Thailand’s Virus Death Toll Rises to 6; 109 New Cases Reported

A traffic police officer gets his temperature checked at a checkpoint in Bangkok on March 27, 2020.

BANGKOK — Government officials said on Saturday one more patient died of coronavirus infection, raising the total death toll to 6 in Thailand.

Lab test results also confirmed a batch of 109 new infections, officials said in today’s daily news briefing. Thailand now has an accumulative infection count of about 1,200 cases.

A government spokesman identified the new fatality as a 50-year-old man with diabetes. No other details were available.

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The news was announced just as the authorities are appealing for Bangkok residents to stay indoor over this weekend. Officials said a strict measure of social distancing, if adopted widely, will help turn the tide of the coronavirus pandemic.

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Spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin also urged local communities not to protest the government’s decision to quarantine coronavirus patients in hospitals in their areas. A small protest broke out in Bang Bon district of Bangkok last night where community leaders demand a local hospital remove its virus patients, citing health concerns.

“We have seen a projection that the number of patients could increase by the thousands in the future,” Taweesin said. “We cannot discriminate against each other.”