• The number of new community acquired cases continues to decrease, although the rate of decrease has slowed down reducing by just 1% from the 5% decrease of the previous week. Case counts remain high with an average of 10,355 per day for the last 7 days.
• The number of deaths continues to decrease with an average of 87 deaths per day compared to 99 per day of the previous week, a 12% decrease. In the third wave from April to late June there was an average of just 19 daily deaths.
• Severe cases (decreasing by 3%, 7% last week), ventilated cases (5%, 2% previously) continue to decrease, though the rate of decrease is slow and counts remain high. In the last 4 weeks severe cases have decreased by 28% and ventilated cases by 20%
ANALYSIS
• Key COVID-19 indicators including new cases, total active cases, severe cases, ventilated cases and deaths in Thailand are decreasing and have reduced substantially from the peak in August. However their rates of decrease have slowed, with low single digit decreases for all except deaths: although changes in deaths tend to lag behind these other counts (deaths decreased by 12% this week, but the previous week the decrease was 18%, a slowing down by a third).
• These indicators remain high and many times greater than the previous peak in the 3rd wave from April to June. This includes the number of active cases, including those that require direct medical care, that remain high (over 109,000 cases per day on average last week) with the rate of decrease slowing down to 1.5% over the previous week.
• As vaccination rates increase, internationally evidence shows that most new cases of COVID-19 are in those unvaccinated. While in Thailand second dose (complete) vaccination increased by 9% on average last week there remain many disparities in rates of vaccination across the country. Nine of the 19 maximum controlled area provinces have 50-69% of those 60 and over vaccinated, but only three of the southern provinces. Only 2 of the southern provinces have up to 49% of the general population vaccinated.
These areas continue to report high new daily cases.
• Ministry of Public Health COVID-19 investigations in southern provinces have indicated low vaccination and continued population gatherings including those related to religious and cultural customs and behaviors. It is essential that at all times rigorous adoption of pubic hearth and social measures including maintaining physical distancing, correct mask wearing, hand washing and avoiding unventilated spaces is practiced, particularly when in the company of older people.
Source: World Health Organization