WHO director praises Thailand as a good model for containing COVID-19

Health workers check the temperatures of pro-democracy protesters, as a measure to halt the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, as they enter an area of Thammasat University through a security checkpoint during an anti-government rally in Bangkok on September 19, 2020. – A youth-led pro-democracy movement made a stand in Bangkok on September 19, with protesters calling for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy. (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP)

The director of World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Thailand for being a successful model for containing the spread of COVID-19, despite the fact that there is no vaccine yet, said Dr. Panprapha Yongtrakul, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health, today (Sunday).

She added that the WHO director pointed out that, despite Thailand having a population of 70 million with many densely populated cities, the total number of COVID-19 cases are fewerthan 4,000 and there have been only 60 COVID related deathsso far.

She noted, however, that the success is not coincidental, but a result of 40 years of tireless efforts and substantial investment by previous and present governments to improve the public health infrastructure, including the recruitment of more than one million health volunteers, who play a vital role in helping medical professionals in the regions, as manifested in the success in containing SARS in Thailand in 2003.

The CCSA, meanwhile, reported eight new COVID-19 cases in Thailand today, all arrivals from abroad in state quarantine, including four Thais.

Cumulative infections in Thailand, to date, are 3,874.  Eight more have recovered, bringing the total to 3,715, while 99 are still being treated in hospitals.  The death toll remains 60.

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