Thai health officials investigate South Korean military officer Covid-19 case

Thai health officials are trying to determine how the South Korean military officer, who tested positive for Covid-19 after returning home from Thailand’s annual Cobra Gold training, became infected with the virus. So far, it’s a mystery.

Local health authorities investigating the case are asking South Korean authorities for more information about the officers whereabouts to figure where exactly the officer came in contact with the virus, according to the Department of Disease Control’s chief of the epidemiology division, Walairat Chaifoo.

“We have three assumptions that firstly he might have been infected with the disease in his country. He might also have been infected in alternative state quarantine or at the meeting place. We do need to have additional information from South Korea in order to verify those assumptions.”

Here’s the timeline:

October 17: The 32 year old South Korean military officer arrived in Thailand and checked in at an alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotel in Bangkok.

November 1: The military officer was released from the ASQ after 2 tests came out negative for Covid-19. He checked out and stayed at a hotel for a night in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area.

November 3: He travelled to Rayong’s Ban Chang district and participated in the Cobra Gold military training exercise.

November 6: He travelled back to Bangkok and stayed at a hotel for 2 nights.

November 8: The military officer departed from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi airport and landed at the Incheon Airport in South Korea where he tested positive for Covid-19.

Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is requiring that those who came in close contact with the infected officer to quarantine for 14 days. Those who participated in Cobra Gold’s 5-day training exercise, but did not come in close contact with the officer are advised to self-quarantine at home and look out for symptoms over the next 2 weeks.

The vast majority of recent Covid-19 cases have been detected in the mandatory 14 day quarantine for those entering the country. Thailand went a record of 100 days without a reported local transmission until September when a Bangkok DJ tested positive for Covid-19 after his arrest on drug charges.

The DJ was infected with the G strain of the virus which is a less severe, but more contagious. The G strain is also typically detected in quarantine from those entering Thailand from overseas rather than local transmissions, health officials say. That case is also still a mystery.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post

Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.