BANGKOK — The Ministry of Health on Tuesday said two more cases of Covid-19 infection were reported in Thailand, bringing the total tally to 37 since the outbreak began.
Health permanent secretary Sukhum Kanchanapimai said two Thais tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus, but none of them are in critical condition.
Sukhum said one of the patients is a maid serving in a house where one of the family members recently traveled to Guangzhou, while the other is a private chauffeur for foreign clients. He did not elaborate on which province where the patients came from.
Fifteen infected patients are also being treated at hospitals, while 22 of the 37 patients have recovered, the health official said. The country has no report of any fatalities so far.
Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday said the virus has been added to the national list of dangerous communicable diseases, joining ranks with 13 other diseases like plague and smallpox.
Under this measure, Anutin said it will allow health officials to respond to the outbreak more quickly and enforce tougher laws such as ordering suspected individuals to be put into quarantine. The authorities can also impose travel bans to prevent further spread.
“We are not only fighting with the virus nowadays, but also the misinformation that debilitate health officials,” Anutin said. “This measure will give legal basis for our actions such as enforcing quarantine which we previously could only ask for cooperation.”
