Covid-19 infects 146 front line Thai medical workers

In the current third outbreak of Covid-19, 146 front line hospital and medical workers have been infected with the virus. This figure was confirmed by a spokesperson for the CCSA yesterday. Infected staff members have been isolated in mandatory quarantine since being diagnosed.

Contact tracing research found that about 33 of the medical staff contracted Covid-19 by being in direct contact or close proximity to family and friends of infected patients, and from patients who intentionally withheld details of their travel timeline. Patients have been reminded that the government announced intentions to prosecute those who don’t reveal important travel details or otherwise recklessly contribute to the spread of Covid-19 including fines of up to 20,000 baht.

The majority of those affected were doctors and nurses. Mandatory isolation for Covid-19 infected medical front line staff further exacerbates staffing shortages during the surge in Coronavirus infections requiring treatment. With hospitals filling up, doctors and nurses are in high demand and hospital staffing is stretched thin.

The Ministry of Public Health says that they’re hard at work to ensure hospitals, field hospitals, and the new “hospitel” hospital hotels are all well staffed with necessary medical officials to provide care for the growing number of Covid-19 patients.

The medical front line workers contracted Covid-19 treating patients from the clusters of outbreaks, mostly due to spread in entertainment venues around Thailand. Controversy has surrounded many of these outbreaks with police hunting the owners of elite society night clubs in Thong Lor in Bangkok and authorities struggling to get attendees to Phuket’s Kolour festival to come forward for a test.

SOURCE: Pattaya News