Will new XBB strain cause COVID to resurge in Thailand?

[webfact]

 

The rapid spread of COVID-19’s latest subvariant – XBB – is grabbing attention worldwide, including in Thailand.

 

Three weeks after it was first detected in Singapore, XBB now accounts for at least half of the island state’s new cases. Thailand decided to step up its monitoring for the subvariant not only because Singapore is a neighbor but also because three XBB cases recently detected in Hong Kong had flown in from Thailand.

Under focus

 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed XBB as an Omicron subvariant under monitoring, indicating it may pose a new threat to global public health. First detected in August, the new subvariant is a recombinant of Omicron’s BA.2.10.1 and BA.2.75 sub-lineages or BJ1 and BM.1.1.1.

 

So far, XBB infections have been found in more than 17 countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, India, Japan and the United States. While there is no evidence that XBB causes more severe symptoms than previous versions of the virus, some experts suggest it may be more transmissible than other strains.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/will-new-xbb-strain-cause-covid-to-resurge-in-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-10-17

 

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[ThailandRyan]

If three flyers flew from Thailand to Hong Kong isn't this new strain already here?

[vivananahuahin]

these virus have no wings but flight with pax around the world without being see, this is the problem.

[ikke1959]

So why mak a point of it? Covid  virus will be with us for many more years, maybe will never go away and it will mutate... Or is it only big news to keep the masks on?

[ThailandRyan]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

So why mak a point of it? Covid  virus will be with us for many more years, maybe will never go away and it will mutate... Or is it only big news to keep the masks on?

It has now turned into the same type of virus that becomes an annual worry, no it is not the flu, but the changing of variants constantly can be seen as similar in folks needing an annual booster depending upon the location and new strains.

[PremiumLane]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

So why mak a point of it? Covid  virus will be with us for many more years, maybe will never go away and it will mutate... Or is it only big news to keep the masks on?

Why would "they" want to keep the masks on?

We shouldn't track new variants? If you are talking about media reactions, then that is a whole other argument

[ukrules]

5 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

If three flyers flew from Thailand to Hong Kong isn't this new strain already here?

Of course it is, it's everywhere.

[swm59nj]

The Moderna vaccine given here is not the latest version . It does help but does not have direct protection against Omicron and the newer variants.  
The latest Moderna version has been available in the states I believe since last month. 

[moogradod]

15 minutes ago, swm59nj said:

The Moderna vaccine given here is not the latest version . It does help but does not have direct protection against Omicron and the newer variants.  
The latest Moderna version has been available in the states I believe since last month. 

This is one of the big differences to the flu. For the flu, vaccination tailored to the latest strains is readily available every year.

 

Not so for Covid. I recall with horror how difficult it was to get all my (now 4) jabs and the jabs for my wife and stepdaughter. Of course we would all get the latest Covid vaccine if it only was available - but I suspect it will be like the last time.

 

 

[Caldera]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

While there is no evidence that XBB causes more severe symptoms than previous versions of the virus, some experts suggest it may be more transmissible than other strains.

Nobody cares about yet another Omicron variant anymore. 

[Jen65]

Big question is "when will Thailand make the "bivalent "vaccine available here ??   

[Rimmer]

Troll post and a couple of replies removed

[Iamfalang]

First time in YEARS I saw two Thais in 7-11 without a mask on.   Nobody seemed worried.  

 

I immediately got down and confessed, "Thanks!!!!   We're out of the woods!!!!  We made it!!!"

 

Now this...

 

I want to say "Total Lockdown, bring back the COVID Extensions (I don't need one) and surgically apply masks on every Falang"......but that might be considered Trolling.   

 

New school semester in a week or two (maybe this week, I'm out of the loop but I remember it's around the end of October), so if it resurges we should know in a month.  

[ukrules]

17 minutes ago, Iamfalang said:

I want to say "Total Lockdown, bring back the COVID Extensions (I don't need one) and surgically apply masks on every Falang"......but that might be considered Trolling. 

Don't rule anything out.

[herfiehandbag]

I rather suspect that it depends on "other activities" particularly on the streets of Bangkok.

 

If things liven up then they may feel the need to reintroduce a state of emergency - due of course to the risk of a resurgence of Covid 19.

[NoshowJones]

9 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

If three flyers flew from Thailand to Hong Kong isn't this new strain already here?

Just been waiting for something like this, more money for the medical profession again along with the soldiers government, and also more brown envelopes flying all over the place.

[Hiram Abiff]

Time to ignore the fear. Sick of hearing about it

[ThailandRyan]

32 minutes ago, Hiram Abiff said:

Time to ignore the fear. Sick of hearing about it

What fear? Just letting folks know about a new variant that could cause issues. True in that they do not broadcast the annual Flue variants like they do with Covid, but once upon a time the Flu variants were discussed globally or did you forger about that.  No fear just information. If your believing that it is fear then you have started to believe the people who use terms such as sheeple, fearmonger etc....

[ThailandRyan]

 

[Letseng]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

So why mak a point of it? Covid  virus will be with us for many more years, maybe will never go away and it will mutate... Or is it only big news to keep the masks on?

How often do you want to get Covid? Less dangerous or not, it is more transmissible. Germany is seeing more infections this year than they ever had since the pandemic began. Many hospitals are no longer accept any patients, operations are being put on hold. 

Consider to keep your mask on when indoors.

[rattlesnake]

11 minutes ago, Letseng said:

How often do you want to get Covid? Less dangerous or not, it is more transmissible. Germany is seeing more infections this year than they ever had since the pandemic began. Many hospitals are no longer accept any patients, operations are being put on hold. 

Consider to keep your mask on when indoors.

What is the vaccination status of all these people clogging up the hospitals?

[MrJ2U]

There's still probably over 20,000 case's a day in Thailand.

 

In our village everyone is sick after this weeks Buddha festivities.  

 

It's inevitable in Thailand, especially Issan where hygiene isn't very good and sharing utensils and one tin drinking cup is common.  Most houses only have one or two rooms for big families so forget any isolation.

 

I haven't heard of any deaths but some are very ill. 

[rattlesnake]

11 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

There's still probably over 20,000 case's a day in Thailand.

 

In our village everyone is sick after this weeks Buddha festivities.  

 

It's inevitable in Thailand, especially Issan where hygiene isn't very good and sharing utensils and one tin drinking cup is common.  Most houses only have one or two rooms for big families so forget any isolation.

 

I haven't heard of any deaths but some are very ill. 

Vaccination status of these people?

[MrJ2U]

Just now, rattlesnake said:

Vaccination status of these people?

 

 

Probably Sinovac/Astra.  Unfortunately.  No boosters. 

 

Luckily many of the ones with little or no symptoms have been fully vaccinated and had there boosters.

 

 

 

 

[onthedarkside]

Several trolling and COVID misinformation posts have been removed, along with ensuing replies.

 

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

So why mak a point of it? Covid  virus will be with us for many more years, maybe will never go away and it will mutate... Or is it only big news to keep the masks on?

It's information.. to be used as people see fit.

[MrJ2U]

11 hours ago, Hiram Abiff said:

Time to ignore the fear. Sick of hearing about it

I think you're one of the few people who are fearful of information.

 

This isn't Iran where you can just shut down and control news and information thankfully.

 

 

[Eleftheros]

10 hours ago, Hiram Abiff said:

Time to ignore the fear. Sick of hearing about it

According to the NIH, the first main risk factor in death from Covid is obesity (extra 31% risk), the second highest is "anxiety and fear-related disorders" (+28%), so yes, worrying about things does appear to quite significantly increase the risk from Covid.

[MrJ2U]

17 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

So why mak a point of it? Covid  virus will be with us for many more years, maybe will never go away and it will mutate... Or is it only big news to keep the masks on?

It's a bloody pandemic and I and other people want to be informed.

 

Putting your head in the sand and pretending news variants of the potentially deadly virus isn't important is just plain ridiculous.

 

 

[MrJ2U]

4 hours ago, Eleftheros said:

According to the NIH, the first main risk factor in death from Covid is obesity (extra 31% risk), the second highest is "anxiety and fear-related disorders" (+28%), so yes, worrying about things does appear to quite significantly increase the risk from Covid.

For antivaxxers it's really to late.

 

The newer Bivalent boosters will only be available for people who've already had the initial vaccines.

 

Whether or not your obese or perceive yourself as perfectly healthy it was wise to get vaccinated if you are around people:  (It's unlikely being a falang you'll find available original vaccines even if you chose to).

 

"If you haven’t been boosted in the last couple of months, this is a great opportunity to be better protected,” Dr. Murray says. “Deciding on timing has a lot to do with your own health profile as well as that of those around you. If you're with people who could become quite sick if you transmitted it to them, even if you had mild disease, that is something to consider.” 

 

https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/omicron-booster-covid-19

 

Hopefully this won't be as deadly as the Delta variant.