The Public Health Ministry on Wednesday reported 29 new Covid-19 fatalities, bringing the toll to 678, and 3,394 new cases, raising the total to 116,949.
Over the previous 24 hours there were 1,896 infections detected in the general public and 1,498 in prisons.
On Tuesday, 4,450 patients were diagnosed as recovered and were discharged from hospitals.
Since the third Covid-19 wave started at the beginning of last month there have been 88,086 new cases, 46,942 of whom have recovered.
Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said later in the daily briefing that the 29 new fatalities were 19 men and 10 women, aged 42-92 years.
Four of them died the day they tested positive for Covid-19. That showed they had developed severe symptoms but been unaware they were infected, she said.
Fourteen of them were in Bangkok, five in Samut Prakan province, two in Pathum Thani and one each in Chachoengsao, Lamphun, Chon Buri, Saraburi, Nakhon Pathom, Kamphaeng Phet, Nong Khai and Nonthaburi.
Fifteen of the new fatalities had hypertension and nine diabetes or high cholesterol. Other chronic diseases among them were kidney disease, lung disease, heart disease and obesity.
Ten of them either visited or lived in outbreak areas. Nine contracted Covid-19 from family members. Five went to flea markets and factories. Four caught the disease from colleagues, friends or hospitals.
The 3,394 new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours included 1,879 local infections and 17 imported cases. Of the local infections, Bangkok logged the most, 876, followed by 153 in Samut Prakan, 130 in Nonthaburi, 119 in Pathum Thani, 76 in Phetchaburi, 57 in Samut Sakhon, 46 in Songkhla, 39 in Chon Buri, 32 in Chanthaburi and 25 in Ranong.
Greater Bangkok had 1,357 new cases, or 72% of the daily increment outside prisons. Bangkok had five new Covid-19 clusters over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 34, Dr Apisamai said.
New cases over the past 24 hours were reported in 63 provinces. Fourteen other provinces were free of new cases – Phatthalung, Lamphun, Ang Thong, Nakhon Phanom, Trat, Sukhothai, Chumphon, Phayao, Phrae, Chai Nat, Nong Khai, Mukdahan, Nong Bua Lam Phu and Uthai Thani.
The 17 imported cases were from India (1 who arrived last month), Hong Kong (1), the Maldives (1), Bangladesh (3 Thai returnees), South Korea (1), the United Arab Emirates (1), Bahrain (1) and Cambodia (8 Thai returnees including five who sneaked in).
Some illegal returnees from Cambodia were involved in online gambling and they caused concern about bringing in a new strain of Covid-19, Dr Apisamai said.
As of Wednesday, there were 41,903 Covid-19 patients at hospitals. Of these, 1,210 were critically ill and 402 depended on ventilators.Global Covid-19 cases rose by 611,227 in 24 hours to 164.89 million.
The worldwide death toll went up by 13,943 to 3.42 million. India had 267,174 new cases for a total of 25.49 million and 4,525 new deaths, for a toll of 283,276.
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