Thailand logs 28 new coronavirus cases, 2 deaths Monday

Immigration officers check the temperatures of Myanmar fisherman, as a preventive measure against the spread of the Covid-19 novel coronavirus, at the port in Pattani on Saturday. (AFP photo)

Thailand reported 28 new coronavirus infections on Monday, for a total of 2,579 cases, a health official said. There were 2 more deaths, taking the nation's toll to 40.

A milestone in Sunday statistics was the cumulative number of recovered patients (1,288) exceeded the number of those remaining in hospital (1,251) for the first time, according to the data at the Public Health Ministry’s Covid-19 website.

One of the deaths on Sunday was a 56-year-old Thai man with a history of contact with existing patients. The other was a 43-year-old man with diabetes, chronic kidney failure and high blood pressure.

Of the 28 new cases reported on Monday, 18 had been in contact with existing patients or were linked to places where they had been, including two Thai nationals in Phuket.

Another seven comprised a Thai returnee (1), a person who had been in crowded places (1), medical personnel (3) and others with at-risk professions (2).

The remaining three are in state quarantine in Satun (2) and Yala (1) after returning from Indonesia.

Following the slowing rate of confirmed new cases over the past five days, some companies have reportedly started easing the work-from-home rule by asking employees to work at the office. But Taweesilp Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), believes the decision is premature.

“We can't afford to be complacent because Thailand is still surrounded by red-zone countries. The situation remains too volatile. The improved figures are the result of our efforts in the past week.

“If we let our guard drop, the figures will jump,” he warned.

Screenshot from https://covid19.ddc.moph.go.th/en

Bangkok still leads with 1,306 patients and the number of new cases in the capital remains unpredictable, although it is much lower than in the previous week. The downtrend is more apparent in the provinces, said Dr Taweesilp.

Over the past two weeks, the major sources of new infections are being in contact with existing patients (864), returning from abroad (287) and involvement with the boxing stadium, one of the "super spreader" sites (243).

In terms of fatalities, Thailand was at 48th worldwide, he said.

The number of confirmed new cases was lower than the 33 recorded on Sunday, and marks the sixth straight day of declines since the 111 recorded on April 8.

Because a relatively small number of people have been tested, however, it is impossible to say how far and how fast the virus is spreading, and it is essential to maintain frequent hand washing — for 20 seconds — and social distancing. The peak number of confirmed cases so far was the 188 recorded on March 22.