Doctors in Thailand’s northern province of Chiang Mai are expressing serious concerns that COVID-19 infections there are approaching a critical level, with the ICU wards in two hospitals almost fully occupied.
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Chiang Mai University Prof. Dr. Bannakit Lojanapiwat, said in a written statement issued today (Thursday) that daily new infections in the province averaged 400 in the past several days and new clusters are emerging on a daily basis.
Noting that about 20% of the new patients have moderate to severe symptoms, he said that about 5% of the severe cases need to be treated in intensive care units (ICUs), but there are only two hospitals which are capable of accommodating them.
The number of new infections has risen to more than 6,000, almost filling the ICU wards at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai and Nakornping hospitals.
To ease the problem, Dr. Bannakit said that the provincial administration has set up community and home isolation facilities to accommodate mild and moderate cases.
He stressed, however, the need for vaccination and urged people in the province, who are yet to be inoculated, to come forward for vaccination.
Chiang Mai ranks the eighth province with most COVID infections today, with 356 new cases, bringing the total of infections in the province since April to 15,143.
