Over 200,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 via ATK last week. Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, CCSA’s spokesman, said there will be a CCSA executive committee meeting on August 19 to assess the situation and consider various measures with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha presiding over it.- Thai Newsroom

CCSA: Over 200,000 people tested positive for Covid-19 via ATK last week

August 4, 2022  TNR Staff

THE Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said this afternoon (August 4) that last week, July 24-July 30, as many as 201,554 people tested positive for this highly-infectious disease via antigen test kit (ATK) or an average of 28,793 cases a day with this total being worrisome, Naewna newspaper said.

Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, CCSA's spokesman, said there will be a CCSA executive committee meeting on August 19 to assess the situation and consider various measures with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha presiding over it.

While today's tally is 2,166 new cases and 29 fatalities taking the death toll to 31,492, the former is the number of patients hospitalised. Another 2,700 patients were cured with total recoveries since the start of the pandemic reaching 4,545,856.  Altogether 21,377 patients are still under treatment of whom 905 are in serious condition and 476 requiring oxygen. The cumulative confirmed total since the start of the pandemic has now reached 4,598,725.

Of the 201,554 out-patient self-isolation (OPSI) cases testing positive last week most were in the 608 group, that is the elderly over sixty years age, those suffering from chronic diseases and pregnant women, with most not having received a booster jab or suffering from congenital disease.

Yet the bed occupancy rate stands at 17.1%, with the Public Health Ministry confirming that it is possible to add more.

Regarding a key Covid medicine, Molnupiravir, the ministry has said that it has adequate supply to treat people. 

The public was warned to only obtain Covid medicine through a doctor's prescription, which the government will be paying for, as the quality of unregistered ones is uncertain and could be dangerous.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said that the number of tourists entering the country after relaxation of the Thailand Pass measures increased to 1.07 million last month from 760,000 in June. 

Random checks of 15% of a total of 770,614 people arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport in July, totaling 117,567 people, showed that the majority had vaccination certificates with only 13 not doing so, which is a very low number.