The Assessment of COVID-19 Burden during the First Wave of Pandemic in Thailand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14456/dcj.2021.46Keywords:
COVID-19, Prevention and Disease Control, Epidemiological practice, Universal Coverage Scheme, Disability-Adjusted Life YearsAbstract
This study aimed to estimate COVID-19 burden during the first wave of pandemic between January 1– October 8, 2020, in Thailand. Outbreak control measures consisted of healthcare services system and coordinated disease control efforts through interagency collaboration, which were displayed by the events in the timeline. The results of the study showed that Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme, which focused on the prevention of disease, had been successful in encouraging people at risk of COVID-19 to seek medical care free of charge, taking advantage of the robustness of the national laboratory system coupled with epidemiological investigation capacity nationwide. In addition, the implementation of travel restrictions, good hygiene practices, and social distancing also contributed to the success of COVID-19 containment efforts, thus resulting in relatively low rates of morbidity and mortality. The infections were primarily restricted to the following groups: 1) working age population, 2) pensioners and the elderly, and 3) young children and adolescents. The daily morbidity and mortality rate was capped to just lower than 10 cases per day, thus resulting in the COVID-19 burden of 0.01 DALYs per 1000 population.
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