Thailand’s government said on Saturday that it had discovered 53 new coronavirus infections bringing the total number of infected to 2,907.
The 53 new cases are a sharp increase over the previous days findings where numbers averaged around the teens.
42 of the new cases were migrants in detention centers.
There was 1 fatality with the death toll now at 51.
57 more patients have recovered from the virus bringing the total number of discharged patients to 2547.
Active case findings
“The large increase is because we have transitioned to active case findings which means we’re looking for the virus more,” said government spokesman Dr Thaweesin Visanuyothin. “We have taken a look at the recent news from Singapore and seen the outbreak in an enclosed space so we are looking out for more cases.”
Dr Thaweesin said that Thailand have elevated 5 more countries, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia and Myanmar to at-risk countries and that Thailand must look closely at border detention centers and migrant areas to mitigate any chance of a ‘singapore-scenario’ happening in country.
According to Dr Thaweesin, 42 of the new cases were migrants in detention centers.
Singapore has seen a dramatic increase in cases with thousands of migrant workers catching the virus from their tightly-packed dormitories.
“We have alerted local officials to be wary and to make sure that it is contained,” said Dr Thaweesin. He said Thailand would treat all patients for the disease regardless of their legal status on humanitarian grounds.
