BMA boosts bed numbers as cases surge

Bangkok is racing to set up 1,000 more beds in isolation facilities to cope with a spike in Covid-19 cases, City Hall said on Wednesday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said all 50 district offices had been directed to set up additional community isolation centres.

The centres would help ease caseloads of infected patients at hospitals, alleviating pressure on the health system as a whole. People who test positive for coronavirus but do not have serious symptoms are treated at the centres.

Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said the 1,000 additional beds were being added to 13 community isolation centres already up and running in the city.

Pol Gen Aswin was inspecting an isolation centre in Klong Toey district yesterday where 400 of 500 available beds were already occupied.

In total, about 45% of the 3,500 beds currently available in the capital are…