A majority of provinces are reporting spikes in Covid-19 cases, with the situation in Nakhon Ratchasima viewed as serious because of a shortage of beds for patients.
Latest figures compiled by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) showed only 14 provinces registered fewer new cases on Sunday than reported a week earlier.
They were - Kanchanaburi, Maha Sarakham, Phitsanulok, Si Sa Ket, Nan, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, Lampang, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani, Amnat Charoen, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son and Phetchabun.
Other provinces reported case surges during the weeklong period, from a slight increase to a big jump in Trat and Nong Khai.
Trat reported only nine cases on Feb 14 but reported 40 on Sunday, while Nong Khai figures doubled from 71 to 147 during the same period.
Key provinces like Nakhon Ratchasima saw cases rise from 567 on Feb 14 to 718 on Sunday, a new high, and cases in Chiang Mai were up from 253 to 314.
The provincial communicable disease committee in Nakhon Ratchasima on Monday warned of a looming shortage of beds amid the rising number of infections.
Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, the main hospital in the province, had only 26 out of 210 beds left to serve new seriously infected patients. For patients with less serious symptoms, the province had only about 450 beds in normal and field hospitals available, with 2,280 beds already occupied.
In Chiang Mai, the provincial public heath office said on Monday the province had enough beds for patients but expressed concern about increasing cases from family contacts. It expected infections to peak within two weeks.
In Surin, the Bakdai tambon administration organisation warned on Monday that beds at the tambon hospital were tight after a cluster was detected from sports day at Ban Run School in Phanom Dong Rak district on Thursday.
Bakdai TAO chief Nattaphat Boonme said 60 students and 10 others had been infected with the Omicron variant by a single student who caught the virus at home.
The school was closed and turned into a community isolation centre for students and other infected people.
Public Health Ministry officials have said earlier that social gatherings are a major cause of coronavirus spikes.
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