Covid cases surged over 8,000 in one week

THE GOVERNMENT issued a warning to the public today (May 10) to take care of themselves because a Covid-19 outbreak is intensifying with 8,446 patients receiving both inpatient and outpatient treatment during April 27-May 3, 2025 and this does not include those who did not seek treatment at hospitals, Naewna newspaper said

Mr. Karom Polpornklang, deputy government spokesperson, said those who got infected were from all age groups, from newborn babies to four-year-old toddlers, school-aged children and youths, working-age adults and the elderly.

Over the past four weeks it was found that the number of Covid-19 patients was twice as high as the flu, and there were five deaths.

Karom said the following steps should be taken to take care of yourself in daily life to be safe from Covid-19 infection:

(1) Only eat cooked and reheated food, use separate containers when cooking and buy food from restaurants and stalls that follow food sanitation practices;

(2)  Wash your hands frequently before eating, after eating, before entering the house, and before and after touching your face with soap and tap water for at least 20 seconds. If you cannot do so use at least 70% concentrated alcohol gel;

(3) Wash vegetables and fruits properly, turn on the faucet for more than five minutes, or wash by soaking in baking soda or potassium permanganate (sometimes called by its common name, Condy’s crystals) before eating or peeling or refrigerating

(4) Wear an appropriate mask. Normal people can wear a cloth mask but patients or general public health officials should wear a surgical mask. Those at risk/infected with Covid-19 or tested positive for the virus, should wear an N-95 mask. If you are performing close procedures, wear a face shield and a full PPE suit.

“The public is asked to closely monitor and observe symptoms because infected people can spread the virus two to three days before showing symptoms. Symptoms will start to appear around the third or fourth day after infection. You should isolate yourself for at least five days, during which time you can still spread the virus by 50%. On day seventh, the chance drops to 25–30% and to around 10% by the 10th day.

“Therefore, you should isolate yourself until you are asymptomatic and re-test with an ATK kit until you get a negative result. Wear a mask when you are with others to reduce the risk of spreading the virus, especially if there are elderly people, young children, pregnant women, or people with underlying diseases in your family.

“If you experience any abnormal symptoms such as coughing, sore throat, shortness of breath, loss of smell, or loss of taste, you should see a doctor at a nearby hospital immediately. If you delay for more than 48 hours, you may increase the risk of death,” Karom said.

Photo: Hindustan Times, Front Page photo: India Today