7,144 cleared of virus:

More than seven thousand people who were in locations visited by an infected Egyptian serviceman in Rayong and the infected daughter of a Sudanese diplomat in Bangkok have tested negative for Covid-19.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said yesterday that another 279 people in Rayong who were tested had also returned negative results.

Between July 14 and 19, some 6,501 people who might have been exposed to the virus in Rayong underwent coronavirus tests and all were cleared, according to the Department of Disease Control.

They had either been at the hotel where the infected soldier had stayed, or one of the shopping malls he and other Egyptian servicemen visited.

In Bangkok, 364 people underwent Covid-19 tests during the same period and no infections were found among them. The latest test results brought the number of people testing negative to 7,144, said Dr Taweesilp.

Earlier yesterday, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) reported that the Public Health Ministry had conducted more than 6,000 Covid-19 tests in Rayong and most tested negative.

The DDC said the results showed that health measures now in place were controlling the spread of the disease and the infected Egyptian had not endangered the public.

Officials reported five new coronavirus cases, all quarantined returnees from Egypt, Japan and Sudan, raising the total to 3,255.

No new deaths were reported,

leaving the death toll at 58, and yesterday was the 57th consecutive day with no locally transmitted infections.

One new case was a male student aged 26, who arrived from Japan on July 7.

He had a fever and was sent straight to a hospital in Samut Prakan province. His first test was negative but the second returned positive on Saturday and the disease was detected after he lost his sense of smell.