Hold Covid nerve

In the first week of 2022, Thailand is in a far better position with regards to Covid-19 than for this time last year. The government’s vaccination and booster programme is well advanced, which has played a huge part in bringing the virus under control.

The healthcare system deserves particular praise, in that the proportion of deaths to Covid-19 infections is among the lowest in the world at 1% or less.

This despite a lack of mass testing, which means the infection figures are very likely underreported.

Having said that, it is inevitable we will see a big surge in Omicron cases in the coming days and weeks.

The government’s response to Omicron’s emergence has been commendably restrained up to now.

It is vital the authorities hold their nerve when the surge happens. Ignore the headline-grabbing infection figures and keep eyes firmly on death rates and hospital capacities. More transmissible, yet less deadly variants are really good news and a sign that the end of this pandemic is coming.

It must be remembered that those fragments of the hospitality industry that survived the carnage of the past two years are in an extremely fragile state.

The survivors are struggling to rebuild their livelihoods and this must be allowed to continue without renewed restrictions, if further business casualties and economic damage are to be avoided. ALAN MEHEW