People wearing face masks visit Benjakitti Park amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand, on Saturday, January 15, 2022. - Reuters
BANGKOK, Jan 15 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): Thailand's Ministry of Public Health reported on Saturday that in the past 24 hours there are 7,793 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 270 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.
Death toll increased by 18, while 5,202 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,316,408 – 2,217,124 of whom have recovered, 77,368 are still in hospitals and 21,916 have died.
Separately, another 56,398 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 144,824 their second shot and 401,265 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 108,916,435.
According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 324.35 million on Saturday, 265.33 million of whom have recovered, 53.47 million are active cases (96,194 in severe condition) and 5.55 million have died (up by 7,626).
Thailand ranks 26th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 66.16 million, followed by India with 36.85 million, Brazil with 22.93 million, the UK with 15.07 million and France with 13.57 million.
Meanwhile, Thailand's authorities have been trying to contain the price rises of necessities and goods, especially fresh meat and food, amid efforts to alleviate people's living costs.
Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha has ordered relevant authorities such as the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Energy to hold talks with consumer goods producers on price freeze, according to government spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.
The commerce ministry has talked with the Thai President Foods Public Company Ltd., the country's leading instant noodle manufacturer, and asked for its cooperation not to raise prices, Thanakorn said.
He attributed the price hike of consumer goods to the rising gasoline price in the global market, which has led to higher manufacturing and transport costs.
The Ministry of Energy has decided to extend its cap on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for another two months or until the end of March, Thanakorn said.
The government is also in talks with the country's oil and gas company to offer discount on LPG price for small shops and food street vendors as well as to maintain the retail price of natural gas for vehicles, the main fuel for the country's taxis. - The Nation Thailand/ANN
