Chiang Mai sees 2 elderly deaths from UK Covid variant including French woman

Chiang Mai province is reporting the deaths of 2 elderly women from the UK Covid-19 variant, including a French woman. The provinces death toll is now 9 according to the governor. The 81 year old French woman was suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. She fell down on April 22 and received treatment at a hospital. After coming home, she started feeling Covid-like symptoms and was readmitted to the hospital on April 26. Doctors say she succumbed to the UK variant of the virus on May 3.

The second death was that of an 87 year old woman who had diabetes and kidney issues. She reportedly contracted the UK variant of the virus from a family member. She was admitted to the hospital on April 27 with Covid-like symptoms and died on May 3 as well.

Chiang Mai health officials recently reported a new cluster of the UK Covid-19 variant, as it was discovered in people who went to a Lotus market in Ruam Chok. The new cluster yielded 9 new infections. Today, Chiang Mai is reporting 33 new, daily infections. But 244 Chiang Mai Central Prison inmates are also infected but are not being included in the daily count. The prisoners are being counted in a ‘Bubble & Seal’ cluster.

Chiang Mai University and Mae Jo University field hospitals are planning to close next week. They currently have 46 and 90 patients respectively. A group of 125 people in Chiang Dao, who are considered to be high-risk, have been tested, with results to come tomorrow.

The tally for Covid-related infections and deaths reported over the past 24 hours reports 19 new deaths and 2,419 cases. There have been 52,411 confirmed Covid-19 infections in the recent outbreak with more than 16,000 cases in Bangkok, the epicentre of infections.

Over the past week, new clusters of Covid-19 infections have been detected in crowded Bangkok neighbourhoods, including the Khlong Toey slum. Poor communities in Bangkok have been seen as vulnerable to coronavirus outbreaks as people live in close proximity to each other and many cannot afford to stop working to abide by stay-at-home orders.

SOURCE: Chiang Rai Times