The government's Covid-19 hotline received some 10,000 calls a day during the five-day Songkran holiday, according to the National Health Security Office (NHSO).
Dr Jadet Thammathat-aree, secretary-general of the NHSO, said its 1330 hotline was inundated with calls from April 13 to 17, with many asking for Covid-19 medicines for patients in home isolation and others inquiring about treatments under the universal healthcare scheme.
He said NHSO staff were able to answer all the calls.
"Our hotline service worked well during the long holiday but the NHSO must be better prepared to cope with rising Covid-19 cases now the holiday has ended,'' Dr Jadet said.
The agency ordered its staff to work from home to help mitigate the expected spike in transmissions after people return from their hometowns to the capital. Staff handling the hotline will be at full capacity, he said.
For those who take an antigen test and receive a positive result, the NHSO suggests that patients who live in Bangkok call their local district hotline in addition to the NHSO's hotline.
Alternatively, they can contact City Hall via its official account on LINE messaging app at @BKKCOVID19CONNECT, or call the National Institute for Emergency Medicine at 1669.
Patients living in other provinces are recommended to call their provincial or district hotlines.
People who have underlying conditions or are otherwise at risk of serious illness are advised to dial 1330 extension 18.
Patients with mild symptoms are urged to call the same hotline but dial extension 14. Staff will assist them with the process of home or community isolation, or the use of a hospitel.
