795 new cases reported, mostly in Samut Sakhon

Of the remaining 783, 24 picked up the infection while visiting high-risk areas. In this case, Samut Sakhon leads the list with 18 cases, followed by four in Bangkok and one each in Tak and Maha Sarakham.

Meanwhile, proactive testing led to the discovery of 759 cases, all in Samut Sakhon.

CCSA spokesperson Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said Samut Sakhon has had 12,746 confirmed Covid-19 infections or 78.28 per cent of total cases since the new wave broke out on December 15. Of these, 10,253 were found via proactive testing, while 2,493 had voluntarily gone to hospital for tests.

In Bangkok, meanwhile, 799 cases have been confirmed since December 15, or 4.9 per cent of cases in the new wave. Of these, 717 were found through tests in hospital, while 82 were found via a community search.

Of the 12 returnees, 10 are Thais returning from the US, the UK, Canada, Malaysia, Turkey, Russia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The other two are a Canadian and a Filipino who flew in from the UAE.

Meanwhile, 786 patients have recovered and been discharged.

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 21,249. Of these, 18,757 had been contracted locally, including 11,547 who were found via proactive testing, while 2,492 were returnees. So far, 14,001 have recovered and been discharged, 7,169 patients are still in hospital and the death toll remains at 79.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 104.39 million (up by 451,795), 76.26 million have recovered, 25.87 million are active cases (107,177 in severe condition) and 2.26 million have died (up by 14,679).

Thailand ranks 115th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 27 million, followed by India 10.78 million, Brazil 9.29 million, Russia 3.88 million and the United Kingdom 3.85 million.