Thai military hospitals ready to treat COVID-19 patients

Thailand's Ministry of Defense said Monday said military hospitals and field hospitals have been instructed by Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to receive COVID-19 patients as the number of infections continue to rise in the country.

"Our military hospitals will be opened to all COVID-19 patients if state-run healthcare facilities run out of beds," said Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantrawanich.

The spokesman also said that military personnel are assisting public health authorities organize health checks for Thai expats who had recently arrived from abroad - including migrant workers returning from Indonesia and Malaysia - at airports, seaports and land border checkpoints across the country.

"In an effort to curb local transmission, Thai soldiers also take part in cleaning campaigns at public areas across the country," Kongcheep said.

Last week, 2,000 beds for patients were being deployed at military units to function as additional disease control areas.

As of Monday, Thailand reported two more deaths from COVID-19 and 136 new cases, raising the total cases in the country to 1,524.

The national death toll from COVID-19 has risen to nine.