There were 23 more Covid-19 fatalities and 15,242 new cases recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry reported on Friday morning.
This compared with the 20 coronavirus-related fatalities and 14,822 new cases reported on Thursday morning.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said in the afternoon briefing that the 23 latest fatalities were between the ages of eight months and 89 years.
Bangkok had one new death while there five morein the adjacent provinces of Pathum Thani (2), Nakhon Pathom (1), Nonthaburi (1) and Samut Prakan (1).
Other central plain provinces further from the capital recorded seven more deaths – two in Chon Buri and one each in Chanthaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ayutthaya, Ratchaburi and Saraburi.
The Northeast had six more coronavirus-related fatalities - in Ubon Ratchathani (2), Loei (1), Maha Sarakham (1), Roi Et (1) and Si Sa Ket (1).
The South reported four more deaths - in Phuket (2), Surat Thani (1) and Lampang (1).
The North reported no new fatalities.
There were 14,925 new cases in the general population, 135 among prison inmates and 182 imported cases.
Of the local Covid-19 infections, 14,885 were confirmed at hospitals and 40 via mass testing.
Bangkok still had the most new cases at 3,019, followed by 979 in Samut Prakan, 785 in Chon Buri, 615 in Nonthaburi, 412 in Phuket, 347 in Samut Sakhon, 318 in Nakhon Pathom, 314 in Ratchaburi, 302 in Pathum Thani and 297 in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
“The CCSA director (the prime minister) is concerned about the new cases in ten provinces, especially over 3,000 new cases in Bangkok, and urges authorities in the provinces to effectively control the disease,” Dr Taweesilp said.
The 182 imported cases included 58 from Russia, 10 from Myanmar, nine from Germany and eight each from Israel and the United Kingdom.
“We are welcoming visitors, they contribute to the national income. Some of them were infected but we have measures in place to control that,” Dr Taweesilp said.
About half of the new cases were reported in tourism pilot zones, he said.
On Tuesday 111,393 people received Covid-19 treatment at hospitals (up from 105,129 the previous day), including 569 seriously ill patients with lung inflammation (up from 563) and 113 dependent on ventilators (up from 114).
“We set aside the number of cases. The key is that there are still enough (hospital) beds,” Dr Taweesilp said.
Of all hospital beds available for red-coded patients, 12.1% were occupied, he said.
The 24-hour period also saw 8,955 Covid-19 patients discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus.
Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 2,561,115 Covid-19 cases, including 337,680 cases this year, with 2,427,335 complete recoveries to date.
The death toll stood at 22,387 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 689 so far this year.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 2.42 million in 24 hours to 406.27 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 10,862 to 5.80 million.
The United States had the most cases at 79.05 million, up 179,237, and the most deaths at 939,427, up 2,465.
“New cases worldwide are declining and the fatality rate is not rising,” Dr Taweesilp said.
