Authorities are stepping up disease control measures once again, as the nation braces for a possible new surge in Covid-19 cases following a recent spike of infections across several parts of the country.
The soaring cases prompted a virologist to issue a warning that new infections could reach 30,000-50,000 per day if no measures are taken to curb the contagion.
In an attempt to bring the situation under control, the Interior Ministry sent out a letter to all provincial governors ordering them to come up with a plan to slow the spread of Covid-19 in their areas and strictly enforce the rules, according to permanent secretary of the interior, Suttipong Juljarern.
He said provinces which are located next to other countries have also been told to heighten security along the border, to prevent illegal crossings of migrants -- which authorities believe may trigger a new wave of infections.
All provincial administrative bodies are now required also to raise public awareness about the Covid-19 situation in their jurisdictions, and seek public cooperation in containing the spread of Covid-19, he said.
Local leaders at all levels have also been instructed to prepare their own contingency plan in the event of worsening Covid-19 outbreak, he said.
The permanent secretary urged the public to report any suspected illegal crossings by migrants in their area, before saying security officials are stepping up crackdowns on illegal job brokers and businesses which hire such workers.
The country registered 18,953 new Covid-19 cases and 30 deaths over the previous 24 hours, the Ministry of Public Health said on Sunday.
There were 18,770 local cases in the general population and 183 imported cases.
The figures represent a slight increase from the 29 Covid-related fatalities and 18,885 new cases reported on Saturday.
The number of new cases has increased for six consecutive days, starting last Tuesday, when the country logged 14,177 infections.
In a Facebook post, the head of Chulalongkorn University's Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, Yong Poovorawan, said the region is experiencing an increase in Covid-19 cases.
"Covid-19 cases are also on an upward trend in Thailand and the country may see daily cases reach 30,000-50,000," Dr Yong said, noting that if positive results from antigen test kits (ATKs) are included in the figures, then Thailand's daily cases would have probably exceeded 25,000.
On Sunday, there were 8,814 positive ATK results.
To curb the spread, Dr Yong urged asymptomatic people who test positive using rapid screening to urgently isolate without taking a RT-PCR test to confirm the infection.
This practice will help reduce the burden on laboratories which carry out RT-PCR tests, he said, noting about 50,000 RT-PCR tests are carried out every day in Thailand.
If all positive ATK tests have to be confirmed, costs will significantly increase, the virologist said.
Separately on Sunday, the director-general of the Medical Services Department Somsak Akksilp urged asymptomatic Covid-19 patients to enter the home or community isolation programme, as over half of available beds for Covid-19 patients are currently occupied.
Dr Somsak said that as of Feb 16, 80,756 of the 174,029 beds earmarked for Covid-19 patients nationwide are occupied.
He said the availability of beds at hospitels across the country will decline once Covid-19 is removed from the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (UCEP) programme on March 1.
The director-general said while the number of Covid-19 cases in February represents a 100% increase from January's figures, the number of patients with lung abnormalities remain relatively low to the total number of cases.
He said the ministry has measures in place if the outbreak continues to worsen.
To cope with an expected increase in Covid-19 cases, Dr Somsak said the Public Health Ministry is planning to open more hotel isolation facilities and introduce the UCEP Plus programme, which would cover Covid patients with moderate and severe symptoms.
Meanwhile, Prasit Watanapa, head of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, on Sunday called on the public, especially those who belong to at-risk groups, to immediately get a booster shot.
He said people may be able to enjoy this year's Songkran holiday with fewer disruptions if the national vaccination campaign is successful.
That said, he urged the public to avoid large gatherings and activities like water fights.
"This year's Songkran festival will be a test.
"If the number of cases reaches around 20,000 and vaccinations maintain their current pace, we may have to reconsider how much fun we can afford to have during the holidays," he said.
Furthermore, while he agreed that the number of patients with lung symptoms remain low relative to the total number of cases, the number of patients needing ventilators are actually on the rise and must be closely monitored.
