Bangkok: Please do not worry about the news of the new coronavirus in China. It has not been transmitted to humans yet. The government reiterates that news about the new coronavirus in China is research data from a lab and has not yet spread to humans. It confirms that Thailand has a strong international disease surveillance and control system and asks the public not to worry.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Anukul Prueksanusak, deputy government spokesman, revealed that regarding the news about the discovery of a new strain of coronavirus in bats by a team of Chinese researchers, which has the ability to transmit to humans similar to the COVID-19 virus, the Ministry of Public Health clarified that such information came from laboratory research that was released to the public. It was a development and enhancement of laboratory testing capabilities. The HKU5-CoV-2 strain discovered is a genetic diversity in the genus Marbecovirus, which is not considered a new strain or mutant virus, but a virus in the coronavirus family with many subspecies. Researchers discovered that there was a pattern of pairing between HKU5-CoV-2 and human ACE2 that was different from other Marbecoviruses, leading to research assumptions that there may be a risk of transmission from animals to humans and may result in an outbreak.
At present, there has been no outbreak or epidemiological data related to the HKU5-CoV-2 strain in humans. The public should not worry. Thailand has a strong international disease surveillance and control system, including cooperation from the Department of Disease Control, the Department of Medical Sciences, and a network of research teams from universities, which work together to continuously monitor the strains of the virus that cause the disease and are quick in responding to the situation. Currently, COVID-19 patients in Thailand are still the Omicron strain, Mr. Anukul emphasized.
Mr. Anukul stated that even though the HKU5-CoV-2 strain has not yet been found, preventive measures are no different from other strains of viruses that cause respiratory diseases, such as influenza, COVID-19, or RSV, namely, avoiding going to crowded places. If necessary, wear a mask or wear it when sick with respiratory symptoms to prevent the spread of infection to others. Wash your hands regularly. People who are at risk of infection and have severe symptoms can get vaccinated against the disease, both the influenza vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine.