Thai hospitals short of beds as Covid cases soar: ministry

Workers clad in PPE gear wheel a patient with Covid-19 symptoms to be brought to hospital from a village in Pattani on July 19, 2021, as Thailand seeks to contain a surge in coronvirus cases. - AFP

BANGKOK (AFP): Thailand's health ministry sounded the alarm over Bangkok's dire lack of hospital beds and isolation facilities on Thursday (July 29) as Covid-19 cases and deaths soared to a new record.

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