BANGKOK: Thailand has decided to classify the Covid-19 pandemic as an endemic disease starting next month, marking a major shift in the country's push towards normalisation.
Authorities decided on the move after taking into account the progress of the disease locally and also globally.
Covid-19 will be classified as a "communicable disease under surveillance" from the current "dangerous communicable disease," effective Oct 1.
According to a Bangkok Post report, the decision on the transition was made after the National Communicable Disease Committee (NCDC) approved the proposal on Wednesday.
Thailand's Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the global Covid-19 situation had improved based on declining infections and deaths, with the high rate of vaccinated populations contributing to the improvements.
He said the ministry was declaring the transition under the communicable disease law which has been gazetted and it will be effective on Oct 1.
Covid-19's listing as an endemic disease will last through to September 2023, he added.
The ministry's action plan framework includes surveillance and preventative measures, risk communication, as well as medical treatments and other measures to control the disease. It will also cover social, legal and economic management aspects.
"The action plan will soon be forwarded for the cabinet's approval and each province must set up its own plan under the main framework," Anutin said.
"However, each province in the country must closely monitor the Covid situation and deal with any possible outbreaks as per the action plan."
The health minister said Covid-19 measures were being adjusted so that people can live in a balanced manner that considers health, security, social, and economic factors.
Thailand had also taken Covid-19 off the list of prohibited diseases for foreigners entering or staying in Thailand.
Authorities are also considering more relaxed measures that can be implemented by both private and public sectors following the decision on the transition.
Anutin said those with a mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 no longer need to stay at home for five days, but they must strictly maintain social distancing, wear masks and do tests regularly.
Meanwhile, the Post also reports that the ministry planned to treat Covid-19 patients at risk of complications with long-acting antibodies (LAAB).
According to the Department of Disease Control, studies showed that LAAB could be used to effectively treat Covid-19 patients.
LAAB is now administered as pre-infection protection, with Japan and Europe having already approved their use for vulnerable Covid-19 patients.
Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, deputy director-general of the department, said Thailand would follow suit, in addition to using it to protect vulnerable groups of people who had not contracted Covid-19.
According to the Post report, Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal published findings from a trial with 910 Covid-19 outpatients, who had mild and moderate symptoms, at 95 hospitals in the United States, Europe and Japan.
The trial showed that the use of Evusheld LAAB can reduce the incidence of severe illness and death by 50 per cent when administered within seven days after symptoms first appeared. The reduction will be 67 per cent and 88 per cent if administered within five and three days respectively after symptoms start, Dr Sophon said.
He said another study of 1,417 inpatients who had shown symptoms for no longer than 12 days at 81 hospitals in the US, Europe, Uganda and Singapore found that Evusheld reduced the fatality rate by 30 per cent.
"This shows the effectiveness of Evusheld's ready-to-use antibodies in the treatment of Covid-19 patients," Dr Sophon added.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare had approved the use of Evusheld last month to treat Covid-19 patients aged 12 years and over who were at risk of developing severe symptoms, while the European Medicines Agency agreed on Tuesday to use it for newly-infected high risk Covid-19 patients.
According to Dr Sophon, Thailand's Public Health Ministry had procured Evusheld's LAAB for people with low antibodies and those who cannot develop antibodies after vaccination.
He said more than 3,400 people have been given LAAB and that it can help tackle the original strain and many variants of the Covid-19 virus.
The inoculation initially targets those dependent on dialysis and patients who have undergone organ and bone marrow transplants.
Dr Sophon said the protection with LAAB will be expanded to other groups of people, including cancer patients who are receiving chemotherapy and radiotherapy, patients with low antibodies and patients who are on immunosuppressants after undergoing transplants.