New coronavirus strains from visitors arriving from western countries could pose a higher health threat than older strains from tourists arriving from China, according to virologist Yong Poovorawan.
Amid concerns over rising infections with China easing restrictions on travel, Dr Yong wrote on his Facebook account on Friday that China's recent outbreak is predominantly led by the Omicron subvariant of Covid-19, BA.5, which had already spread in Thailand.
"We should be more concerned about the strains that have not spread in Thailand, especially the BQ variant from western countries which is more alarming," wrote Dr Yong, chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine. "We do not check and cannot force (them) to wear face masks."
According to Dr Yong, 70% of Thai people have been infected with Covid-19, and 96% of the population already have antibodies for Covid-19.
Covid-19 outbreaks were declining in Thailand due to seasonal transition. Covid-19 and other respiratory illnesses would not be common in the summer and would seasonally spread again in June, he wrote.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told reporters on Thursday that all visitors to Thailand must show proof of at least two Covid-19 vaccinations.
Visitors who will be travelling onward from Thailand to a country that requires a negative RT-PCR test result must also provide proof of insurance, he said.
“The principle is there will not be any discrimination against a particular country because Covid-19 is spreading in all countries and the strains are similar. So, Covid-19 should not be an issue of discriminating against any country,” Mr Anutin said.
