Thailand recorded 89 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, including 73 locally-acquired infections and 16 among arrivals from abroad in state quarantine, said CCSA assistant spokesperson Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan at the daily news briefing.

Of the locally acquired infections, Samut Sakhon recorded 33 cases, Pathum Thani, 18 cases, Tak, 13 cases, Nakhon Pathom, 6 cases and one each in Ang Thong, Ayutthaya and Nonthaburi.  No new infections were reported in Bangkok.

Of the 16 imported cases, seven are from Qatar, two each from the US and United Kingdom and one each from India, Pakistan, Latvia, Portugal and Armenia.

Cumulative infections in Thailand, since early last year, are 25,504, with 24,361 recoveries. 1,060 others are still being treated in hospitals and the death toll stands at 83.

Cumulative infection, since the second outbreak started on December 15^th, are 21,267, including 938 imported cases.

Meanwhile, well-known virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan, of Chulalongkorn University, allayed concerns about the side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, saying that, in the United States, where 13.7 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have already been administered, there were only 4.5 cases of severe reaction, known as anaphylaxis, per million doses given and no fatalities.

The causes of the reported 113 deaths, among those who had been inoculated, have been confirmed to be unrelated to the vaccines.

As for the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines from China, he explained that both use dead virus in the production process, similar to vaccines against polio, rabies and hepatitis A and, therefore, do not cause significant side effects.