A girl receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Bangkok, Thailand on July 19, 2022. (Photo:XINHUA) Bangkok (VNA) – BangkokMetropolitan Administration (BMA) says it is ready to cope with another wave ofCOVID-19 pandemic as the city could face tens of thousands of patients by thetime it peaks in late August.
Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of theCentre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine, ChulalongkornUniversity, said the number of new infections has been steadily rising duringrecent weeks, especially in Bangkok where half the nationwide COVID-19 cases arereported, adding that this is the sign of another approaching wave of COVID-19outbreaks.
The change of the prevalent COVID-19 strain from the BA.2 Omicronsubvariant to the BA.5 subvariant is behind the recent surge, he said.
Facing the BA.5 Omicronsubvariant outbreak in the capital, Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt saidhe has ordered four initial measures to cope with the surge of COVID-19infections.
They comprise adding an extra working day for all 69 Public HealthCentres under the BMA on Saturdays, opening walk-in vaccination booths at thecentres every Friday and Saturday, proactive COVID-19 screening at schools, anda proactive vaccination campaign targeting vulnerable groups./.
