Thailand: Record number of Covid cases as prison clusters grow

Thailand has seen its highest number of daily Covid cases, with the majority of the new infections stemming from the country's overcrowded prisons. 

Some 6,853 prisoners make up for 9,635 of Monday's new cases – more than double the previous daily record.

Thailand admitted there were growing clusters in jails after several prominent activists tested positive.

The country has managed to keep coronavirus numbers low for the last year, but saw a huge spike last month.

A total of 111,082 cases have been reported since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous highest daily total was 4,887 on 13 May, according to Johns Hopkins University.

It also reported 25 new deaths on Monday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 614.

"Many people warned the Thai authorities that they needed to act proactively to avoid such a situation, but it seems they got caught sleeping at the switch," said Human Rights Watch's Asia director in a statement released earlier this month.