Covid cases in past 24 hours could number almost 100,000, Chula lecturer worries. In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Chulalongkorn University Assoc Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat wrote: “2,886 > estimated 96,200.” The Nation

A Chulalongkorn University lecturer is worried that the actual number of new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours and announced on Wednesday is almost 100,000 even as the official report puts the figure at only 2,886.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Chulalongkorn University Assoc Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat wrote: "2,886 > estimated 96,200."

In an earlier post, he said the number of deaths in the country on Tuesday was 14th in the world and fourth highest in Asia.

Thira said Covid-19 is spreading "heavily" in Thailand, so wearing face masks properly is necessary to reduce the risk of getting infected.

The doctor also touched on the intensifying topic of the BA 2.75 subvariant, which was detected in Thailand on Tuesday. He said it hasn't spread widely to other countries as yet and most cases are in India.

Just being careful could reduce the risk of becoming infected from any variant, Thira advised.

He cited a study by University of Washington researcher John E Bowen and others titled "Omicron spike function and neutralising activity elicited by a comprehensive panel of vaccines".

The study said three doses of vaccines are actually enough to prevent infection from Omicron subvariants BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12.1 and BA.5.

Researchers used a sample from three doses of mRNA vaccines, two doses of Novavax along with one dose of mRNA vaccine, and two doses of Sinopharm with one dose of mRNA vaccine.

Thira said the study confirmed the significance of a booster dose to keep BA.5 at bay.

He also cited a study by King's College London research associate Emma Rezel-Potts and others titled "Cardiometabolic outcomes up to 12 months after Covid-19 infection – a matched cohort study in the UK".

The study mentioned that being infected with Covid-19 increases the risk of getting diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

It highlighted the importance of protecting oneself from being infected and how patients should treat themselves after contracting Covid to avoid these diseases.