The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) will hold a special meeting tomorrow (Monday) with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) concerning joint preparations to cope with the steady surge in COVID-19 infections in the capital and its suburbs.

Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Kiattibhoom Vongrachit said today that he has invited Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt to join a meeting of the medical and public health emergency operations centre committee to discuss plans to cope with the current steady rise in infections, averaging 2,000 cases per day needing hospitalisation nationally, half of which are in Bangkok.

He said that he would like the governor to introduce initial measures to reduce or cancel activities which may pose a risk of spreading the disease and to prepare medical facilities, especially hospital beds.

He disclosed that the occupancy rate of hospitals throughout the country is at 13% but, in Bangkok, it has increased to 42%, because a number of beds were allocated to patients suffering with other conditions after the rate of new COVID infections began to ease a few months ago.

Dr. Kiattibhoom then urged members of the public to adhere strictly to basic measures to protect themselves against getting infected. They should also get at least three doses of vaccine and a further booster shot four months after the third, to reduce risk of falling seriously ill or dying.