BANGKOK, May 22 (TNA) – A disease investigation showed that a 72-year-old man, reported yesterday as a new case of coronavirus was more likely to contract the disease from a hospital, said Sophon Iamsirithavorn, chief of the Communicable Disease Division.
The man was one of three new Covid-19 infections, reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CSSA) on Thursday.
The risk factors for the elderly man with cancer and diabetes were visits to a private hospital and a barbershop in Bangkok’s Prachachuen area on May 18, it said.
He developed fever, coughing and sought medical treatment at a private hospital before being referred to a public hospital in Samut Prakan.
The disease investigation found that the man wore a face mask all the time while receiving service at the barber and he was the only customer at that time. All barber staff wore masks, so there was low risk of virus transmission. However, all of them have been under quarantine.
Dr. Sophon said the main factor that contributes to a significant drop in the number of new infections and reduces the virus transmission is wearing face masks.
Another confirmed case of a 42-year-old German man visited his wife’s relatives in Chaiyaphum province from late March to April. He travelled by a personal car and his family members are not ill. The in-depth investigation is being conducted in the community where he visited as earlier, Chaiyaphum province reported three coronavirus cases. (TNA)
