InfoQuest, (February 13, 2020) -- The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) confirmed the 16th case of the novel coronavirus infection in South Korea. The patient is a 42-year-old South Korean woman who returned from a trip to Thailand.
Dr. Tanarak Plipat, deputy director-general of the Disease Control Department, said they were informed of the case in South Korea and were seeking details of her test results, condition and where she went in Thailand. With this information they could find other people who might have been in contact with her, and check them for the virus.
"Judging from common sense, Thais can infect with the virus from the Chinese in Thailand, Chinese and South Korean tourists tend to be in places full of foreign tourists and thus people-to-people transmission among tourists is likely to occur," Dr. Tanarak said.
Dr. Tanarak stressed that transmission in Thailand was limited. "The case of the Korean woman does not change the degree of risk concerning the disease in Thailand. Chances of contraction remain low in this country, but if transmission in Thailand persists and we fail to detect it timely, the number of cases may increase over time, and the country's risk degree will climb when the number of domestic infections reaches a certain level," he said.
""Now we are trying our best to find as many of those infected as possible and people in contact with them to inquire about their medical history, conducted check-up for them and test whether they get infected," he said.
The number of confirmed cases in Thailand remained at 19 as of 8:00 a.m. on February 4, of which 8 have been discharged and 11 remain hospitalized. There are 492 suspected cases that must be closely monitored. Of these, 43 were screened out by Thai airports and 449 were detected when coming to hospital. Most are Chinese. And 119 have been allowed to return home, as most are only infected with seasonal flu, and 373 remain hospitalized. On February 3, seven new suspected cases were found.
Dr. Tanarak said the infection found so far in Thailand is a taxi driver, thus making it necessary to carry out two tasks: monitoring Thais as well as foreigners.
Dr. Narong Saiwong, deputy permanent secretary and spokesman of the Ministry of Public Health, revealed relevant measures about chartering an airplane to evacuate Thais from Wuhan, where the first case was found. The measures include three aspects.
First, Chinese authorities will carry out health examinations on those to be evacuated before they get aboard. Second, the Thai medical team will provide both physical and mental health care during the travel and when the plane arrives Thailand.
Secondary screening will be conducted on the aircraft to separate potential patients from others and care will be given in a separate area. When people arrive Thailand, they will be checked again to see whether they have a fever. Patients will be sent for treatment as required, and those who have not yet developed symptoms will be closely monitored according to disease control standards for up to 14 days. Third, contact will be kept with those returning to Thailand to alleviate their anxiety.
Source: InfoQuest, by Chairat Pummala/ Nisarat / Wilawan, translated by Xinhua Silk Road
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