The Covid-19 outbreak differs from previous waves, but its pattern remains similar to that of influenza, a leading physician said.
Prof Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, wrote on Facebook this year’s outbreak pattern differed from those of previous years, when cases typically peaked in mid-April following the Songkran holiday, continued through the rainy season and then declined in August.
He said fewer cases had been reported earlier in the year before they peaked between July and August. He said the outbreak was expected to ease in October, in time for the school break.
He said this year’s outbreak was similar to the influenza outbreak, with symptoms and severity expected to be broadly comparable. This year’s influenza outbreak peaked during the colder months at the beginning of the year before reaching a second peak over the past two months.
However, while at least 16 Covid-19 deaths were reported during this year’s outbreak, influenza caused more than three times as many fatalities, with 50 deaths recorded among 350,000 cases, Prof Dr Yong said.