The number of new Covid-19 infections is expected to continue rising in the next 10 weeks in Bangkok and tourism provinces, health authorities warned on Monday.

A rise has already been seen this week and is projected to continue, said Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology.

"Higher vaccination rates are slowing the rise in new infections which is predicted to peak in September when about 4,000 new cases are expected per day," he said.

The latest relaxation of most Covid-19 restrictions, starting last Friday, has been seen as the key factor in the growing number of new cases, he said.

The BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants are expected to soon become dominant in Thailand as well.

However, while vaccinations followed up with booster shots of existing Covid-19 vaccines may not prevent the spread of these new sub-variants, it is hoped that the severity of symptoms will  be diminished, he said.

Covid-19 prevention measures, including face-mask wearing and social distancing, are still highly recommended among at-risk groups.