Thailand on Sunday reported 166 new coronavirus cases, almost half of them from mass testing in Pathum Thani and Samut Sakhon, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said.
The total number of cases since the start of the epidemic a year ago has now reached 24,571, with fatalities remaing at 80.
Mass testing found a found 89 new patients, 67 of them in Pathum Thani and 11 in Samut Sakhon. Seven cases were found in Tak, three in Rayong and one in Nonthaburi.
Reports from hospitals produced 33 infections in Samut Sakhon, 11 in Bangkok, two in Saraburi and one each in Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Ratchasima and Samut Prakan.
Health authorities' attention is now focused on Pathum Thani, in addition to Samut Sakhon, after new cases were detected at the Pornpat fresh market in Thanyaburi district last week, prompting provincial officials to temporarily close the place.
The new case in Nakhon Ratchasima forced authorities to lock down Ban Nong Bua Daeng in Soeng Sang, with checkpoints set up to screen people entering and leaving the village where the new patient was found.
District chief Sanit Sritawee said on Sunday health officials are tracking 14 people who were in close contact with the patient during a cremation ceremony in the village. Another 32 others were considered at low risk.
Nakhon Ratchasima has registered 11 patients since the start of the second Covid-19 wave in Thailand. Nine have recovered and two are still being treated at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, where the new patient was also admitted.
On Sunday, 35 health personnel from Pattani left the southern province for Samut Sakhon to ease the workload of their colleagues trying to contain the Covid-19 spread in the country.
The final batch of the 166 new cases logged Sunday was 28 imported from other countries, eight of them Thais returning from Tanzania on Friday. Other Thai returnees were three from India, two from Mozambique, two from Ghana and one each from Germany, the Maldives, the United Arab Emirates, Nigeria, Egypt and the United Kingdom.
Three new foreign cases were imported: three Russians and one each from Italy, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Spain.