Number of confirmed Covid-19 cases remains unchanged at 43
The number of confirmed Covid-19 virus infections in Thailand remained unchanged at 43 on Wednesday (March 4), with 31 people recovered, 11 still under medical care and one death, the Public Health Ministry reported.
It noted that Thailand ranks 17 among countries and territories globally for the number of cases confirmed.
Citing a shortage of top-grade surgical masks, Dr Bancha Khakhong, deputy chief of the ministry’s Department of Health, said people showing no flu-like symptoms can feel safe wearing simple cloth masks.
They can even make their own, he said, using cotton or “salu cotton”, which have the benefit of shrinking in mesh size the more they’re washed, right down to the width of one micron.
Even the simplest cotton mask can prevent 54-59 per cent of airborne germs from entering the respiratory system, which is sufficient for preventing virus infection in healthy persons, Bancha said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha meanwhile said the government had established a second Covid-19 surveillance and management centre to share the workload of the one at the Health Ministry.
He made the remark after a meeting of state agencies on the return of thousands of Thai labourers from South Korea.
“Many people have been worried about phi noi being allowed to self-quarantine,” he said, using the term “little ghost”, a name for Thais working illegally overseas.
“The government has issued a clear requirement for all those returning from Daegu and North Gyeongsang province [South Korea’s hardest-hit locales] to be quarantined in government facilities for 14 days.”
