BANGKOK, April 17 (AFP): Hundreds waited in grim silence at a Bangkok stadium to get free Covid-19 tests Saturday as a spiraling infection rate gripped Thailand, on a fourth consecutive day of more than 1,000 new cases.
The capital appears to be the epicentre of the kingdom’s third wave, after infections were traced back to a nightlife district earlier this month.
In the past 10 days, the national infection total has jumped from 29,900 to more than 40,500 — the sharp increase probably due to a highly infectious variant of the virus originally found in Britain.
“Nearly 10,000 new cases were found within this week,” said Taweesin Visanuyothin, a spokesman for Thailand’s Covid-19 task force.
He added that nearly 12,000 patients were still receiving treatment in hospitals, including temporary field sites.
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