On Friday the government reported six new cases of coronavirus infection among Egyptian and Netherlands returnees, raising the total to 3,310.
The latest figures were announced Friday by Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
He also warned that Thailand could not expect to remain permanently free of new local community infection with burgeoning Covid-19 infection rates overseas as well. Authorities could only hope to prolong the period of infection-free as long as possible, and then effectively cope with any outbreak as it happens.
Dr Taweesilp said five of the new patients were coming back from Egypt. Four were male students, two of them 21 years old and two of them 24 years old.
The four arrived in the province of Chon Buri on July 24, and were quarantined. On Wednesday they tested positive while asymptomatic. They were on the same flight with one case which had been confirmed before.
The other Egyptian returnee is a man aged 28. He arrived Thursday with a fever and a breathing problem at Suvarnabhumi airport. He immediately tested positive, and was sent to a hospital in the province of Chachoengsao.
The Dutch returnee is a 52-year-old male chef who was working on a boat. He arrived in Samut Prakan last Saturday, and was quarantined. On Wednesday he tested positive but also showed no symptoms.
Rates of infection among returnees from Egypt and 1 per cent from the Netherlands were 11 per cent.
Of the 3,310 total cases, 3,125 had recovered over the previous 24 hours, including 14, and 127 others were in hospitals. The death toll as of June 2 was unchanged at 58.
Dr. Taweesilp also said that when quarantine systems were ready at their premises and local people were prepared for it, employers could start bringing in foreign workers.
Global Covid-19 cases increased by 288,093 to 17.47 million over the past 24 hours. The death toll worldwide rose from 6.555 to 676.755. The United States had the greatest number of cases at 4.63 million , up 66,948, and the greatest number of deaths at 155,285, up 1,445.
"With a daily increase of over 250,000 cases, there will be 1 million new cases every 3-4 days. This global situation is cause for concern. We do not expect to maintain zero local infection permanently, but we hope that we will be able to prolong the period of no local infection as long as possible and cope effectively when it occurs," said Dr. Taweesilp.
Thailand ranked 107th worldwide by number of confirmed cases, down from Thursday's 106th, he said.
Source Bangkok Post
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