THE Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s (CCSA’s) spokesman Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin said this afternoon (May 23) that three persons had been confirmed to have been infected with the South African strain of the coronavirus while the total number of cases over the past 24 hours reached 3,382 with there being 17 fatalities, TV Channel 7 said.
Of the new batch of cases, 2,922 were among the general public while 460 in prisons and detention centres.
This takes the cumulative confirmed total to 129,500 cases with 100,637 having appeared in the current wave that started on April 1. The death toll since the start of the pandemic has reached 776 with 682 occurring in the ongoing wave.
An additional 2,131 patients have been cured taking total recoveries since the start of the pandemic to 84,535 and in the current wave 57,109. Altogether 44,189 patients are undergoing treatment with 1,210 in serious condition and 412 requiring ventilators.
Where the South African strain B.1.351 is concerned, Dr. Taweesilp said the Department of Disease Control had confirmed that there were three patients who had been infected with this variant in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat province out of its current total of 83 cases.
First to be infected is a 32-year-old Thai man who tested positive for infection on May 4. Risk arose from a visit by Malaysia-based family members. Ten of them had been tested and these three found infected with this strain.
He also mentioned that of the five overseas arrivals, four were caught sneaking across the border from Malaysia to Thailand via natural routes. They are all Thai nationals with age ranging from seven to 73 years and are either students or housekeepers. The total number of people caught sneaking across the border over the past 24 hours reached 241 .
He added that Thais need not slip across the border surreptitiously as they could return legally.
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Top: Dr. Taweesilp giving the latest coronavirus data early this afternoon. Thai headline says, “South African strain – three patients have been found.” Photo: TV Channel 7
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