Health authorities have expressed concern over the increasing number of severe COVID-19 cases despite new infections in the country declining yesterday.
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 10 COVID-19 deaths and 1,871 new cases, bringing the toll to 188 fatalities and 63,570 cases. It is the first day that new cases have checked in below 2,000 after new infections surged above the threshold for 6 consecutive days.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, CCSA spokesman, said the people who died were 45-91 years old. Two of them were women.
Six of the fatalities were in Bangkok and one each Nakhon Sawan, Samut Prakan, Yasothon, and Ayutthaya.
Five of them had diabetes. Other pre-existing conditions they had were hypertension (4), stroke (2), obesity (1), heart disease (1), high cholesterol (1), chronic lung disease (1), chronic kidney diseases (1). Three said they had no pre-existing conditions or had not been aware of them.
Two of the people who died had met with infected relatives. Another two had dined with infected colleagues. One was bedridden and his caregiver had been infected. Another had attended a seminar with an infected person. One worked at a karaoke shop. Risk factors could not be identified for the remaining three.
Five of them died within 6 to 16 days of being infected. Two passed before the infection was confirmed and one died the day the test result came back.
“Deaths are coming faster and the symptoms are more severe in many cases,” Dr Visanuyothin said.
“We are now not very concerned about the new cases, but what we are worried the most about is that the higher number of severe cases where we need to expand our medical facilities to treat them,” he said.
Special rooms for critical patients are now close to fully occupied by those who in more severe condition, nearing full capacity, said Dr Visanuyothin.
