Covid-19: Husband and wife among three new cases in Thailand

By Linda Khoo

BANGKOK, March 10 -- A husband and wife are among three new patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Thailand, bringing the tally to 53.

Director of the Disease Control Department, Dr Sophon Iamsirithawon said the 46-year-old woman who returned from Italy on Feb 28 and her husband, 47, who did not travel with her, were tested positive for the deadly virus.

Sophon said a 41-year-old Thai woman who had close contact with a COVID-19 patient who returned from Italy, was also tested positive for the virus. 

“To date, 33 patients have been discharged from hospitals while 19 remain under treatment,” he said at the COVID-19 daily press conference, here, today.

Since the outbreak in January, Thailand has reported 53 confirmed COVID-19 cases with one fatality. 

Meanwhile, Sophon advised Thais to avoid unnecessary trips to Europe including France, Spain, England, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Belgium following the COVID-19 outbreak.

“If you need to visit these countries, please take all necessary precautions and measures to curb the spread of the virus,” he said.

On one Grab Holdings Inc’s employee, who is based in Singapore and previously visited the Bangkok office, and tested positive for COVID-19, Sophon said the patient’s close contacts including colleagues in Bangkok were tested negative.

Grab Holdings Inc closed offices in Singapore and Thailand for five days of cleaning after a Singapore-based employee tested positive for the virus.

On Thais returning from South Korea, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Public Health Ministry, Dr Yongyos Thammawut said there were 188 Thais including eight from Gyeongsang and the city of Daegu, South Korea. They are held in a quarantine facility at Sattahip Naval Base in Chonburi.

“There are 20 people at the quarantine facility – five pregnant women, four young children and 11 with chronic diseases who need special care,” he said.

Thailand is bracing for the return of thousands of Thai workers including ‘Phi Noi’ (Little Ghosts), a term referring to Thai illegal workers in South Korea.

The Foreign Ministry said there were about 209,000 Thai workers, including about 152,400 illegal ones, in South Korea. 

-- BERNAMA