Cases linked to Chiang Mai nightspot reach 14

Cases linked to Chiang Mai nightspot reach 14

Five more Covid-19 infections also reported in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya on Saturday reported five new coronavirus infections, bringing total cases to 28. (Photo by Sunthorn Pongpao)
Ayutthaya on Saturday reported five new coronavirus infections, bringing total cases to 28. (Photo by Sunthorn Pongpao)

The number of Covid-19 cases linked to a popular Chiang Mai entertainment venue has reached 14 as officials on Saturday confirmed four new infections, while authorities in Ayutthaya say they have found five more cases.

The new infections in Chiang Mai were found through active case finding among those who came into contact with a 25-year-old woman who partied at the Warm Up Café on New Year’s Eve and later tested positive, said deputy governor Weeraphan Dee-on.

The four new infections brought the provincial total to 63. Mr Weeraphan said authorities were now reviewing the timelines of the four, whose condition was normal, similar to others linked to the nightspot.

However, about 1,000 people in the province are still considered high-risk and there are others who were low risk. But if all those who were linked to the entertainment venue could be traced, disease transmission could be effectively contained, he said.

Authorities are racing to ensure public safety and prepare field hospitals if infections soar. The International Convention and Exhibition Centre, which was initially prepared for a field hospital, could hold 300 beds if needed, he added.

Nationwide cases on Saturday passed 10,000, with 212 new infections including 187 local ones.

In Ayutthaya, meanwhile, five new local infections brought the central province’s total from the second wave of the outbreak to 28, said Dr Pheera Areerat, chief of the provincial public health office.

The new cases included a 38-year-old woman from Tha Rua district who contracted the virus at the Ruengchai cockfighting ring in Bang Pa-in, and a 52-year-old woman in Bang Pa-in who had been exposed to an infected patient in Nonthaburi.

The other three were a 44-year-old woman in Bang Pa-in who was exposed to a previously invected person identified as patient 19; a 48-year-old woman in Bang Sai, also exposed to patient 19; and a 51-year-old man in Nakhon Luang who contracted the virus at a cockfighting ring in Uthai district.

Officials are tracing their timelines and testing other people who came into contact with them.

Chiang Mai could make 300 beds available in a temporary field hospital at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre if needed, said deputy governor Weeraphan Dee-on. (Photo by Punumet Tanraksa)

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