BANGKOK, Feb 15 (TNA) – A female medical personnel is found to be infected with a deadly coronavirus or COVID-19, bringing the total cases in Thailand to 34.
Dr. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, Director-General of Disease Control Department said the 35-year-old woman did not wear a face mask while looking after a patient, who initially developed no sign of severe symptoms.
The woman lives alone, so she has no close contact with family members. She is the country’s first healthcare worker, infected with the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Permanent Secretary for Public Health plans to hold a video conference with provincial heads of public health nationwide on Monday. The conference is expected to discuss measures to prevent medical personnel from contracting the virus and ways to seek a special budget for personnel providing treatment to the COVID-19 patients.
Out of the total 34 cases in Thailand, 20 remain hospitalized while 14 of them have returned home.
In another development, nine crew members of the Westerdam luxurious cruise liner, who came to Thailand to board the planes at Suvarnabhumi International Airport found to be free of the virus and have already left the country.
The liner had been barred by several ports before it was finally allowed to dock at Sihanoukville in Cambodia on Friday. (TNA)
