Widespread Covid Thai! Watch out for “XBB” which reveals the names of 5 subspecies to watch out for.

COVID-19 in Thailand comes back to haunt again After going from a dangerous communicable disease to a communicable disease vigilant in just the past 2 months “Department of Disease Control website” Weekly report on the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic (From 4 to 10 December 2022) There were 3,961 patients admitted to the hospital, ie an average of 566 people per day, 107 deaths, an average of 15 per day, 649 patients with pneumonia and 385 intubated patients. Although the number of patients being treated in the hospital decreased slightly but intubation patients with pneumonia Including the death toll continued to rise!!!

Dr. Manoon Leechawengwong (MD Manoon), respiratory system specialist Vichaiyut Hospital Posted on personal Facebook (Mr. Manoon Leechawengwong FC) said that Thailand needs to keep a close eye on which strains of the COVID-19 virus are spreading in India. Because many times there is an outbreak of a new mutant COVID virus in India. After a while, the epidemic of that strain was found in Thailand. Take a look at the Delta strain of the COVID-19 virus. First found in India in late 2020, it then spread rapidly. A global pandemic And Thailand had a large outbreak of the Delta strain in mid-2021. In June 2022, India found the first BA.2.75 subspecies of the COVID-19 virus, which spread faster than the BA superseded subspecies. 5, endemic to India. and widespread in many countries of the world

Thailand is currently experiencing a new outbreak of COVID-19. Caused by BA.2.75 virus, but India has started to see an outbreak of XBB COVID virus which is a hybrid of BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 viruses, believing it will soon Replace the BA.2.75 strain in India . As for Thailand, you can prepare yourself. After the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, the BA.2.75 strain will soon have an XBB strain that will spread like India. Because this new species is more contagious than the old species. and avoid immunity from vaccination or natural infection better than the original strain Currently, the new strain of the COVID virus takes a shorter time, only 3-4 months, to replace the original strain. And it caused a new pandemic again and again all over the world. Fortunately, new strains of the COVID virus do not make people seriously ill and die like the Delta species. Especially those who have received 4 doses of the vaccine, i.e. received 2 doses of the vaccine followed by 2 booster doses.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Teera Woratanarat (MD Teera), Chulalongkorn University School of Medicine He posted a message on Facebook “Thira Woratanarat (Papa Mee Keen)” stating that the WHO (World Health Organization) Updates published weekly information “WHO Weekly Epidemiological Update on December 14, 2022” at the moment.OmicronThe proportion reaches 99.5%, with the germination of omicrons and the progeny of more than 540 subspecies. This is a hybrid virus resulting from crossing with subspecies. Also known as recombinant, over 61 subspecies. The characteristics of the virus changes observed during that period were There are several common loci mutations. or repeatedly found in many subspecies reflecting that the new virus They tend to have convergent evolution, importantly, the location of the mutations appear to be related to viral performance. Developed for enhanced immunity resistance (immune evasion) from five subspecies of omikron. Those under close monitoring are currently the following.

• BA.2.75.x : It has been reported since December 2021 and has spread to Southeast Asian countries. To date it has spread throughout the world in 85 countries. Originally endemic to India and Bangladesh, it was later replaced by XBB. Currently the countries with the highest prevalence of this subspecies are Thailand (53.8%), Australia (25.1%), Malaysia (22.5%), China (18.8%) and New Zealand (16.3 %).
• BA.5 : has long dominated the global epidemic Because it has the ability to infect quickly. and more immune resistant than its predecessors, BA.1 and BA.2, which have been detected in 119 countries.
• BQ.1.x : It is one of the species with the fastest growing incidence rate. It is now distributed in 90 countries.
• XBB.x : It is a hybrid between BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75, first reported in August 2022, which is currently spreading to 70 countries worldwide. But the prevalence is still low, around 3.8%. The most common countries are India (62.5%), Dominican Republic (48.2%), Singapore (47.3%), Malaysia (40.9% ) and Indonesia (29.3%).
• BA.2.30.2 : There are several mutational loci similar to the aforementioned subspecies. There are not many outbreaks reported yet. but can be found on almost all continents. Overall, BA.2.75.x and XBB strains have been found to spread slowly. in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific

While BQ.1.x and BA.5, which have more mutations from the original 5 positions, the epidemic has expanded relatively faster. and spread all over the world The epidemic in Thailand is still ongoing, so one must live mindfully, not carelessly, and always be careful when going out in daily life. need to get a booster vaccine To reduce the risk of serious illness, death and test COVID. If you are sick, cough, sore throat, fever, nasal congestion, headache, body aches, you should check ATK if the positive result means infection. You should self-isolate from others for at least 7-10 days until your symptoms improve, you have no fever, and repeat a negative test. Therefore came out to live in strict self-defense up to 2 weeks

“If sick but tested negative do not trust It may be a false negative. Therefore, it should be repeated every day for at least 3 consecutive days. Today’s social environment has a large number of contagious infections. very risky. You must protect yourself well. which is not infected or not reinfected is best Because it’s addictive, not just getting cold and recovering, but being critically ill, dying, and risking long-term COVID-19 long-term symptoms.which compromises quality of life and life performance Wear a masks correctly and consistently. It will greatly reduce the risk.”

Prof. Dr. Yong Phuwarawan, Head of Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology Department of Pediatrics Chulalongkorn University School of Medicine He said that about 70% of Thais have been infected with COVID, according to an infection history study. And a blood test in Chonburi province will see that around 60-70% of Thailand’s population has been infected and will continue to increase. People who have never been infected will be a minority. especially in children. It is an infection with mild symptoms or no symptoms. A blood test confirms that an infection has already occurred antinucleocapsid

However, most of the population has detected immunity. anti peak More than 95% of autoimmune diseases are caused by an infection. and or from vaccination That all information is now similar to the flu. Most of the adult population has detectable antibodies to the flu. But it’s still the flu. Influenza antibodies are least detectable in children under 3 years of age, and after age 3, most people have been infected with the flu. what the nature of respiratory viral disease When it is in children, the severity is lower than in adults or the elderly. will encounter an increase in violence in vulnerable groups o 608

Therefore, in the future, groups that do not have immunity to COVID It will be a newborn up to 2-3 years old, and once infected, he will be immune to the virus. And there is reinfection during growth, the intensity will be less. As for the vulnerable group, it is the group that should receive the booster vaccine. as well as influenza with vaccination in risk groups The picture of the future of COVID-19 It would be similar. with previous respiratory disease have an infection in a child because the virus is easily contagious And when you grow up, there will be immunity. from childhood infections and recurrent infections with mild symptoms

Graphics: CHONTICHA PINIJROB