THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

802 new Covid-19 cases confirmed, with 21 from overseas

802 new Covid-19 cases confirmed, with 21 from overseas

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 802 new cases on Friday, including 21 returnees.

Of the new cases, 89 had been exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk areas. Of these, 79 infections are in Samut Sakhon, seven in Bangkok, two in Ayutthaya and one in Ang Thong.

Meanwhile, proactive testing has led to the discovery of 692 cases, of which 686 are in Samut Sakhon, three in Bangkok, and one each in Nonthaburi, Sa Kaew and Rayong.

Dr Taweesin Visanuyoth, spokesperson for the CCSA, said 12,786 or 70 per cent of the total infections since the virus hit Thailand in March last year have occurred in the new wave.

Meanwhile, of the 21 returnees, 19 arrived from different countries, while two sneaked across the Malaysian and Myanmar borders and been arrested.

Of the 19 legal arrivals, three came from the US, two each from India, Germany, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, and one each from Bahrain, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, United Kingdom and Austria.

As of Friday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 17,023, 14,585 of which had been contracted locally. So far, 7,664 cases have been uncovered through proactive testing, while 2,438 are returnees. A total of 11,396 people have recovered and been discharged from hospital, while 5,551 are still in hospital and the death toll stands at 76.

According to the Worldometer, as of 10am, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 102 million (up by 60,212), of whom 73.86 million have recovered, 25.96 million are active cases (109,712 in severe condition) and 2.2 million have died (up by 16,388).

Thailand ranks 119th on the global list of most cases. The topping the list is the US with 26.34 million cases, followed by India 10.72 million, Brazil 9.06 million, Russia 3.79 million and the United Kingdom 3.74 million.

Dr Taweesin said CCSA has approved new criteria for the relaxation of controls for some businesses and will only keep Samut Sakhon under maximum control.

Some control measures will still be in place in Bangkok and other provinces with a high number of infections. Under these measures, bars, pubs and entertainment venues will remain closed, restaurants will have to close by 11pm and cannot serve alcohol, while schools will be allowed to partially open depending on the situation.

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