Covid-19 waste soars to 178 tonnes per day in Thailand
Thailand’s Covid-19 battle generated a whopping 178 tonnes of infectious waste per day in April, the government revealed on Thursday.
The surge in biohazardous waste came from Covid-19 testing, treatment, vaccination and quarantine measures, said Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutecha.
Thailand generated an average 40.9 tonnes of infectious waste per day between January and April, an increase of 29.7 per cent from normal levels. However, that figure soared to 178 tonnes per day in April.
Speaking at a preview event for Thai Environmental Health Day, Satit also highlighted the problem of PM2.5 air pollution. Last year, 1 in 5 of the total population (15 million people) were at risk of short- and long-term health problems caused by PM2.5, he said.
Environmental Health Day will be marked on Sunday, July 4 under the theme "New Era of Thai Environmental Health towards Future Challenges”.
