Expert: High COVID Cases Justify Lockdown

BANGKOK, July 6 (TNA) – The government should impose a lockdown to limit people’s movements if new COVID-19 cases continue to be considerable in the next 14 days, said a deputy chief advisor to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration. Clinical Prof Emeritus Udom Kachintorn, deputy chief advisor to the center, said Thailand already entered its fourth wave of COVID-19 in which daily new cases amounted to 5,000-6,000 and new fatalities stood at about 50 a day. He said if the rates of new cases and deaths continue, the national health system will be unable to cope because monthly new cases will nearly reach 200,000. Unless new cases and fatalities drop within 14 days, the government should impose a national lockdown and have 75% of workers work from home. The present work-from-home rate was less than 50%, he said. Regarding the report that Thailand will receive 1.5 million donated doses of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Pfizer, Clinical Prof Emeritus Udom said he did not know when the lot would arrive. He said that the vaccine would not go to children aged 12-17 years but would be given to medical personnel possibly as their third jab (booster dose). Infections among young children were lower and less severe than those among adults. Therefore, the doses would be administered for medical personnel to reduce their illnesses and fatalities, he said. If the vaccine from Pfizer comes late, the AstraZeneca vaccine can be administered instead, Clinical Prof Emeritus Udom said. (TNA)