Dozens of staff at Narathiwat hospital quarantined

62 staff of a hospital in the southern Narathiwat province, bordering Malaysia, are now in quarantine after making contact with a man who arrived with flu-like symptoms and later tested positive for Covid-19.

The hospital’s director says that a 45 year old man from Waeng district walked into the hospital on May 30 to be treated for flu.

“He stayed at a private room on the eighth floor before asking to switch to a cheaper room on the sixth floor. Later he showed symptoms of pneumonia and tested positive for Covid-19.”

The director says the patient “was in a high-risk group as he had just returned from a religious mission overseas, and he was later transferred to Narathiwat Ratchankarin Hospital in Muang district for proper Covid-19 treatment.”

When alerted to the situation, the director ordered a temporary shutdown of the hospital to disinfect all rooms and areas exposed to the patient.

“I have also ordered a 14 day quarantine for 62 hospital staff who might have come in contact with the patient. Of these, 20 had direct contact while treating the patient. All of them were wearing suitable protective equipment while working.”

“We want to reaffirm to all our patients that the hospital has employed strict measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and is now ready to open as usual to treat patients.”

SOURCE: Nation Thailand