With coronavirus cases rising, a Bangkok hospital puts out the call for more masks

Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok is running out of N95 facemasks for it personnel, and the director Suttipong Wacharasindhud has made a public plea for more. At a time when Covid-19 coronavirus cases are rising daily, he says the hospital has enough masks to last only another two weeks.

“Due to the shortage of masks over the past three months, the hospital has been trying to find them from all possible sources, but it still doesn’t have enough.”

All wards and units have been told to strictly comply with the hospital’s instructions on mask use. The news comes after recent reports that some people are hoarding the masks, and even allegedly shipping large consignments overseas.

Police have arrested an alleged fraudster for scamming people into placing orders for masks and sanitising gel that were never delivered. 27 year old Thirawuth Suksawat was arrested in Ratchaburi’s Ban Pong district on Friday for selling masks online, then not delivering. He was already wanted on an arrest warrant from last year in connection with other fraud cases.

Police received complaints that the suspect sold the products via Facebook Marketplace and used other people’s photos to hide his identity. Buyers transferred money into his account but the masks were never delivered.

Police say the suspect swindled people out of more than 200,000 baht and has been handed over to Thung Song police.

Source: Chiang Rai Times | Bangkok Post