Four local health officers among 19 new Covid-19 cases

The new cases included four locally transmitted cases.

The overseas arrivals who tested positive included:
A Thai businesswoman, 38, who returned from Turkey on November 23; a Bulgarian businessman, 53, who arrived on November 27; a Thai female student, 24, who flew back from Morocco on December 1; a Thai man, 62, and a woman, 61, who returned from the United States on December 2; a Swiss tourist, 65, who arrived on December 2; a Danish tourist, 73, who arrived on December 2 after taking a connecting flight in the United Arab Emirates; a Thai female prisoner, 32, who returned on December 6 and was recognised as a re-active case on the day of arrival after her first infection occurred on November 23.

Six Thai women, aged 24-37, travelled back from Myanmar on December 2 and December 5. Each of them developed symptoms such as loss of sense of smell, muscle ache, diarrhoea, sore throat, fever, runny nose, etc. in local state quarantine. They were transported to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital.

A Thai woman, 21, who admitted to entering the country illegally on November 29 with a Ratchaburi woman, a current patient, was found positive in a private hospital on December 5 and brought to Chiang Rai Prachanukroh Hospital.

Four health officers, including a nurse, aged 25-40, who went to perform duties in an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotel and partnered private hospitals, tested positive on December 4-5 after suffering from fever and headache. As for this cluster, there are 280 close contacts (51 high-risk and 228 low-risk). All the high-risk close contacts have tested negative while results are awaited of the low-risk contacts.

The public health authority is now investigating flaws or the source of infection of this group because health officers working in ASQ usually test themselves every three days.

Meanwhile, six patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand increased to 4,126 since the outbreak (1,139 in state quarantine), 192 are in hospital, 3,874 have recovered and been discharged and 60 have died.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Tuesday, the total number of confirmed cases had reached 67.93 million (up by 527,209), 47 million have recovered, 19.37 million are active cases (106,184 in severe condition) and 1.55 million have died (up by 8,105).

Thailand ranks 151st for most cases in the world, while the US has the most number with 15.36 million, followed by India 9.7 million, Brazil 6.63 million, Russia 2.49 million and France 2.3 million.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) says the virus situation in Myanmar has reached worrying levels, and has sought cooperation to stop trespassing on the border. The DDC added that food service on planes have now been halted because of the risk of infection spreading from drinking or eating.