Coronavirus: Thailand downgrades Covid-19 to same category as flu; Japan to roll out Omicron vaccine

Thailand will remove Covid-19 from the same disease category as plague and smallpox to reflect the reality of the situation, the health ministry said

Meanwhile, Japan is preparing to import a new vaccine against the BA.5 subvariant of Omicron as the country is hit by a seventh wave of infections

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People receive a dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Bangkok, Thailand, last month. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 12:33pm, 9 Aug 2022

Thailand will downgrade Covid-19 from a “dangerous” communicable disease to one that “needs monitoring” starting from October, as the country’s virus situation has started to stabilise, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

The move, which will remove Covid-19 from the same category as plague and smallpox to the same level as influenza and dengue, is to reflect the reality of the situation in Thailand, said Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

The move reflects Thailand’s health-system readiness, availability of treatments and “appropriate self-protection behaviour” of people around the country, Anutin said in a statement. Thailand will also adjust the country’s post-pandemic management plan to allow private hospitals to start directly procuring antiviral drugs “soon,” rather than going through government channels, he said.

Authorities said last week that Thailand should start seeing a decline in severe Covid-19 cases and deaths by mid-August. Thailand on July 1 lifted virtually all travel restrictions and an outdoor mask mandate.

Japan readies for roll-out of Omicron vaccine

A new Covid-19 vaccine considered effective against the Omicron variant will be available to all people who have completed at least two inoculations from as early as mid-October, the Japanese government said on Monday.