836 new cases, mostly in Samut Sakhon, found via proactive testing
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Monday reported 836 new cases, of whom only four were returnees.
Apisamai Srirangsan, assistant spokesperson for CCSA, said Thailand found its first domestic Covid-19 case – a taxi driver who contracted without travelling aboard – exactly one year ago.
Of the new cases, 39 had been exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk areas, with Samut Sakhon leading the list with 32 cases, followed by five in Bangkok and two in Ratchaburi.
Meanwhile, proactive testing led to the discovery of 793 cases, with as many as 782 found in Samut Sakhon alone.
Of the four returnees, two are Thais returning from Malaysia and the UK. An American man and a Belgian engineer who flew in from their respective nations also tested positive.
Meanwhile, 899 patients have recovered and been discharged.
As of Monday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 19,618. Of these, 17,155 contracted the virus locally, including 10,077 who were found via proactive testing, while 2,463 are returnees. So far, 12,514 have recovered and been discharged, 7,027 patients are still in hospital and the death toll remains at 77.
According to CCSA statistics, 42 provinces haven’t reported new cases for more than seven days and 14 provinces are still free from infections since the second wave broke out in December. Meanwhile, cases are being found in 14 provinces regularly over the past three days.
Apisamai said a cluster in Ratchaburi linked to people who travelled from Maha Sarakham province reported three new cases, including a four-month-old infant. This brings the number of Covid-19 cases in Ratchaburi to 31. She urged people to avoid travelling between provinces and continue wearing masks and maintain hygiene practices.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am, the number of confirmed cases globally has risen to 103.53 million (up by 396,465), 75.13 million have recovered, 26.15 million are active cases (107,956 in severe condition) and 2.24 million have died (up by 9,292).
Thailand ranks 116th on the global list of most cases. The US tops the list with 26.76 million, followed by India 10.76 million, Brazil 9.2 million, Russia 3.83 million and the United Kingdom 3.8 million.
