There were 41 more Covid-19 fatalities and 6,463 confirmed new cases on Thursday, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported on Friday.
Thursday’s figures did not include 7,533 positive results from antigen tests over the past 24 hours. This would raise the total to 13,996.
This compared with the 42 coronavirus-related fatalities and 6,305 new cases reported the previous day.
"The Covid-19 situation is improving and new cases are lower than expected. Covid-19 will enter its declining stage a few weeks sooner than anticipation, in late May and early June. However, the date for declaring Covid-19 an endemic disease remains July 1,” said CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin.
As of Thursday, a total of 58,910 people were receiving Covid-19 treatment (down from 59,579 the previous day), including 21,846 in hospitals (down from 22,705). Among the remainder 7,035 were in field hospitals/hospitel facilities (down from 7,755) and 29,801 in home/community isolation (up from 28,821).
Of those in hospital, 1,037 were seriously ill patients with lung inflammation (down from 1,104) and 510 dependent on ventilators (down from 536).
Of the seriously ill patients, Bangkok had the most cases at 109, followed by 61 in Ubon Ratchathani, 54 in Nakhon Ratchasima, 51 in Suphan Buri and 36 in Udon Thani.
The 24-hour period also saw 7,091 patients discharged from hospitals after recovering.
According to the CCSA, the 41 people who died were aged from 41 to 94 years.
Bangkok logged four more deaths and there were three in the adjacent province of Samut Prakan.
Other central plains provinces further from the capital had nine deaths - three in Prachin Buri, two each in Nakhon Nayok and Chon Buri and one each in Chachoengsao and Chanthaburi.
The North reported two deaths, in Kamphaeng Phet and Chiang Mai.
The Northeast saw 21 new coronavirus-related fatalities - six in Udon Thani, five in Nakhon Ratchasima, three in Nong Khai, two in Roi Et and one each in Nong Bua Lam Phu, Surin, Mukdahan, Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen.
The South had two deaths, in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Of the 6,463 new cases over the past 24 hours, there were 6,439 cases in the general population, 23 among prison inmates and one imported case, from the Philippines.
Of the new infections in the general population, 6,429 were confirmed at hospitals and 10 via mass testing.
Bangkok continued to report the most daily cases at 2,623 followed by 203 in Khon Kaen, 184 in Surin, 179 in Ubon Ratchathani, 161 in Buri Ram, 141 in Nonthaburi, 127 in Samut Prakan, 120 in Chon Buri, 107 in Maha Sarakham and 102 in Sakon Nakhon.
Since the pandemic started in early 2020, there have been 4,401,378 Covid-19 cases, including 2,177,943 this year, with 4,312,790 complete recoveries to date.
The accumulated death toll stood at 29,678 since the beginning of the pandemic, including 7,980 so far this year.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 789,700 in 24 hours to 525.86 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 1,763 to 6.29 million.
The United States had the most cases at 84.79 million, up 88,149, and the most deaths at 1.02 million, up 201.
