COVID-19 infections are rising steadily - Dr Thira

COVID-19 cases in Thailand have been increasing steadily for the past 11 weeks, with 31,688 new cases being reported between May 11 and 17, according to Dr. Thira Woratanarat, a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University.

In his Facebook post on Sunday, the doctor claimed that the reports that COVID-19 cases are steadily declining are untrue, as new cases have been increasing for the past 11 weeks, adding that the official numbers of new cases do not include people who do not visit hospitals.

From previous experience, he said that there are delayed reports of more cases, citing the initial report for the 19th week of the year, which showed about 16,000 new cases and six fatalities. The updated numbers for that week show, however, 30,919 cases with nine fatalities.

As such, Dr. Thira said that there is a likelihood that that the 31,688 COVID-19 cases reported for the 20th week will almost double, with more fatalities, if the report is updated.

He advised members of the public to wear face masks if they cannot avoid crowded places, such as public transport, shopping malls, markets or parties, and to avoid close contact with people who cough or sneeze.

He predicts that COVID-19, which has been spreading for about three months, will continue to do so before it starts to decline.