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Bangkok hospitals were limiting their testing for the Covid-19 virus Monday, as the rate of new cases amid the third wave dropped slightly but remained well above 1,000 per day.
Private establishments BNH Hospital and Praram 9 Hospital said they were no longer accepting new Covid patients. The Paolo Hospital in Phaholyotin, also private, said they have received a new batch of test kits and are accepting walk-ins, but only from 8 am to 5 pm, and for a flat fee of 4,500 baht.
Among the public hospitals, Taksin Hospital is providing free tests, but only to at-risk patients. Thammasat University Hospital and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital are also testing only at-risk populations, and only up to 100 tests per day. Chulalongkorn starts distributing queue numbers at 7:30 am. Neither are providing drive-through services.
Thammasat is charging 4,000 baht per test, while Chulalongkorn’s test kit ranges from 3,000 to 6,000 baht depending on the risk levels of each patient.
The latest numbers showed 1,390 new infections across Thailand on Monday morning, including 293 in Bangkok. Hospitals have been struggling to cope with demand for tests, with hotlines overrun.