One death, 92 new cases reported, mostly transmitted locally

THURSDAY, MARCH 18, 2021
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The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Thursday reported one death and 92 new cases, 14 of whom are returnees.

Of the new cases, 64 were exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk areas. Samut Sakhon again leads the list with 32 cases, followed by 20 in Bangkok, four in Nakhon Pathom, two in Suphanburi and one each in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Ratchaburi, Samut Prakan and Mukdahan.

Proactive testing led to the discovery of 14 cases, eight of which were in Samut Sakhon, three in Phetchaburi and one each in Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok.

The 14 travellers found infected include five Thais, three Filipinos, one Malaysian, one American, one Briton, one Indian, one Turkish and one Pakistani who arrived from the United Kingdom, the Philippines, Sweden, Finland, Yemen, United States, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Pakistan and Belgium.

Meanwhile, 38 patients have recovered and been discharged.

As of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 27,494. Of these, 24,537 had been contracted locally, including 15,324 that were found via proactive testing, while 2,957 were returnees. So far, 26,377 have recovered and been discharged, 1,028 patients are still under treatment and the death toll has risen to 89.

The most recent fatalities include an 88-year-old Bangkok resident who suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure, hyperlipidemia and chronic kidney disease. He is believed to also have infected his family members. He began developing a dry cough on February 20 and went to the hospital on February 27 after developing fatigue and having low oxygen readings. He tested positive for Covid-19 on March 1 and was immediately put on a respirator. He succumbed to the virus on March 16.

The 89th fatality from the virus in Thailand was a 65-year-old cancer patient in Samut Sakhon. On March 8, tests showed cancer had spread to his lungs. He was admitted to hospital the same day with a high fever and fatigue and died later in the day. Tests on the corpse showed he had contracted Covid-19.

According to Worldometer, the number of confirmed cases globally has risen to 121.82 million (up by 449,180), 98.21 million have recovered, 20.92 million are active cases (88,871 in severe condition) and 2.69 million have died (up by 9,712).

Thailand ranks 115th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 30.29 million, followed by Brazil with 11.7 million, India 11.47 million, Russia 4.41 million and the United Kingdom 4.27 million.