The government on Friday reported one new Covid-19 death, bringing the toll to 96, and 559 new cases, 549 of them local infections and 10 imported, raising the total to 30,869.
Panprapa Yongtrakul, a spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said the 96th death was a Thai man, 60, who was a prison inmate in Narathiwat province. He had tuberculosis and had been in contact with a previously confirmed case.
On March 31, he complained of insomnia, breathing difficulty and fatigue. A lung X-ray found tuberculosis. His condition worsened and he became dependent on a ventilator.
On April 1 he tested positive for Covid-19. His condition deteriorated and he died on Thursday.
Of the 549 new local cases reported on Thursday, 401 were confirmed at hospitals and 148 in communities.
Dr Panprapa blamed the soaring infection rate on people frequenting pubs and the like. She said 214 of the new cases were linked directly to entertainment venues in various provinces - including 85 in Bangkok, mostly of working age, 31 in Samut Prakan, 28 in Prachuap Khiri Khan (Hua Hin district), seven in Chon Buri and five in Chiang Mai.
Thirty-one new cases were people in close contact with the cases from entertainment places, and most of them were family members.
However, the number of new cases not linked to nightspots was also high, at 124 over the previous 24 hours, Dr Panprapa said.
Bangkok alone logged 266 new infections, or 48% of the daily increment. Of these 138 were confirmed at hospitals and 130 through mass testing.
Mass testing detected 17 new cases in Chon Buri and one in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
At hospitals there were 46 new cases in Samut Prakan, 29 each in Chon Buri and Prachuap Khiri Khan, 16 each in Chiang Mai and Sa Kaeo, 12 in Pathum Thani, 10 each in Nonthaburi and Udon Thani, nine in Samut Sakhon and eight in Buri Ram.
Also diagnosed at hospitals were six each in Rayong, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Nakhon Ratchasima and Songkhla; five in Chumphon and Chanthaburi; four each in Ratchaburi, Phetchaburi, Surat Thani and Phuket; three in Lop Buri, two each in Chiang Rai, Phetchabun, Chachoengsao, Saraburi and Chaiyaphum; and one each in Lampang, Nan, Phitsanuloik, Kanchanaburi, Trat, Samut Songkhram, Maha Sarakham, Nakhon Sawan and Nakhon Pathom.
The 10 imported cases were quarantined arrivals from the United Kingdom (1), the United States (1), Indonesia (1), France (1), China (2), Estonia (1), Malaysia (1) and Belgium (2).
Of the 30,869 total cases, 28,128 (91%) had already recovered, including 27 discharged on Thursday, and 2,645 were at hospitals.
This week, new Covid-19 cases were reported in 45 provinces, Dr Panprapa said.
Global Covid-19 cases soared by 737,425 in 24 hours to 134.51 million. The worldwide death toll rose by 13,827 to 2.91 million. The US had the most cases at 31.72 million, up 80,161, and the most deaths at 573,856, up 1,009.