Thais wait overnight to get free COVID-19 tests

BANGKOK: People in Thailand's capital Bangkok were waiting overnight for free COVID-19 tests as cases in the country surged Friday to a new record high.

Hundreds of people arrived late Thursday at Wat Phra Si Mahathat temple, one of the five testing centres set up by Bangkok authorities. Each center provides up to 900 tests per day.

Outside the temple wall, some slept on the concrete road while others sat up all night afraid to leave their spots.

Ekachai Sirichert, a 30-year-old construction worker, said a test is required for him to go back to work.

He went to other centres twice, at midnight and 5 a.m. only to be told that he was too late. On his third try, he arrived at this testing center 11 p.m. the night before it opened.

At 6 a.m. staff handed out numbered tickets for those who are waiting.

Wantanee Pudpong, a 53-year-old domestic worker said her family arrived here last night, along with a 3-year-old granddaughter, after they learned that her husband tested positive.

The family couldn't afford getting their tests done at private hospitals, which could cost more than 80 US dollars per person.

Daily tests in Thailand are about 40,000 to 70,000 during the month of June, less than one test per thousand people.

The numbers are low compared to the U.K., where the average daily tests are above 10 per thousand people on the same month.

Because hospitals are forced to admit patients they found positive, many hospitals have suspended testing simply due to the shortage of beds.

To increase testing, health authorities approved the use of rapid antigen testing kits Thursday but still require medical professionals to perform the screenings.

Thailand has seen an increase in infections in the recent months, with a record 9,279 new cases announced on Friday with 72 deaths, bringing the total number of cases to 288,643. The surge prompts concern over shortages of treatment facilities and vaccine supplies. Thailand has fully vaccinated only about 4.5% of its population.