Returning to the pre-pandemic situation but still in the years of infections

In the aftermath of the Songkran celebrations in Thailand, which concluded on 15 April 2023, the number of Covid-19 inpatients and related deaths has seen a significant increase of 150% in just one week [1,2]. Similarly, COVID infections in Japan increased threefold after the government had eased restrictions on 8 May. However, in June, new COVID-19 infections in Thailand and other countries steadily fell, with fewer fatalities [3]. Death mainly occurs in the 607 group which includes patients over the age of 60 and those living with at least one of the seven chronic diseases. A key risk factor is either not having been vaccinated at all, not having received a booster jab or having received a booster for over three months. Having attended Japan Radiology Congress (JRC) in Yokohama, Japan in April, Eurasia Radiological Forum (EARF) in Astana, Kazakhstan in June, Malaysian Congress of Radiology (MCoR) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in July, and the Vietnamese Society of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine (VSRNM) in Da Nang, Vietnam in August, I perceived the return to the pre-COVID normal situation in those cities and the conferences in which there was no social distancing in both academic and social events. In addition, attendants were not required to wear face masks. People gathered to talk, drink, dine and sing as they did before the pandemic. Received 28 August 2023 ; accepted 24 August 2023 doi:10.46475/aseanjr.v24i2.874 Tanomkiat W. ASEAN J Radiol 2023; 24(2) : 77-79