Covid-19 documentary to feature Thailand and New Zealand as success stories

Thailand and New Zealand have been chosen by the World Health Organization as successful models to be featured in a documentary about handling and stemming the spread of Covid-19 . A WHO official in Thailand confirmed to the Bangkok Post that the documentary is in production. No further details of the project have been revealed.

The National Institute of Health’s Department of Medical Science director shared the news on Facebook, where he revealed part of the conversation while the documentary was being shot at his office:

“Question: How many labs are able to test for Covid-19 and why is it important to be able to have such a large capacity?”

“Answer: The director-general of the department of medical sciences has a ‘1 lab, 1 province, 1-day reporting’ policy. Today, there are 207 laboratories across the country.”

“Confirmed cases are isolated immediately to reduce the mortality risk. Their contacts are identified, traced and quarantined, and monitored for 14 days.”

In a related story, the dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University voiced his concern on Facebook that the country is at high risk of a second wave of infection due to the government’s initiative to open up to foreign visitors.

“We are now facing a higher risk of catching deadly virus infections at a time when restrictions are being unlocked. The lesson learned from abroad shows the outbreak is usually found 2 to 6 weeks after that.”

SOURCE: Bangkok Post