BANGKOK, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Thailand on Saturday reported 4,803 new COVID-19 cases and 34 more fatalities as the country still grappled with its worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.

The tally, the third highest on a single day after a record count of 9,635 on May 17 and 4,887 on May 13, raised the country's total caseload to 149,779, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The new fatalities brought the country's death toll to 988.

The country's total cases have more than quadrupled since the beginning of April, when the third wave of outbreak started to spread from the capital Bangkok, with cumulative deaths up more than ninefold.

The new infections reported Saturday included 2,702 found at prisons and 51 imported cases, CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin told a daily briefing.

By regions, Bangkok still led the list of new infections, with 1,054 new cases detected over the past 24 hours and 43 active clusters having been reported.

Some 46,480 patients are under treatment at hospitals nationwide, with 1,221 in critical conditions, according to the CCSA.

Thailand announced Friday that it has approved China's Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, following the approvals of AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna vaccines.

To help contain the outbreak, the Thai government plans to roll out a mass inoculation campaign next month and aims to vaccinate 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population by the end of this year.