Thailand Reports 27 New Virus Cases; No New Fatalities

A Thai returnee arrives at Suvarnabhumi Airport on April 16, 2020.
A Thai returnee arrives at Suvarnabhumi Airport on April 16, 2020.

BANGKOK — The government’s response center to the coronavirus epidemic on Monday said it discovered 27 new cases of COVID-19 in the country.

Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration, said 16 of the newly infected were those who were close to individuals previously diagnosed with the virus, while another group of two patients were infected from a crowded environment.

One returnee from Malaysia who was put under the state quarantine in Krabi province also tested positive for the virus. Eight patients are being investigated for their travel histories, Taweesin added.

The total number of confirmed infections now stands at 2,792 cases.

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No new fatalities were reported in today’s daily news briefing. As of Monday, 746 infected patients are being treated at hospitals, while 1,999 patients have recovered, the spokesman said.

Taweesin also said epidemiology experts fear confirmed infections could rise by another 2,000 cases by the end of June if precautions are loosened.

“It’s currently estimated that a person could infect 1.2 people further,” Taweesin said. “But if that person doesn’t take proper precautions and gathers en masse, the number could rise to 1.8 people. Just a small change in decimal could mean a lot.”