Covid-19 infections at prisons nationwide continue to rise, with the Corrections Department reporting 499 new cases on Sunday.
Department director-general Aryut Sinthoppan said the finding comes after the 460 patients reported a day earlier by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), whose daily bulletins cover only the previous 24-hour period ending at midnight.
Of the 499 new infections, 292 were at Bang Khwang Central Prison; 91 at Klongrem Central Prison, 85 at Chachoengsao Central Prison, 20 at Thon Buri Remand Prison, nine at Chiang Mai Central Prison and two at the Central Special Treatment Centre.
Another 54 infected detainees had recovered, Mr Aryut said. The number of prisoners still under treatment as of yesterday was 14,784. They were being treated at 12 prisons and correctional facilities.
Mr Aryut said a recent meeting of the department's Covid-19 committee agreed all detainees must be inoculated as soon as possible.
Mass vaccinations would begin at prisons and detention centres where no infections had been detected. Jabs would follow at other facilities where Covid-19 had already been found, as the infected detainees must be first moved out for treatment, he said.
He said prison and detention centre heads had been told to contact the department's Covid-19 committee if they needed any assistance.
Mr Aryut said since the Covid-19 committee was created, the department has been able to manage the problem better. The public are advised to follow the department's Covid-19 situation reports published on its Facebook page or on Line ID@thaidoc, he added.
Meanwhile, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, the CCSA spokesman, said yesterday the CCSA obtained a report of those arrested for illegal entry, saying 241 illegal migrants had been caught crossing the border from neighbouring countries into Thailand over the past two days.
Dr Taweesilp said the CCSA meeting chaired by the secretary-general of the National Security Council was concerned about the situation. It had ordered security agencies to step up suppression measures along the border. More police had been ordered for patrols, along with electronic devices and drones to help them do their job.
He said provincial governors had been asked to look at whether factories were hiring foreign migrants working illegally.