Nation rises in global tally
>>Thailand has the eighth highest tally of serious or critical Covid-19 cases in the world, officials said yesterday.
The news emerged as doctors said Thailand has more than 700 Covid-19 patients intubated in hospitals.
According to worldometers.info, Thailand ranked eighth with 2,615 patients with severe symptoms before the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced a jump in the number to 2,738 with 717 on ventilators.
The country also yesterday logged 9,326 new cases and recorded 91 fatalities as the government prepares to enforce toughened restrictions in Bangkok and nine other provinces in a bid to curb the sudden increase in cases and rapid spread of the Delta strain.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp
Visanuyothin said that of the new cases, 9,115 were found among the general population, 192 among prison inmates and 19 were imported cases.
There were, 6,567 cases confirmed at hospitals and 2,548 via mass testing, said the CCSA.
Bangkok logged the highest number with 3,191, followed by 672 in Pathum Thani, 603 in Samut Prakan, 551 in Samut Sakhon, 359 in Chon Buri, 334 in Nonthaburi, 225 in Songkhla, 207 in Lop Buri, 175 in Saraburi and 173 in Pattani.
Of the 91 deaths, 47 were males aged between 26 and 98, with an average age of 67.
Bangkok also led with the most deaths (51), followed by Samut Prakan (9), Nonthaburi (8), Pathum Thani (5) and Nakhon Pathom (4).
Two each were reported in Khon Kaen, Roi Et and Narathiwat, and one each in Phetchaburi, Maha Sarakham, Kamphaeng Phet, Songkhla, Phetchabun, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Forty-four of those who died had hypertension, 38 had diabetes and 21 had high cholesterol.
Twenty-five caught the disease from family members and 25 others from colleagues and neighbours.
The previous record daily number of Covid-19 fatalities was 75 on Thursday when the country also logged 7,058 new infections.
The 19 imported cases were from Ethiopia (1), the United Arab Emirates (3), Indonesia (1), Russia (1), Cambodia (1), Myanmar (12).
They were a Cameroonian teacher, an Arab man, an Indonesia engineer, a Russian teacher, eight Myanmar nationals, and seven Thais.
Five of the Thai returnees and seven of the Myanmar nationals had entered the country illegally or via natural border crossings.
The CCSA also reported four new clusters scattered across three provinces: a tap water plant in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pa-in district (9 cases reported); Sompob market in Nakhon Pathom’s Sam Phran district (31); a plastic plant in Nakhon Pathom’s Nakhon Chaisri district (28); and an electronic company in Ratchaburi’s Ban Pong district (10).
As of 6pm yesterday, a total of 9,238,412 people had received their first Covid-19 vaccination and 3,257,993 people were fully vaccinated.