Covid-19 infections in Bangkok continued to rise yesterday with 28 clusters and six construction sites being monitored closely. Over 1,000 workers at a construction site in Laksi tested positive.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) swab-tested 1,667 workers at the site in Laksi and found 1,107 infections there.
Movement of workers at the site is now prohibited. The six other construction sites being monitored by the City Hall are in five districts including Klong Toey, Huai Khwang and Pathumwan.
Director of Laksi District Office Sombat Kanokthipwan said there was no need to set up a field hospital at the sites as hospitals still had available beds for the infected workers.
Most of the infected workers -- about 80% -- are foreigners. Thirty-six of them have been infected with the Indian variant of Covid-19.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed that Covid-19 vaccines used in the country provide protection against all variants and urged people to receive the vaccine through the various options offered by the government.
Virologist Prof Yong Poovorawan said on Facebook the Indian variant is more transmissible than the UK variant but all Covid-19 vaccines in Thailand are effective against it.
The best way to stop the Indian variant is to quickly vaccinate as many people as possible, the doctor said.
Pheu Thai MP for Nan, Cholnan Srikaew, said the Indian variant must have been imported from foreign workers who entered the country illegally.
If that was the case, the third wave of infections shared the same problem with the previous two waves under the management of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) headed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
The Public Health Ministry yesterday reported 24 new Covid-19 fatalities and 3,052 cases, bringing the toll to 759 deaths and 126,118 cases.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the CCSA, said of the new cases reported yesterday, 2,406 were in the general population, 605 in prisons and 41 were imported cases. Twenty-four new deaths were reported, bringing the cumulative number of fatalities to 759.
Since the third and worst wave of Covid-19 started on April 1, the number of cases has risen to 97,255. Of the total, 54,978 have already recovered.
Meanwhile , vaccination campaigns in Phuket and Phangnga must first be completed before the provinces welcome the return of international tourists on July 1, said the Ministry of Commerce.
Minister of Commerce Jurin Laksanawisit met businesses from Phuket and Phangnga in Phuket yesterday. Mr Jurin, who is also deputy prime minister, said businesses are cooperating to revive the tourism industry.