A Thai virologist stated that Covid-19 strains from Western tourists are more worrying than strains from China.
While Thailand has decided to reimpose Covid-19 restrictions for all travelers for fear of the upcoming return of Chinese travelers, a highly influential virologist says that these measures are useless.
See: Thailand reinstates Covid restrictions to avoid offending China
Dr. Yong Poovorawan spoke out on January 6 to ease the concerns of the Thai population in the face of a resurgence of Covid-19 infections, given the easing of travel restrictions in China starting January 8.
Dr. Yong, head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, posted on his Facebook wall that 'the current outbreak in China is mainly caused by the Omicron sub-variant of Covid-19, known as BA.5, which has already spread in Thailand'.
This is in line with the views of other experts, see: Thai health experts say there is no need to worry about the return of Chinese tourists
He continued by saying that 'we should be more concerned about the strains that have not spread in Thailand, particularly the BQ variant from Western countries, which is more alarming.'
The doctor also commented on some tourists that "we don't control and can't force (them) to wear protective masks."
Covid-19 cases in Thailand are declining due to the seasonal transition, according to Dr. Yong.
70% of Thais (around 50 million) have been infected with the coronavirus, and 90% already have antibodies from vaccination or infection.
According to him, "the mutation of the virus can occur anywhere in the world…
It is pointless to prevent tourists from a particular country from entering the kingdom."
It is to be hoped that the Thai government will listen to its experts and reverse its decision to reinstate Covid restrictions.
Source: The Pattaya News
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4 comments
It's true that there are some real experts in this country..
There are experts here to bow down - spread their legs and say sorry to China.
Every country has its scarecrows and weathervanes that adapt to the variable geometry of their government.
And there, on the expert side, it seems to me that it's a national champion who's giving his opinion…
Under influence, the bad tongues would say.
Come on… What a coincidence…
And then he declares this in recent days, what a coincidence…
It smells like a cover-up.
In short…
Knowing that basically, the virus comes from China.
In short, the same people who, not long ago, insulted the farangs without whom the tourism economy would never have restarted.