Only one new COVID-19 infection was reported in Thailand today (Tuesday), the fewest since the outbreak of the deadly disease in January, and no new fatalities.
Accumulated infections in the country are now 2,988, with seven more recoveries, bringing the total to 2,747, while the death toll remains at 54. The remainder, 187, remain in hospital.
The new case today is a 45-year old diabetic man living in the southern border province of Narathiwat, who had recently returned from a pilgrimage abroad. He went to hospital with a cough, fever, sore throat and breathing difficulties on April 25th and was diagnosed with a lung infection. On May 4th, he tested positive for COVID-19.
CCSA spokesman, Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, said in a news briefing today that the new infection today did not take into account the 40 questionable cases in Yala province, whose test results, from the Diseases Control Department, are expected to be announced this afternoon.
The 40 cases, more than half of whom are from Yaha district, tested positive for coronavirus during Active Case Finding (ACF) tests by a new laboratory in Yala province. The Songkhla medical science centre results, however, were negative. New specimens were collected from all 40 subjects and sent to the Disease Control Department in Bangkok for a final analysis.
Dr. Taweesin said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and senior health officials were in a meeting to discuss this issue, and to review the testing procedures, to make sure all testing facilities are up to the required standards.
The CCSA spokesman disclosed that 12,385 Thais returning from abroad have been placed in state quarantine and, of these, 3,302 have been discharged. 84 were found to be infected.
Between April 4th and May 4th, a total of 4,401 Thais returned from 26 countries and all of them were subjected to state quarantine for 14 days.
Several thousand more Thais abroad are waiting for their turn to come back, because the Government has limited returnees to about 200 per day, to ensure adequate quarantine accommodation.
A total of 236 are due back today from France and India, to be followed by another 297 from Myanmar, Germany and Pakistan.
