Rate of infection continues to slow

Blind lottery vendor Thitiyaporn Nuchanat, 31, shows her box of unsold tickets for the postponed April 1 draw at her home in Pathum Thani province on Friday. In the absence of a draw, she and her colleagues try to sell consumer goods online and at markets to earn some money, but customers are few and far between. (Photo: Pongpat Wongyala)

The rate of new coronavirus infections continued to slow, the government reported on Friday, but there was one new death.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 28 new local cases of Covid-19 infection, raising the total to 2,700, with the death of an elderly Thai woman increasing the toll to 47.

There were 30 new cases reported on Thursday and 29 on Wednesday.

On April 8, there were 111 new cases. Since then, daily numbers have decreased steadily to 54, 50, 45, 33, 28 (on Monday), 34, 30, 29 and 28 on Friday.

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the spokesman, said the woman who died was 85-years-old. She suffered from diabetes and hypertension and had been in close contact with an earlier patient from March 22 to April 2.

She was treated at a hospital in Chumphon province on April 12 for fever, a cough and shortness of breath. She was hooked up to a ventilator. A lung X-ray found severe pneumonia.

The woman tested positive for the disease. Her condition deteriorated on Wednesday and she died on Thursday.

The new 28 local cases included 16 people in close contact with previous patients, four who worked in crowded places or close to foreigners and one visitor to a crowded place. The seven other cases were still under investigation.

The number of new cases was rising in Bangkok and Nonthaburi, but was falling in other provinces.

Of the accumulated 2,700 patients in 68 provinces, 1,689 people had recovered and were discharged. The number patients in hospitals had dropped to 964.

"It is the first day when the number of hospitalised patients is below 1,000. That is good news because new cases are dropping and more patients are recovering and returning home. More beds are available," Dr Taweesilp said.

Bangkok still had the most patients, with 1,371, followed by 192 in Phuket, 148 in Nonthaburi, 108 in Samut Prakan, 99 in Yala, 87 in Pattani and 81 in Chon Buri.

Nine provinces were still free of coronavirus infection - Ang Thong, Bung Kan, Chai Nat, Kamphaeng Phet, Nan, Phichit, Ranong, Sing Buri and Trat.

The number of provinces without a new case in the past 14 days rose by two to 27, Dr Taweesilp said. They were in the upper part of the country.