Thailand’s Current COVID-19 Situation: Recent Surge Of a New Variant?

By Kasim Sheerazi

COVID-19 mockup vaccine vials | Photo credits: Daniel Schludi on Unsplash

Thailand is currently experiencing a significant surge in COVID-19 cases, primarily attributed to the spread of the XEC variant. The XEC variant is a subvariant of the SARS-CoV-2 Omnicron. This recombinant strain, formed from Omicron sublineages KP.3.3 and KS.1.1, has been identified as more transmissible than previous variants. The good news here is that it seems to cause milder and less serious symptoms compared to other strains that cause more severe symptoms (Yale Medicine, 2025). However, as with every known COVID-19 infection so far, the disease still can be unpredictable and its symptoms can vary based on every individual.

Between January 1 and May 14, 2025, Thailand has reported over 71,000 COVID-19 cases and 19 confirmed related deaths, rounding up to a 0.027% mortality rate (Nation Thailand, 2025b). The recent increase in cases is linked to the Songkran holiday period in April, during which two significant cluster outbreaks were identified. Just recently, the number of patients receiving hospital care increased significantly by 35.5% in just a week, signifying its infectious rate to be higher than influenza (Nation Thailand, 2025a).

Common symptoms associated with the XEC variant include fever, sore throat, cough, fatigue, and congestion. While these symptoms are similar to those of earlier COVID-19 strains and usually milder, the XEC variant's higher transmissibility has raised concerns among health officials (News24, 2025).

In response to the surge, Thailand has implemented updated COVID-19 protocols focusing on symptom-based isolation. Individuals are advised to begin isolation upon the onset of symptoms rather than waiting for test results. Isolation can end after 24 hours without fever (use of fever-reducing medications is not necessary) and with improving symptoms, followed by five days of mask-wearing. Retesting is generally not required (India Times, 2025).

Health authorities continue to monitor the situation closely, emphasizing the importance of vaccination if any individuals have yet not gotten one, especially for high-risk groups, and adherence to preventive measures such as mask-wearing and hand hygiene to mitigate the spread of the virus.