Covid UPDATE Sunday: 11,397 new infections, daily news briefs

Another rise in new infections detected over the past 24 hours and announced this morning by the public health department. 11,397 new cases were announced, a tase on yesterday’s figure and the second over 10,000 people. Another 101 Covid-related deaths today, the second day over 100 deaths being announced. 318 cases were announced from prisons this morning.

Watch out for increased restrictions in the news over the next few days as the Thai government grapple with one of the highest rises in the news, per capita, in south east Asia. In Thailand, a total of 92.8% of all new infections and 97.2% of all Covid-related deaths have occurred since April 1.

Provincial totals will be published just after lunchtime today.

• According to Thailand’s leading online Thai-language news outlet, Thai Rath, the restrictions imposed for the dark red provinces will now include Chon Buri (including Pattaya), Chachoengsao and Ayutthaya provinces. The new provinces are included from Tuesday.. There are now 13 provinces zoned as dark red.

• Across the world, the new cases are now surging again after dropping to around 300,000 per day on June 22.

GRAPHIC: Worldometers.info

In the US the daily new case load dropped to around 11,000 and is now registering 30-40,000 new cases per day. Thailand and Malaysia lead SE Asia in new infection rates. Malaysia reported 12,528 new cases in the past 24 hours with a population of 31 million. Indonesia has reported 51,952 new cases in the past 24 hours with a population of 275 million.

• The Samui Plus plan, launched on July 15 with much fanfare with a delegation visiting for Bangkok’s TAT office, has had a luke-warm launch. Bangkok Airways would be asking themselves how long they can continue to support the re-opening of the BKK-Samui route with 3 flights a day given the low uptake.

The Phuket Sandbox, also a way fully vaccinated travellers can enter Thailand without doing a 14 day hotel quarantine, has been a little more successful with 200-300 people arriving each day (international arrivals include other travellers to Phuket and Thais, not just Sandbox tourists).

SAMUI:

– July 17: 9 people, 3 flights.
– July 16: 1 person, 1 flight.
– July 15 (first day): 0 arrivals

• The Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok is now the biggest vaccination location in Thailand, with the capacity to provide 20,000 doses per day. The station will come fully online later this year, becoming Bangkok’s main transport hub. Today the station will host a number of hurriedly organised and oversubscribed offerings of Astra Zeneca vaccinations for US and Australian expats. Expats only had 24 hours to register and organise to get themselves to Bangkok for today’s vaccinations.

• For the safety of its citizens and to protect from the spread of Covid, the CCSA has banned any activities or gatherings that involve more than 5 people. The ban on gatherings comes coincidentally just hours before planned mass anti-government protests in the capital yesterday.

The ban went into effect for Bangkok, Samut Sakhon, Samut Prakan, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, and Nakhon Pathom immediately. In a briefing yesterday, the government threatened tighter lockdown restrictions coming as Covid-19 infections surge and hundreds of people were caught breaking curfew and ignoring restrictions