Record Daily Infections And COVID-19 Deaths, Thailand Turns Airport Cargo Warehouse Into Hospital

Illustration of a queue at the COVID-19 vaccination center at Srinakharinwirot University, Bangkok. (Wikimedia Commons/Mr.Ch.)

JAKARTA - Thailand on Thursday recorded another record high daily infection case of COVID-19, with 17,669 cases reported in the last 24 hours. Of that number, 17,408 cases came from the general public and 261 among inmates.

This additional figure makes Thailand record 561,030 cases of COVID-19 and 370,492 of them have recovered. Mirinya, Thailand also recorded a record death from COVID-19 as many as 165 cases a day, citing Anadolu, Thursday 29 July. Meanwhile, the death toll stands at 4,562 since the pandemic began at the start of last year.

Previously, the State of the White Elephant recorded the highest daily COVID-19 infection case of 16,553 cases on Wednesday. While the previous record for daily COVID-19 deaths was recorded on July 17, where there were 144 deaths.

Meanwhile, a surge in COVID-19 infection cases forced Thai authorities to convert a cargo warehouse at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport into a field hospital starting last Wednesday.

Citing CNA, the field hospital, which will have 1,800 beds, will be used to treat COVID-19 patients with less severe symptoms. Volunteers were also deployed to prepare treatment facilities, beds complete with blankets, to toilet facilities.

Illustration of a COVID-19 test. (Unsplash/Jakayla Toney)

"This is a tier 1+ field hospital where it can receive a large number of patients, who have less severe symptoms," Rienthong Nanna, director of Mongkutwattana Hospital, told Reuters.

"But if the patient's condition worsens, they will be transferred to our other field hospital called Pitak Rachan (Lindungi Raja) Field Hospital," he added.

Rienthong, who is a retired major general and ultra-royalist leader, said field hospitals needed a lot of preparation to meet the standards of care for COVID-19 patients.

According to him, along with the number of infection cases that will continue to increase, the number of field hospitals needed will increase.

The spike in COVID-19 cases in the capital Bangkok and the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination, put pressure on the city's health system, as well as public criticism of the government.

For information, Thailand targets to vaccinate 50 million COVID-19 people by the end of next year. But so far, only 5.6 percent of the more than 66 million people have been fully vaccinated. While those who have received a dose of the vaccine reached 19.2 percent of the population.