Thailand reports 2,631 new COVID-19 cases

BANGKOK, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Friday reported 2,631 new COVID-19 cases, raising its total caseload to 171,979, according to official data.

A woman gets a sticker before receiving a Covid-19 vaccination at a shopping mall in Bangkok on June 1, 2021. (File photo: AFP)

Nearly one third of the new infections were reported in the capital Bangkok, which has been the epicenter of the third wave of outbreak.

The Southeast Asian country also reported 31 new fatalities over the last 24 hours, bringing the country's death toll to 1,177, Natapanu Nopakun, an official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at a daily news briefing of the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration.

The surge in new cases since early April has seen deaths from the infections soar more than tenfold and prompted the government to tighten restrictive measures.

To contain the most deadliest outbreak since the pandemic began, the country vowed to vaccinate 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population by the end of 2021, with a mass inoculation roll-out scheduled to start next week.

The government has distributed 2 million doses of vaccine to vaccination venues across the country ahead of the roll-out, Natapanu said.

The country has administered almost 4 million doses of vaccines and plans to administer approximately 10 million doses by the end of June, he said.