BANGKOK, May 20 -- Several health experts have highlighted that the current Covid-19 outbreak is nearly seven times more widespread than influenza, according to Associate Professor Dr Thira Woratanarat of Chulalongkorn University.

The Nation reported Dr Thira as saying Covid-19 has been the most common infectious disease causing illness in the past week, remaining the leading cause of infection across all age groups - from young children and adolescents to working-age adults and the elderly.

Statistics from the past week showed 43,213 patients received hospital care, both inpatients and outpatients - a 35.5% increase compared to the previous week. There were three reported deaths from Kanchanaburi, Sukhothai, and Bangkok Noi district in...