being the most common.
People at higher risk or those who received their last vaccine dose more than six months ago are encouraged to get a new booster dose, which can be administered with the annual flu shot. Public hospitals have been ordered to set up COVID vaccine clinics offering both the original vaccine and new bivalent jabs.
The National Health Security Office has been instructed to provide both COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations during a single hospital visit. Hospitals have meanwhile been told to prepare for an influx of patients with COVID-19 and influenza, as both can be treated under the same protocol, using Favipiravir as the primary medication for mild cases.
The public can receive their COVID boosters at their nearest healthcare facility or at one of the 19 vaccination centers in Bangkok, such as Bang Rak Medical Center, Rajavithi Hospital, the Institute of Dermatology, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, the Priest Hospital and Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute in Nonthaburi province. (NNT)
