The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has identified a fresh cluster off infections at another construction site, this time on Rama IX Road in Bangkok, after 347 tests there came back positive over the past fortnight.
CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Monday the One 9 Five condominium construction site on Soi 5 had been classified as a medium-sized cluster after health officials spent the last two weeks conducting tests on the 528 workers living on the site.
"It is a new cluster which the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration [BMA] is investigating," he said.
He said the CCSA has now identified 16 similar medium-sized clusters in the capital, each with 100-499 infections, as well as 31 smaller outbreaks with less than 100 cases.
He said the others were much larger clusters found in the slum communities of Klong Toey district, a fruit market at Si Yaek Maha Nak in Dusit district, an Italian-Thai construction site also in Klong Toey, Khlong Thom Center in Pomprap Sattruphai district, Bang Kapi market and the Sino-Thai construction site of the new parliament building in Dusit district.
Dr Taweesilp also reported 2,296 new cases were found across the country on Monday.
Samut Prakan reported 321 new cases in several clusters including a group of 55 ice factory workers in Muang district, 63 in a cable production factory in Phra Pradaeng district, 21 in a cloth factory and 29 in Samrong Nua community, he said.
Meanwhile, the head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, Dr Yong Poovorawan posted on his Facebook account that Covid-19 patients can contract the coronavirus again after three to six months.
According to a study in Italy, he said vaccinations are necessary to confer protection even after someone has had the virus.
A single shot three to six months after the initial infection was found to provide immunity to previous patients at the same level as a full course of standard vaccines for those who have yet to catch Covid-19, said Dr Yong.
He suggested that previous patients should only need a single dose before visa approval is granted for them to enter the country based on the findings of the study. If countries demand two doses, they can be vaccinated shortly before their trip.
