Govt steps up virus testing
Vacationer provinces get particular screening
Employees at Wat Pho disinfect baggage utilized by guests to hold sneakers within the Reclining Buddha Corridor, a part of measures to battle Covid-19. (Picture by Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
The Ministry of Public Well being has tightened screening standards for individuals in eight provinces in style with Chinese language vacationers after the variety of Covid-19 circumstances in Thailand modified little over the previous week.
“Proper now, we have now reached a degree the place we aren’t sure if there are any new sufferers with Covid-19 or if we’re merely unable to seek out them.
So we have now to work in a extra aggressive solution to determine potential infections as quickly as potential,” Division of Illness Management deputy director-general Dr Thanarak Plipat advised media yesterday.
The brand new screening measures have been in place for every week. Below them, sufferers with pneumonia the place the trigger has not been verified will likely be mechanically referred to Sufferers below Investigation (PUI) — the group which assessments for Covid-19 — in the event that they dwell in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Krabi, Phuket, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Bangkok, Samut Prakan or Chon Buri.
After the brand new screening was launched, PUI circumstances jumped from 957 to 1,151 as of yesterday — a rise of 194.
Virus Testing on Thursday alone, 99 circumstances had been added to the PUI checklist. A lot of the new circumstances had been present in these eight provinces.
Dr Thanarak advised media the brand new screening technique was launched after the ministry turned involved concerning the effectiveness of earlier screening.
He added the rise in PUI was the results of extending the screening to passengers from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, as an alternative of solely China.
The variety of Covid-19 circumstances in Thailand has remained unchanged at 35 for the final 4 days, indicating the contagion fee could have stalled in Thailand.
In the meantime, Public Well being Minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday requested the general public to not panic over information that the ministry was classifying Covid-19 as a “harmful” communicable illness, saying that the coverage was made to strengthen measures to deal with the outbreak.
On his Fb web page, Mr Anutin stated that the brand new classification would enable well being officers to make use of the regulation to manage transmission as an alternative of counting on screening and quarantines.
Relating to Thais caught up in Japan’s Covid-19 outbreak, overseas ministry spokesperson Cherdkiat Atthakor stated one other Thai crew member of the Diamond Princess examined optimistic for the virus, bringing the variety of Thai circumstances on the cruise ship to 4.
He stated the affected person has been despatched to hospital and all 4 Thai sufferers are below shut care of Thai officers in Japan.
Two Thai passengers and 23 Thai crew members had been registered aboard the cruise ship, which has been docked in Yokohama below quarantine.
The Thai embassy in Tokyo stated the remaining Thai crew will likely be allowed to depart the vessel and return to Thailand if their second check comes again damaging.
The Diamond Princess‘s operator will cowl journey bills.
Additionally yesterday, Overseas Minister Don Pramudwinai oversaw the presentation of commemorative pins to 14 individuals who took half within the evacuation by air of 138 Thais from Wuhan in China, the place the virus outbreak was first detected.
In the meantime, Dr Pramote Sathienrat, deputy chief of the Division of Thai Conventional and Various drugs, stated his division has been working with its companions to check the effectiveness of the natural treatment Kariyat, recognized in Thai as Fa Talai Jone, in opposition to Covid-19.
The medical trial will likely be carried out on 10 wholesome sufferers and the outcomes are anticipated in a single month. Fa Talai Jone turned well-known after getting used to deal with infections in the course of the Sars outbreak.
In the meantime, the Inside Commerce Division below the Ministry of Commerce has banned the unauthorised export of face masks.
The transfer is to make sure the supply of face masks, stated Whichai Phochanakij, director-general of the division.
He added that outbound travellers will solely be allowed to take a restricted variety of face masks with them.
Earlier, the division had required exporters to hunt permission for the export of 500 masks or extra.
Some events responded by sustaining their export quantity however merely delivery fewer than 500 masks in every supply.
