Thailand reports 20,571 new COVID-19 cases, 261 more deaths

BANGKOK, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Saturday reported 20,571 new COVID-19 cases and 261 additional deaths, according to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

A health worker receives a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at Bangkok Metropolitan Administration General hospital in Bangkok, Thailand, Tuesday, Aug 10, 2021. (Photo: AP)

The new infections took the national tally to 1,030,281, with the death toll reaching 9,087, CCSA data showed.

Started in early April, the latest wave was fueled by more infectious variants.

Currently, there are 202,230 patients under medical treatment, of which 5,171 are in critical condition with 1,123 on ventilators.

A total of 26.4 million COVID-19 vaccines have been administered between Feb. 28 to Aug. 20. Roughly 8.5 percent of Thailand's nearly 70 million population have been fully vaccinated.