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Thailand’s COVID-19 infections rise by 5,406, total tally nears 250,000

BANGKOK, Thailand reported on Monday 5,406 COVID-19 cases, the third highest daily tally since the pandemic began, raising the total case tally to nearly 250,000.

 

The country’s daily cases have regularly been in the thousands for more than two months since the third wave of the outbreak began in early April, with the capital Bangkok and its vicinity regions as the epicenter. Nearly one-third of Monday’s new cases were detected in Bangkok.

 

The surge in infections, the country’s worst wave so far, has seen its total case tally rise from less than 30,000 at the beginning of April to 249,853 now, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

 

Cumulative deaths rose to 1,934, up by 22 on Monday.

 

To curb rising infections, Thailand decided to ban restaurant dine-in services and gatherings of more than 20 people in Bangkok and nine other provinces, in addition to the previously announced sealing-off of construction sites. These measures will remain for 30 days starting from Monday.

 

The government will pay for half the wages of employees affected by the one-month ban at restaurants and construction sites, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha told reporters Monday at the Government House.

 

Prayut said the government has prepared some 7.5 billion baht (about 235 million U.S. dollars) to cover such expenses in support of the affected employees.

 

Thailand has been accelerating vaccine rollout. Inoculations began in February, though a mass nationwide vaccination program did not begin until June. As of Sunday, the country has administered 9.15 million doses of vaccines, with more than 3.5 percent of its nearly 70 million people fully vaccinated, according to the CCSA data.

 

Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca said in a statement on Monday that Thailand will receive its agreed 6 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by this week.

 

The company said its Thai partner Siam Bioscience will produce approximately 180 million doses of vaccines this year, with about one third for Thailand and the remaining two-thirds to the other parts of Southeast Asia.

 

Source: China – ASEAN Business Council