Hospitals in Thailand short of beds as COVID cases soar: Ministry | Coronavirus pandemic News

Thailand’s health ministry sounded the alarm about Bangkok’s dire lack of hospital beds and isolation facilities on Thursday as COVID-19 cases and deaths soared to a new record.

The Southeast Asian country is struggling to contain its latest outbreak fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant, with infections and deaths skyrocketing and the healthcare system stretched thin.

Despite the hardest-hit provinces being placed under severe restrictions and a nighttime curfew, Thailand on Thursday registered a new single-day record of 17,669 cases and 165 deaths.

“I am speaking frankly – we do not have enough beds in hospitals,” said Somsak Akkasilp, the health ministry’s director-general of the Department of Medical Services, in an uncharacteristically candid news conference.

“In big hospitals, all [intensive care units] are over-occupied. They have 10 beds for ICU but they…