CHON BURI: This eastern province reported five more deaths and a record 1,359 coronavirus cases on Tuesday, with most infections found in three districts - Muang, Si Racha and Bang Lamung.
The new infections brought the provincial total to 29,129 cases of which 14,965 have already recovered, with 477 discharged over the past 24 hours. A total of 14,026 patients were still being treated at hospitals.
The five latest deaths brought the total to 138 the provincial public health office said in an update posted on its Facebook page on Tuesday.
Of the 1,359 new cases, 308 caught the virus from other family members and 224 from colleagues.
Six infections were from two clusters –a construction workers’ camp owned by Benjamas Co in Koh Chan district (4), and Alphacast Co in Muang district (2).
Thirty-one cases had at-risk occupations. Another 20 cases were medical workers. Forty-six were from workplaces in Rayong province.
Three had travelled to Bangkok and one to Samut Sakhon. Another 18 cases caught the disease from infected people close to them and two were infected at a party.
Another 311 people came into contact with since confirmed cases and were still under disease investigation. The remaining 389 infections were being investigated, the provincial public health office said.
Muang district logged the most new cases (342), then Si Racha and Bang Lamuang with 314 each, followed by Phan Thong district (102. The remaining cases were in other districts.
Chon Buri has reported 40 clusters — workplaces (21), construction workers’ camps (10), markets (5) and communities (4).
Over the five days from July 29 to Aug 2, the province reported 982, 914, 1,062, 1,147 and 1,141 new cases, according to provincial public health office figures.
Meanwhile, the Pattaya City Municipality will find more hotels it can use to increase the number of beds available for Covid-19 infected people in the green group, or those with mild or no symptoms.
Deputy mayor Manot Nongyai said there was a surge in hospital admissions at both public and private hospitals in this resort town due to rising Covid-19 cases. The municipality was looking to hotels that had previously been used as alternative quarantine facilities for those returning from abroad for use as hospitels for Covid-19 patients.
D Varee Hoel in Jomtien beach was already being used as a hospitel for patients in the green group. It had 400 rooms with 800 beds. After it opened for just one week, it was almost at full capacity of patients quarantined for 14 days, the deputy mayor said.
The municipality would work with the provincial public health office to find more hotels for use as hospitels, with a target of finding another 800 beds, he said.
Deputy mayor of Pattaya Manot Nongyai. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
D Varee Hotel in Jomtien beach, Pattaya is used as a hospitel for Covid-19 patient in the green group. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)
