The total cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 can grow to 6,000 in Thailand as the pandemic in Myanmar already reached the Thai border, according to the Department of Disease Control.
Dr Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the department, said that at present total cases amounted to 3,575 and experts predicted that the figure could rise to about 6,000.
The situation in Myanmar was a key factor for Thailand. If illegal migrants were allowed in, the disease would grow wider in Thailand, he said.
“The situation in Myanmar started in its western state of Rakhine. The disease moves eastwards and has heavily spread in Yangon for a while. Reports on patients began in other cities including the Mon state which borders Thailand… The disease is approaching the Thai border,” Dr Tanarak said.
He urged government and private sectors and the civil society to join forces to block illegal migrants.
The Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration reported that Myanmar logged 948 new COVID-19 cases on Oct 1. The total cases rose to 13,373 and the death toll amounted to 310 there. Myanmar’s death toll becomes the third biggest in Southeast Asia, after Indonesia and the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Thailand saw six new COVID-19 cases: one each from South Sudan and Japan and two each from India and the United Arab Emirates. Of the total 3,575 cases, 3,354 recovered. The death toll remained at 59. (TNA)
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