1 April 2021
Covid-19 deadly third wave
Thailand began being ravaged by the third outbreak of Covid-19, its deadliest wave yet, with new infections exceeding 2,000 on most days, and dozens of fatalities.
The third outbreak was believed to have originated from lavish night clubs in the racy entertainment district of Thong Lo in Bangkok. It cast its devastating impacts on the back of a second wave that erupted in the main cluster of infections at the central shrimp market in Samut Sakhon at the end of 2020.
The third wave gripped the country quickly while health experts sounded the alarm for a looming transmission of the Alpha strain of Covid-19 that was first detected in the UK. The Thong Lo clubbers were blamed for importing the strain from a neighbouring country, which left the country in the biggest public health crisis in recent memory.
The mass infections, and rising death toll from them, landed the government in political dire straits, a far cry from the plaudits it received for efficient handling of the first two outbreaks.
Vaccine was being flown in from China in the early stage of combating the third wave. However, the government’s rollout plan was criticised as being too slow, with choices of vaccine limited to Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
More vaccines from multiple manufacturers were later being sourced as the bulk of the supplies began to arrive in June. This was timed to coincide with the nationwide inoculation campaign which kicked off on June 2.
The government planned to procure 100 million doses to be administered to 50 million people, or about 70% of the population, by the end of 2021, to prepare the country for a full reopening in January the following year.
1 April 2021
Covid-19 deadly third wave
Thailand began being ravaged by the third outbreak of Covid-19, its deadliest wave yet, with new infections exceeding 2,000 on most days, and dozens of fatalities.
The third outbreak was believed to have originated from lavish night clubs in the racy entertainment district of Thong Lo in Bangkok. It cast its devastating impacts on the back of a second wave that erupted in the main cluster of infections at the central shrimp market in Samut Sakhon at the end of 2020.
The third wave gripped the country quickly while health experts sounded the alarm for a looming transmission of the Alpha strain of Covid-19 that was first detected in the UK. The Thong Lo clubbers were blamed for importing the strain from a neighbouring country, which left the country in the biggest public health crisis in recent memory.
The mass infections, and rising death toll from them, landed the government in political dire straits, a far cry from the plaudits it received for efficient handling of the first two outbreaks.
Vaccine was being flown in from China in the early stage of combating the third wave. However, the government’s rollout plan was criticised as being too slow, with choices of vaccine limited to Sinovac and AstraZeneca.
More vaccines from multiple manufacturers were later being sourced as the bulk of the supplies began to arrive in June. This was timed to coincide with the nationwide inoculation campaign which kicked off on June 2.
The government planned to procure 100 million doses to be administered to 50 million people, or about 70% of the population, by the end of 2021, to prepare the country for a full reopening in January the following year.