Daily Covid-19 cases fell for the fifth day to 11,535, the government said on Sunday - down from 12,888 announced on Saturday and 14,887 on Wednesday.
Almost double the number of confirmed new cases - 22,022 - recovered during the same 24-hour period. However, the new case figures did not include 9,924 positive results from antigen tests, which would raise the total to 21,459. Recoveries from positive antigen tests alone are not recorded in the government's figures.
Daily coronavirus-related deaths fell dramatically from 126 to 91, below 100 for the first time since April 9, Department of Disease Control data showed.
Despite the downward trend of the two categories, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government would not rush to declare the coronavirus an endemic disease until the number of new cases drops below 10,000 and the death rate is 0.1% of patients being treated at hospitals, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Sunday.
The government hopes to declare Covid-19 endemic by July 1.
According to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the 91 people who died were aged from 28 to 101 with an average age of 79. One was from the United Kingdom.
Nakhon Ratchasima led the nation’s coronavirus-related deaths with seven, one more than in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Bangkok registered only a single fatality, while the capital's adjacent provinces had 10, led by three in Pathum Thani, two each in Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom and Samut Sakhon and one in Nonthaburi.
Other central plain provinces further from the capital had 22 deaths, led by three each in Lop Buri, Chon Buri and Ratchaburi. Rayong and Nakhon Nayok registered two each, while one death each was reported in nine other provinces — Nakhon Sawan, Ang Thong, Sing Buri, Trat, Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Chachoensao, Prachin Buri and Kanchanaburi.
The North reported 16 deaths — five in Uttaradit, four each in Kamphaeng Phet and Chiang Mai, and one each in Phichit, Phitsanulok and Sukhothai.
The Northeast logged 22 deaths, led by seven in Nakhon Ratchasima. Other fatalities included four each in Nong Khai and Ubon Ratchathani, three in Surin, two in Sakon Nakhon and one each in Udon Thani and Roi Et.
The South registered 17 deaths, six of them in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Three each were reported in Surat Thani and Songkhla, two in Phuket, and one each in Ranong, Trang and Satun.
The 11,535 new cases announced Sunday comprised 11,480 locally transmitted infections and 55 found in arrivals from other countries.
The 55 imported cases came from 17 countries, led by 16 arrivals from Laos and 10 from Singapore.
Vaccinations continued to progress, with 133.57 million doses administered as of Saturday. The government said 80.9% of the population has now received at least one dose of the vaccine, 73.8% at least two shots and 37.3% at least one booster shot.
As of Saturday, a total of 35,325 people were receiving Covid-19 treatment in hospitals. The remainder were in hospitel facilities/field hospitals (15,720) or in home/community isolation (89,480), according to the daily update posted by the department.
Of those in hospital, 1,751 were seriously ill patients with lung inflammation and 822 dependent on ventilators.
Bangkok, Korat lead serious cases
Of the seriously ill patients, Bangkok had the most cases at 145, followed by 90 in Nakhon Ratchasima, 70 in Kanchanaburi, 69 in Khon Kaen and 64 in Samut Prakan, CCSA data showed.
On Saturday, 22,022 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus.
Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,262,484 Covid-19 cases, including 2,039,049 cases this year, with 1,924,384 complete recoveries to date.
The accumulated death toll stood at 28,617 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 6,919 so far this year.
The highest number of Covid-related fatalities in a 24-hour period was 312 recorded on Aug 13, 2021. The highest number of cases was 28,379 on April 1, 2022.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 422,394 in 24 hours to 513.31 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 1,302 to 6.26 million.
