Covid Cases Will Continue To Rise, Taskforce Predicts
Source: Vientiane Times
The National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control has warned that Omicron infections will continue to surge in the next two or three months if people act irresponsibly and do not take precautions.
The Omicron variant of Covid is highly transmissible and 9 of 10 samples that were randomly checked tested positive for Omicron, with more than 1,000 cases now being recorded in Laos each day.
On March 22, another 2,625 Covid cases were recorded, with Vientiane reporting a record 1,164 new cases.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Deputy Director General of the Communicable Disease Control Department of the Ministry of Health, Dr Sisavath Soutthanilaxay, said people of all age groups and occupations have been infected as there are no longer any restrictions on movement.
“There are many festivals which people attend in large numbers. But most people have become complacent and no longer bother to follow the guidance on Covid prevention and control,” he said. “This means they pick up the virus and then take it home to their families. The best method of prevention is self-protection and vaccination.”
Dr Sisavath pointed out that the number of new infections reported each day was based solely on the figures reported by health facilities.
Many people are self-testing using antigen rapid test kits and some do not report positive test results to health authorities. The taskforce believes that everyone is aware of the ways to prevent infection but says making these a daily routine is essential to make sure the number of infections is reduced.
On March 22, a total of 2,625 new infections and one death from Covid were reported in Laos, of which 2,595 infections were locally transmitted.
A total of 159,047 Covid cases have been recorded countrywide to date, resulting in 652 deaths. More than 473 million Covid cases have been recorded worldwide, resulting in more than 6.1 million deaths.
