The warnings about the Omicron variant were clear -- it will spread fast and soon become the predominant cause of infection in the country.
Another wave is likely, along with another round of restrictions. The challenge is what needs to be done to cope with what appears imminent.
With infections linked to Omicron doubling almost daily, it's time for the government to dust off its preparedness plan.
People have been told to strictly maintain hand hygiene, wear masks and observe social distancing even among family members at home.
Keep your guard up at all times, health authorities have repeated. But real action is urgently needed now.
Covid-19 vaccination is an utmost priority. Despite initial hiccups and the unusual reliance on several mix-and-match formulas, the government has managed to achieve its goal of administering 100 million doses to the public this year.
Inoculation drives both for people who have not received any at all and those who need the first, second, or a third jab as a booster have been ramped up. But the campaign needs to intensify.
The 100 million dose tally may sound impressive but a detailed examination of the vaccine profile suggests it is not adequate at all.
The situation is more worrying since it could take three shots of Covid-19 vaccines to cope with an Omicron spread.
At present, more than 60% of the population has been fully vaccinated.
The number of people who have received the third, booster shot is worryingly low, about 5.5 million or merely 5% of the population.
When it comes to vulnerable groups, the numbers are rather disconcerting. While more than 97% of medical personnel have received three doses, only 24% of frontline workers have received the booster shot, 21% for village health volunteers, 4.8% for people over 60 and down to 0.7% for pregnant women.
Since Covid-19 vaccines for children have just been approved, the inoculation drive among those aged between 5 to 11 will not start until February.
This could be too late as a projection by the Public Health Ministry showed that an Omicron outbreak could start as early as March and cause 10,000 to 40,000 infections and casualties of 20 to 170 per day, according to different scenarios.
Not only will the government have to expedite the third booster shot but it has to look ahead and do the necessary research for the fourth one.
Plans have been in place to provide the fourth jab for priority groups.
But since Thailand experimented with several mix-and-match vaccine formulas, it has to come up with guidelines for the safe Covid-19 vaccination for ordinary people who have completed three shots as quickly as possible. Worries are running high and fear of over-vaccination is also real.
The government must also update all the track-and-trace tools and communication platforms.
Are the Thai Chana or Mor Chana applications still in use? What is the main channel for contact tracing?
If these applications remain functional, the government has to reinforce them. If not, they should be discontinued to relieve the burden on the public.
As cases related to the Omicron variant are on the rise, the public must be informed about what should be done under which situation.
Another round of panic, or failure in the face of an outbreak, will be most unwelcome.
