2023-12-09 12:21:31
The current COVID-19 situation has been compared to the 2009 influenza outbreak by Prof. Dr. Yong Phuworawan, Head of the Center of Specialization in Virology at Chulalongkorn University. Dr. Yong stated that once infected, individuals can become infected again and that there are a large number of subspecies of the virus.
The 2009 influenza outbreak, also known as the swine flu, started in Mexico before moving into America and was first diagnosed in California. Dr. Yong noted that there was initially panic in Thailand when the virus entered the country, as many believed it could be similar to the Spanish flu due to its new strain and lack of immunity in the population. However, the reality was not as severe as initially reported.
The 2009 flu strain was found to be similar to historical H1N1 or Spanish flu strains, with elderly adults having some immunity. The majority of illnesses occurred in children and middle-aged people, resulting in approximately 200 deaths in the first year. However, the virus did not disappear and continued to affect the population in subsequent years, with a decrease in death rates over time.
Similarly, Dr. Yong stated that COVID-19 is following a similar pattern, with the severity of the disease expected to decrease as the majority of the population develops immunity, largely through vaccines. The development of sub-strains of COVID-19 has made it difficult to predict the strains that will spread in the future, making it challenging to develop vaccines to match the epidemic strains.
In conclusion, Dr. Yong emphasized that COVID-19 is similar to the flu in terms of reinfection and the development of multiple strains. However, with the majority of the population expected to develop immunity, it is hoped that the severity of the disease will decrease over time.]
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