Despite stringent measures, Thailand's COVID-19 number hits another record high

BANGKOK: Despite of the stringent precautions in place, Thailand's COVID-19 cases hit another record high on Wednesday as a total of 13,002 new cases and 108 new fatalities reported over the last 24 hours.

To date, the total infections in the kingdom stood at 439,477 and the death toll has gone up to 3,610 since the outbreak recorded in January last year.

Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) assistant spokesperson Dr Apisamai Srirangsan said the new cases include 1,049 prison inmates and 31 imported cases. Of the number, 2,910 found through active case detection.

She said the new fatalities involved 59 men and 49 females aged between 25 and 96 years old, including 106 Thais, one Chinese and one Indian.

To date, she said a total of 131,411 people remain hospitalized where 3,786 were in critical condition and 879 on ventilators.

"The infection rate in the northeastern region has increased significantly. We found that people with COVID-19 had traveled from Bangkok to their home provinces and this is causing more infections... Please cooperate with us, do not travel home as the hospital beds in other provinces are almost full," she said.

Bangkok, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, logged 2,921 new cases and 40 deaths.

Meanwhile, Dr Apisamai said more venues and businesses would be closed for two weeks in Bangkok and 12 provinces under "maximum and strict controlled areas" or "dark red zones" in bid to halt the spread of COVID-19.

She said public parks, all sports fields, swimming pools, libraries, museums, beauty salons including hair and nail salons, tattoo parlours would be closed.

At present, the government has imposed a ban on public gatherings of more than five people and night curfew from 9 pm to 4 am at these 13 dark red zones.

Meanwhile, The Department of Land Transport announced that all interprovincial public transport services in the 13 provinces under 'maximum and strict controlled areas' have been suspended for two weeks.

Besides that, all domestic flights to and from the dark red zones also suspended.

-- BERNAMA