Covid UPDATE: 11,397 new infections, provincial totals

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 rise 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.

283,910 people have now fully recovered in Thailand since the start of the pandemic. 116,135 are still receiving treatment in hospitals and field hospitals. 3,464 people remain in ICU at this time and 846 patients are on ventilators.

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.

Here are the provincial totals for the past 24 hours, thanks to the government’s NBT…

• 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

• 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 an average of 438 people arriving each day (international arrivals include other travellers to Phuket and Thais, not just Sandbox tourists). There was another 11 local infections in Phuket in the past 24 hours.

The number of Phuket arrivals is steadily increasing.

PHUKET:

881 international travellers arrived at Phuket International terminal yesterday. 6 flights flights arrived. There are now 7,462 passengers arrived since July 15, around 50-60% actual tourists according to our source at the Phuket Airport. There was another 4 infections from recent arrivals yesterday. A total of 17 ‘Sandbox’ infections.

SAMUI:

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

• 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