Thailand’s COVID-19 infections have increased by 15 today, while the number of in-patients has dropped to 314, with 60 more recoveries.
No fatalities have been reported today, as the country’s death toll stays at 50. Accumulated infections have increased to 2,854 and a total of 2,490 have recovered and returned home.
CCSA spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin said today that, besides the 2,854 confirmed cases, there are still another 11,665 suspected cases being verified in Bangkok, 4,448 cases in the southern border province of Yala, 2,163 cases in the resort town of Phuket, 3,630 cases in Nonthaburi, 1,879 cases in Chon Buri and 1,362 cases in Samut Prakan.
There are 35 provinces which have not reported any new cases for the past 14-28 days. 14 provinces have reported new infections during the past seven days, including Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Krabi, Chumpon, Narathiwat and Phuket.
Cluster infections were reported in Chon Buri, Phuket, Pattani, Yala and Chumpon provinces, with the cluster sizes ranging from five to over 50, said Dr. Taweesin, citing the case in Thalang district of Phuket, where one employee at an entertainment venue, who had close contact with three foreign tourists, infected 31 other people.
He disclosed that, currently, the country’s 123 state and private laboratories are capable of conducting 20,000 tests a day and an increased capacity will become available in all provinces across the country.
Citing Indonesia, Singapore and Britain, the CCSA spokesman noted that lockdown measures have been escalated to contain the disease, instead of being relaxed. In Britain, he said some of the lockdown measures might be enforced for the remainder of this year, or until there is a vaccine.
“There is no model which can predict how many more or fewer infections will occur in a country, after there have been many infections. In Thailand today, daily new infections have slowed to 13, but we must not reduce our level of vigilance,” said Dr. Taweesin.
He said the credit for the success in containing the contagion from spreading out of control in Thailand should go to all sectors of society, from the government and medical personnel to public health volunteers and members of the public.
Regarding relaxation of lockdown measures, planned for some provinces, Dr. Taweesin said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has made it clear that the CCSA must consult the cabinet and take into account all related aspects of the problem and, more importantly, any relaxation must have the consent of the majority of the people.
Any easing of the lockdown must not lead to a new wave of infections, he said, adding that the cost of treating each in-patient stay averages one million baht.
