Thailand Set to Run Out of ICU Beds in 19 Days as COVID-19 Cases Reach Record Highs

Thailand Set to Run Out of ICU Beds in 19 Days as COVID-19 Cases Reach Record Highs

Thailand is on track to reach full ICU bed capacity in the next 19 days as coronavirus cases and hospitalization reach record highs, the country's health authorities warned Friday.Taweesilp Visanuyothin, a spokesman for the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration, said Friday that the nation confirmed a daily record with 2,070 new COVID-19 cases. A day earlier, the country reported its highest-ever death count, with seven people succumbing to the virus, the Associated Press reported.Visanuyothin warned that the latest outbreak is putting a severe strain on the country's hospital system and ICU capacity.In Bangkok, which has the highest number of reported cases, there are only 69 empty ICU beds left out of approximately 400. At the current rate of demand, that equates to only enough beds for the next six to eight days.At the beginning of March, Thailand had 26,031 cases with double-digit daily increases, but a new outbreak sent the numbers skyrocketing. Now, the new daily record brings the country's total case count to 50,183, with 121 recorded deaths.For more reporting from the Associated Press, see below.Health workers prepare to administer people with the CoronaVac vaccine developed by Sinovac inside a sports stadium on April 22, 2021, in Phuket, Thailand.