Health authorities in Thailand are worried about the mounting number of Covid-19 patients in the country's intensive care units. The number of patients in ICUs and on ventilators has risen substantially over the past two weeks.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration said the number of new cases was expected to rise next week, the Bangkok Post reported Saturday.
According to Reuters Covid-19 tracker early Saturday local time, Thailand reported its largest number of coronavirus deaths since the start of the pandemic at 61. Infections are at a peak - now at 4,947 average new infections reported each day.
Data for Friday showed 6,230 new cases nationwide. There have been 270,921 infections and 2,141 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began.
Around 90% of Thailand's 270,921 reported coronavirus cases and 95% of the deaths have been recorded during a surge that began in early April. There were 992 deaths in June, more than 15 times Thailand's total for all of 2020.
The government center said about 40% of new cases are in Bangkok and 25% in provinces surrounding the capital. Center representative Apisamai Srirangsan said Bangkok will establish isolation stations.
As many as 80% of the deaths are among elderly and people with chronic diseases. Around 10% of the elderly and infirm die, while the rate for those aged 20 years to 40 years is below 0.1%, he said according to The Associated Press.
But significant outbreaks are occurring among other groups, including people in construction worker camps and restaurant workers, who also need to be vaccinated, he said.
"We currently have closed the camps and businesses, but the number of cases is not declining and the economy is bad. But if we focus on old people and those who have chronic diseases, we might not have to shut down the businesses and the bed demands from these two groups will also decline," Kamnuan said.
Prime Minister Prayuth has targeted mid-October for opening up the country to vaccinated visitors from abroad without quarantines.
Thailand is seeking to buy more vaccines. Thailand has used vaccines from AstraZeneca and China's Sinovac and Sinopharm, although the government says it has agreements to buy from Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Meanwhile, for the first time in more than 15 months Thailand's resort of Phuket is allowing vaccinated international travelers to enter without quarantine restrictions. On July 1, two dozen passengers arrived on a direct flight from Abu Dhabi. It was the first of four flights due to arrive carrying approximately 400 vaccinated tourists from Doha, Tel Aviv, Singapore and Abu Dhabi as part of the "Phuket Sandbox" program.
Thailand Minister of Tourism Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said the Phuket Sandbox was necessary to restart the country's economy, which has been hit hard by the pandemic, according to CNN.
"In 2019, we had revenue from both domestic and international tourism at 3 trillion baht ($93.7 billion) but in 2020 it shrank to 800 billion baht," he said. Phuket generated more than 470 billion baht in revenue on the arrival of 10 million tourists - second only to Bangkok.
The July 1 opening is largely symbolic, and not expected to lead to a windfall in tourism numbers. Phiphat estimates about 100,000 international tourists will arrive in Phuket during the first three months of reopening, generating around 9 billion baht in revenue.
The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office said Phuket recorded 11 new infections over the past two days bringing the total number of infections over the past seven days to 23.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha visited Phuket in person this week to welcome foreign tourists and left claiming the island should be "proud of their mission for the country." "Phuket Sandbox is not only a matter for Phuket residents. It's about the people of the whole country, so that the country can move forward in accordance with the mission of reopening the country in 120 days," he said.
However, business owners and workers in Patong remain cautious and worried, largely due to the fact that most entertainment venues must continue to remain closed, the Phuket News reported Saturday.
Pubs and bars in all areas of Phuket must remain closed until further provincial orders are issued. Many workers have struggled with a lack of income as a result of the enforced closures for well over a year.
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