Thailand records highest daily virus case increase

People in Bangkok received shots of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine Monday, as Thailand reported its highest daily COVID-19 caseload since the start of the pandemic.

Authorities recorded 985 new coronavirus cases on Monday, and health officials said they were worried the number of new infections could be far higher after this week's traditional Thai New Year holiday.

Health experts said the third major surge in the country was proving more difficult to control as it was mostly a variant of the virus first found in the U.K., and has mostly affected younger people because it broke out at nightclubs and bars.

Millions of Thais are travelling around the country - often from urban areas to rural villages - for this week's annual Songkran new year festival.

The government has not prevented people from travelling, as it did when it cancelled the festival last year.

The current surge - which has infected at least one cabinet minister and forced a number of others into self-quarantine - is increasing criticism of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha’s government and its handling of the pandemic.

While Thailand has only recorded 33,610 infections and 97 deaths, critics say the vaccination drive is too slow - less than 1% of the population has received a jab - and there's little support for people whose livelihoods have been affected by the pandemic.

So far, Thailand has been using a relatively small supply of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, until a local plant can start producing and distributing the AstraZeneca vaccine in the summer.