SAMUT SAKHON — Health officials said 127 additional coronavirus infections were discovered as of Monday noon in Samut Sakhon, the province at the epicenter of the ongoing outbreak.
The vast majority of the new cases are migrant workers, since the tests were mostly conducted in mobile units deployed in the areas where the workers live, deputy provincial governor Surasak Polyangsong told reporters.
The new figures brought the total number of infections seen in Samut Sakhon to 821 since the first case was reported on Thursday. The patient was identified as 67-year-old seafood vendor.
More cases are expected in the coming days. About 2,000 people were tested for coronavirus so far in the province since last week, Surasak said. Officials have said that they aimed to test at least 10,000 people within this week.
He also said the mobile lab units are dedicated to testing as many migrant workers as possible; Thais who need coronavirus tests are advised to seek one from a hospital instead to lessen the workload.
The current virus outbreak was traced to a wholesale seafood market in Samut Sakhon, where many migrant workers from Myanmar live and work. It also spelled an end to Thailand’s unique feat of controlling the coronavirus pandemic and keeping the local transmissions to near zero since May.
