Bangkok, April 15 -- Thai health authorities have raised concerns about a possible increase in COVID-19 cases following the Songkran festival, citing factors such as close contact during water-splashing events and extensive nationwide travel.

Dr. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Clinical Virology Department at Chulalongkorn University, indicated that COVID-19 cases in Thailand tend to rise in early April, coinciding with the Songkran celebrations. This pattern differs from other respiratory illnesses like influenza, which typically surge during the rainy season or after the start of the academic year.

Drawing from a study of over 8,000 COVID-19 cases from the previous year, Dr. Yong noted that the virus's spread is facilitated by crowded ga...