Thailand’s new COVID-19 infections today increased to 33, from yesterday’s 28, but no fatalities were reported. Meanwhile, another 100 in-patients have recovered and have been discharged from hospital.

Accumulated infections to date in the country are 2,733, with 1,787 recoveries and a death toll of 47.

Twenty-nine provinces have not reported a single new confirmed case for the past 14 days.

CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin today expressed concern over approximately 1,000 people, who gathered in front of and around Wat Don Muang on Friday to receive cash handouts of 500-1,000 baht from a philanthropic donor, saying that these people are at risk of having been exposed to the virus.

He warned them all to monitor their health and to see a doctor immediately if they develop a fever or sore throat, adding that he does not want to see a super spreader in Thailand, as experienced in Japan and Singapore.

Of the 47 fatalities to date, Dr. Taweesin said that closer scrutiny of the cases shows that 43% had diabetes, 36% had high blood pressure and 14% suffered with heart disease.

The CCSA spokesman said that Thailand is now 52nd on the global ranking of countries affected by COVID-19 adding, however, that Thailand must draw lessons from other countries, such as Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia, where new infections increased sharply.

Meanwhile, in Narathiwat province, the first 100 Thai Muslims stranded in Malaysia returned to Thailand this morning, through the border checkpoint in Su-ngai Kolok district of Narathiwat.

All of them must enter state quarantine for 14 days.

One of the returnees said that he was relieved to have returned home, adding that he had been waiting since April 2^nd, but could not return because of the lockdown on the Thai side of the border.