Public Health Minister says no need for lockdown in Bangkok

While Bangkok remains the epicentre of the latest wave of Covid-19, with more than 28,000 coronavirus cases in the capital since April 1, Thailand’s public health minister says there’s no need to impose a lockdown. Restrictions are already tight in Bangkok, which is classified as a “dark red” zone under maximum control to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says there’s no need for a strict lockdown since most patients only experience minor symptoms and can be treated at field hospitals. Anutin says 70% of Covid-19 patients in Thailand have mild symptoms while 10% of patients have severe symptoms. He adds that most of the recent outbreaks in the capital are contained at prisons or construction sites.

So far, more than 10,000 people at Thailand prisons have tested positive for Covid-19, most at prisons in Bangkok. Health officials have also reported 29 Covid-19 clusters in 19 districts in Bangkok. Several sites are now being used for proactive case finding to help identify infections and contain the virus.

Vaccines will be used in high risk areas to help slow the spread of the virus. Another 1.7 million doses of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines are expected to arrive at the end of the month. People in high-risk areas and inmates in prison where Covid-19 is spreading will receive the vaccine as soon as possible, Anutin says.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand