Thailand Reports 1st Death Linked to Coronavirus

City workers in hazmat suits disinfect a school in northern Bangkok on Feb. 26, 2020, after one of its students tested positive for the coronavirus.

BANGKOK — A 35-year-old Thai man died after contracting the coronavirus, marking the first Thailand’s fatality related to the novel strain of the virus since the outbreak in December, health officials said Sunday.

Disease prevention director Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai said the man, who had been receiving treatment at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, also suffered from dengue fever as well as the coronavirus.

Although the unidentified patient recovered from the virus and eventually tested negative for Covid-19 since Feb. 16, his damaged lung condition and multiple organ failure eventually led to his death, Suwannachai said.

The physician added that another patient is in critical condition due to a combination of the coronavirus and TB.

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Two patients also recovered and were discharged from hospital recently, including a 33-year-old Chinese man and a 3-year-old Thai girl, according to Suwannachai.

Thailand counted at least 42 cases of coronavirus so far, as of the latest statement released by health officials on Friday. The latest case was identified as a 21-year-old Thai man who works closely with foreign tourists.

Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul also said on Saturday that doses of anti-virus medicines donated by China recently arrived in Thailand for use in hospitals.