Although Thailand has not reported any domestic COVID-19 cases for nearly 90 days, the outbreak abroad remains severe. This crisis has led Thailand to face changes in every dimension. Therefore, adapting and being mindful of every change is an important solution.

While Thailand has not reported any domestic COVID-19 cases for quite some time, we still cannot be 100% at ease. Hygiene measures, both personal and communal, must remain "strict" and require "discipline" moving forward. Recently, Prof. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Clinical Virology Research Center at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, stated that although Thailand has not reported any domestic cases for nearly 90 days, the outbreak abroad is still "severe." Globally, there are over 22 million confirmed cases and 770,000 deaths, with an increase of 1 million cases every 4 days.

Prof. Yong indicated that based on this rate of increase, it is predicted that by the end of this year, there will be around 50 million COVID-19 cases worldwide, with deaths ranging from 1 to 5 million. The hope lies in treatments that will reduce the severity of the disease, including "vaccines" that are getting closer to reality. Currently, more than 6 companies are conducting phase 3 trials in humans, so it is likely that at least 1 or 2 companies will successfully develop a vaccine. However, it is crucial to be cautious during the wait for the vaccine to prevent any factors that could trigger a second wave of outbreaks. Therefore, vigilance must be maintained at all costs.

From another perspective, COVID-19 has led to a historic collaboration in the medical field. Although countries continue to monitor the situation closely, making international travel difficult, medical and pharmaceutical personnel are fully engaged in developing vaccines and treatments for COVID-19. Every country shares a common goal of overcoming this pandemic. International cooperation in exchanging knowledge and essential information for vaccine development is expanding, while medical personnel are working diligently to develop vaccines as quickly as possible.

The changes occurring in global society are partly a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which may seem to have caused rapid changes initially. However, we are beginning to realize that this pandemic will be with us for a long time, potentially leading to vast changes beyond our imagination. Not to mention the economic and social impacts that we are already aware of, there are still many unseen effects on businesses, industries, and daily life. Today, Thailand is facing changes in every dimension that will affect the course of life moving forward. Observing the changing world in terms of thoughts, attitudes, technology, pandemics, etc., shows that there is no end in sight. The end of one thing always brings about the emergence of something new. "Adaptation" and "mindfulness" in every change may not be a bad solution.

SOURCE : www.bangkokbiznews.com