Latest Covid-19 variant ‘not a concern’

The Department of Medical Sciences says a new Omicron subvariant — CH.1.1 — which has been detected in 67 countries including Thailand, can evade immunity produced by Longacting Antibody (LAAB) jabs, but its rate of transmission is low.

Speaking yesterday, Dr Supakit Sirilak, department chief, said there is concern that CH.1.1 might prove detrimental to the efficiency of the LAAB shot, which is used for those who have a compromised immune system, such as those with chronic kidney disease, cancer and organ transplant patients.

The department has only diagnosed around 300 patients so far, he said, adding that the majority of cases at the moment, about 80%, are caused by the BN.1 sub-variant.

He further insisted that LAAB is still effective and can still be used as a treatment to enhance human immunity against the Covid-19 disease.

“We closely monitor virus mutations, of which BN.1 has been the dominant sub-variant since January. We don’t think that CH.1.1 will replace BN.1 due to their different transmission rates,” he said.

People travelling to China, India, Nepal and Myanmar must conduct an RT-PCR test before arrival. Based on 2,022 cases recorded between Jan 8-Feb 3, the department found a decline in positive test results from 10% to 1% among Thai people, with a corresponding drop among Chinese tourists from 7% to 2%.

Dr Supakit further said that the department would reduce complications in monitoring for virus mutations by maintaining a process of whole genome sequencing every two weeks instead of the Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) genetic test for specified sub-variants.

In a related development, a source from the Department of Disease Control said that the cabinet has already agreed to receive 1.5 million doses of the second-generation vaccine donated by Korea and France, which are expected to arrive shortly.

It will be the first time that Thailand will use the second generation of a bivalent vaccine, which was developed by combining molecules of the spiel proteins from the original virus and the Omicron variant.

“We have enough vaccine and no plan to buy the second generation. But if they intend to donate the latest version, we are willing to accept it,” he said.

The department will set up a committee to clarify which groups should be prioritised to receive the newer jab.