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Bloomberg
Thailand plans to convert a terminal at the nation’s main international airport into a field hospital as a surge in coronavirus infections that’s straining the nation’s public health system shows little sign of easing.
Airports of Thailand Pcl, operator of the Suvarnabhumi
International Airport, has been asked to convert the newly completed terminal into a facility with an intensive-care unit, medical rooms and support for patients with mild to medium symptoms. The hospital will initially provide at least 5,000 patient beds, according to a government statement.
Medical facilities are already at capacity, and deaths could double by August if the outbreak doesn’t ease, Kumnuan Ungchusak, an expert in epidemiology and adviser to Health Ministry said.
The spread of the delta variant, expected to become the most dominant strain as early as August, has hindered efforts to contain the outbreak. With the mutated strain expected to spread to more provinces, daily case count may surge to 10,000 from next week, Apisamai Srirangsan, spokeswoman for the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said.