Thailand warns of virus surge with fast-growing cluster

BANGKOK • Thai health authorities have warned that residents should brace themselves for a potential jump in coronavirus cases after classifying the country's first cluster of the Omicron variant as a super-spreader incident.

The Omicron cluster identified in the north-eastern province of Kalasin on Christmas Eve has been linked to a couple who had travelled from Belgium and visited bars, concerts and markets.

The ensuing cluster had infected hundreds, with cases spreading to 11 other provinces, said senior health official Opas Karnkawinpong yesterday, noting how one of the bars linked to the cluster had been packed and did not have good ventilation.

"During the New Year, if you visit any place and it does not look safe, just don't go," Dr Opas told a briefing.

Thailand has reported 740 cases of the Omicron variant, including 251 in people who had come into contact with foreign arrivals, he added.

The health ministry's planning scenario indicated that by March, daily infections could hit 30,000, with more than 160 deaths, without a faster roll-out of measures like vaccinations and testing, as well as greater social distancing.

If curbs were tightened, daily cases could peak at 14,000 in February, with fewer than 60 daily deaths, the scenario showed.

REUTERS