In the country – ‘Doctor Yong’ compares the severity of ‘COVID 66’ with ‘Influenza ’09, the first year of the epidemic, returning to normal the following year.

‘Dr. Yong’ compares the severity of ‘COVID 66’ with ‘Influenza 52’, which spread in the first year and returned to normal the following year.

10 December 2023 Prof. Dr. Yong Phuworawan, Head of the Center of Specialization in Clinical Virology Department of Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine Chulalongkorn University As a Royal Graduate Bureau of Science Posted a message on Yong Poovorawan’s Facebook page on Dec. 9, 2023, topic “COVID-19. The severity of COVID-19 now (Dec. 2023) compared to the 2009 influenza outbreak in the first year (2009). )” as follows…

In the first year of the 2009 influenza epidemic, in the initial stages we sometimes called it swine flu. that started from Mexico into America and was first diagnosed in California. The World Health Organization has a rule that from now on, names of places, names of animals, and names of people will not be used to name viruses. So it’s called the 2009 new strain of influenza.

When the virus enters Thailand There was quite a bit of panic. Because there are various media Including various people trying to say and think that it is similar to the Spanish flu. Because it is a new species and think that the majority of the population still does not have immunity The reality is not what is reported or mentioned.

The 2009 flu strain is similar to the historical H1N1 or Spanish flu strains. Therefore, elderly adults have some immunity. The disease therefore affects a large number of children and middle-aged people. and a large number of illnesses occurred The loss rate in the first year of the outbreak was approximately 200 people and returned to normal the following year. The virus hasn’t gone anywhere. Still with us until now and death rates in subsequent years It has always decreased.

Covid-19 is the same. In the first year, most people still do not have immunity. Disease severity is highest in the first year. and gradually decreased When the majority of the population is already infected and build immunity That happens mostly from vaccines. Until today, the severity of the disease This can be seen from the death rate and is 1-3 cases per week during the season. And it will be less when entering next summer. which when the whole year is taken It should not be more than the number of deaths from the 2009 influenza outbreak in the first year.

The development of COVID-19 strains: There are currently many sub-strains. It is difficult to predict what strains will spread next year. Developing vaccines to match the epidemic strains It’s quite difficult to do. The infection is once and again. Just like the flu

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