The government on Tuesday reported the highest-yet daily Covid-19 related death toll, 35 fatalities, for an accumulated toll of 649, and 2,473 new cases, raising the total to 113,555 since the pandemic started early last year.
The Public Health Ministry said 2,473 more cases were diagnosed over the previous 24 hours - 1,793 among the general public and another 680 infections in prisons.
Since the third wave of Covid-19 began early last month there have been 84,692 confirmed cases, 42,492 of whom have recovered, including 2,718 discharged on Monday.
The previous daily high was 34 fatalities, reported on May 12, when there were 1,983 new infections.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said later in his daily broadcast there were 16 deaths in Bangkok, two each in Chiang Rai, Songkhla and Samut Prakan provinces and one each in Ubon Ratchathani, Sa Kaeo, Si Sa Ket, Rayong, Chon Buri, Pathum Thani, Chaiyaphum, Lop Buri, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, Chumphon, Saraburi and Surat Thani.
They were aged two months to 93 years old. Seventeen were male and 18 female.
Seventeen of them had hypertension and 14 diabetes. Other chronic diseases among the new fatalities included renal disease, high cholesterol, previous stroke, heart disease and obesity.
Twenty contracted Covid-19 from infected relatives. Seven were infected from colleagues, neighbours and hospitals. Three worked in risk areas, two visited risk areas and two went to parties.
He gave no details how the baby came to be infected.
However, Dr Opas Karnkawingpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the baby had been born with heart disease. It contracted Covid-19 from a family member and the virus worsened the heart disease.
The new 2,473 cases over the past 24 hours included 1,770 local infections and 23 imported cases, Dr Taweesilp said.
The local cases consisted of 1,423 confirmed at hospitals and 347 via community testing.
Bangkok logged the most cases, 873, followed by 155 in Nonthaburi, 121 in Samut Prakan, 117 in Pathum Thani, 63 in Samut Sakhon, 43 in Phetchaburi, 33 in Chon Buri, 30 in Nakhon Si Thammarat, 29 in Songkhla and 28 in Ayutthaya.
New cases in Greater Bangkok accounted for 76% of all new cases nationwide, Dr Taweesilp said.
The 23 imported cases were quarantined arrivals from India (13 including a Polish engineer who arrived by sea in Songkhla), the United Arab Emirates (1), Malaysia (4), Cambodia (5 including two illegal Thai returnees).
As of Tuesday, 42,988 Covid-19 patients were at hospitals, 1,150 of them critically ill and 384 dependent on ventilators. Meanwhile, the number of infected prison inmates was at 11,428.
Twenty-three provinces were free of new Covid-19 cases over the past 24 hours. They were Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Phitsanulok, Lamphun, Lampang, Ang Thong, Nakhon Phanom, Phetchabun, Trat, Nan, Kalasin, Chumphon, Phayao, Loei, Phrae, Uttaradit, Chai Nat, Nong Khai, Phangnga, Amnat Charoen, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Bung Kan and Satun.
Global Covid-19 cases rose by 535,371 in 24 hours to 164.27 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 10,733 to 3.40 million. India logged 263,045 new cases for a total of 25.23 million and 4,340 new deaths for a toll of 278,751.
