Thailand is prepared for a 2nd wave of the coronavirus, health officials say

Thailand is prepared for a second wave of the coronavirus, according to the country’s public health officials. While there hasn’t been any local transmissions recently, numbers are on the rise in other countries and Thailand’s hospitals have stocked up on supplies to be prepared for any potential second outbreak of Covid-19.

A 29 year old British woman tested positive for the coronavirus while she was in state quarantine, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported yesterday. Altogether, Thailand has reported 3,412 cases of the virus. It’s been about 3 months since the last local transmission. But with a spike in cases in Myanmar, Thailand is tightening border control to make sure no one is entering the country illegally and potentially spreading the virus.

But the Thai government says they’re prepared if there was a second outbreak and they have enough supplies for all of Thailand’s hospitals, according to deputy secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration Surachoke Tangwiwat.

“The nation is stocked up on the supplies needed such as medicine, masks and other protective equipment.”

Thailand has 629,122 pills of the antiviral drug Favipiravir, used as part of a chorus of drugs to treat coronavirus patients. He says it’s enough to treat 8,900 patients.

“The country has stocked up on more than 2.3 million N95 respirator masks and Surachoke says it’s enough for 15,000 patients. There’s also over 1.16 million protective suits for 7,700 patients and 45.44 million surgical masks, enough to last 100 days.”

Surachoke assures the public that if masks run out, they can ramp up production and make more. He says there are 45 face-mask factories and, altogether, the factories can produce 3.41 million face-masks every day.

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is developing the antiviral drug Favipiravir. A specialist from the organisation expects their make on the drug would be registered in mid-2021. The organisation is also working on a vaccine.

Whilst Thailand has had great success is limiting cases of Covid-19, the government remain aware of the new spikes in neighbouring countries, including Myanmar, as well as the high rates of new cases in Indonesia and Philippines (compared to other SE Asian countries).

SOURCE: Bangkok Post