BANGKOK– Thailand’s daily COVID-19 cases and deaths both set records again yesterday, as the country fights its worst surge in infections, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.
Data from the Ministry of Public Health showed that, Thailand’s COVID-19 caseload rose by 18,912 over the last 24 hours to 697,287, and the death toll increased by 178 to 4,857.
Daily case tallies in the Southeast Asian country have continued to rise sharply in July, despite the imposition of tougher restrictions, like curfew and partial lockdown, in its most affected provinces.
The number of patients in critical condition and on ventilators also climbed to 4,691 and 1,032 respectively, which is increasing pressure on the medical system in hard-hit areas, like the capital, Bangkok.
Local media reported that, the soaring cases have prompted the authorities to consider extending the current restrictive measures for another two weeks.
With some 5.5 percent of people fully inoculated, Thailand’s vaccination rate is relatively low. However, the country has accelerated its vaccination progress recently, with a new record of single-day shots on Friday.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK