Bangkok (VNA) – COVID-19 daily caseloads in Thailand may top 100,000 by the Songkran festival in the middle of March in the worst-case scenario, according to the country’s Department of Disease Control (DDC).

It said whether the level of infections will drop or intensify in the weeks ahead depends on how strictly COVID-19 precautions are adopted, adding that precautions include refraining from group activities, working from home more, delaying non-essential travel, maintaining a high vaccination rate and practising the VUCA (Vaccine, Universal Prevention, COVID-19 Free Setting and ATK) measures.

The DDC said the most optimistic outlook is one where the precautions are fully implemented, in which case the daily infections will taper off and be maintained at about 20,000 starting in the middle of this month.

In a less optimistic outlook where precautions are being exercised at the current level, daily caseloads are predicted to rise to 50,000 until the Songkran festival.

In the worst-case scenario, in which precautions are not sufficiently practised, infections may well spike to 100,000 a day everyday until the middle of next month, said the DDC.

Earlier on February 28, Apisamai Srirangson, spokeswoman for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration people with few or no symptoms should stay home and not seek admission to hospitals in a bid to free up beds for patients with more severe symptoms./.