Officials say no cause for alarm as 2 Thai women test positive for Covid

Health officials are downplaying any risks following reports that 2 Thai women have tested positive for Covid-19. It’s understood both women were sent home after completing 14 days’ quarantine following their repatriation from the United Arab Emirates.

One woman, a 34 year old from the north-eastern province of Chaiyaphum, was tested on June 5 and returned an “inconclusive” result, indicating there was a residual amount of the virus in her system. A second test showed a negative result, after which she was allowed to return home. However, on August 13, she visited Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok to get a fit-to-fly certificate in order to return overseas. On this occasion, she tested positive for the virus.

Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai from the Department of Disease Control says the woman had been sent home as there were only residual traces of Covid-19 in her system, meaning she could not infect others.

“We found that the virus in her system was decaying and she couldn’t transmit the disease. It is normal to find a case like this because the dead or inactive virus cells can stay in the body for around 3 months, according to many international studies.”

He adds that the patient did not contract the virus in Thailand.

“She got the virus while living abroad. Moreover, people living close to her house should not panic because the chance of disease transmission is zero.”

The second woman, a 35 year old from Loei province, also in the north-east of the country, returned to Thailand on June 24 and spent 14 days in state quarantine. After testing negative for Covid-19 twice, she was sent home. She returned to Bangkok to obtain a fit-to-fly certificate at Ramathibodi Hospital, where she too tested positive.

She has been admitted for monitoring at the hospital but is currently asymptomatic. Suwannachai says the DDC is still trying to confirm where this patient contracted the virus, with officials being sent to her home to check for any further infections.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post