Thailand’s Covid-19 infection numbers are likely much higher than those being reported by the government, a senior advisor to the Ministry of Public Health told Thai Enquirer on Friday.
Thailand has been seeing record Covid-19 numbers in August with daily infection totals regularly topping 20,000 cases per day.
However, according to a senior advisor to the Ministry of Public Health, the number of daily infections is likely much higher than those officially recorded by the government.
“I think the infection totals you see reported every day are likely the peak number that we can expect given our testing capacity,” said the advisor who asked not to be named. “The majority of those [numbers] are people who come in to get tested, there is no mass testing program in the communities.”
“If you account for asymptomatic patients who likely don’t know they have Covid not mention those who can’t even get tested because of full capacity, the number is likely much higher,” he said.
Even with 20,000 cases a day, Thailand’s health care system has been pushed to the brink with hospitals overflowing and morgues having to rent refrigerated trucks.
“The only thing that will mitigate this crisis is to complete our vaccination program. Even then, we will have to learn to live with Covid-19 because this disease will not go away even among the fully vaccinated,” the advisor said.
