THAI health officials have found out that the parents of the two-year-old Myanmar boy who tested positive for coronavirus after the family crossed over to Myawaddy from Mae Sot border town had worked in Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as Korat) and very briefly in Ayutthaya province, Siam Rath newspaper reported today (Sept. 17, 2020).
Dr. Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said health officials found out through testing and questioning people who came into contact with the family that the couple had worked at a brick block company in Pak Chong District, Nakhon Ratchasima province, from October 2019 till June 25 this year when both husband and wife quit their jobs and went to Ayutthaya.
Data from the Immigration Office in Ayutthaya shows that they registered to have applied for work at a market in Uthai district on August 26 . It was on September 4 that the family crossed over to Myawaddy from Mae Sot via a natural channel with the boy found to be infected on Sunday September 13.
Dr. Suwanchai said his department is checking the details of this case and has assigned the Department of Epidemiology and agencies under its control, the Saraburi Provincial Disease Prevention and Control Office, which oversees Ayutthaya province, and the Office of Disease Prevention and Control 9, Nakhon Ratchasima province, to continue taking appropriate steps to prevent and control the spread of this disease.
Meanwhile the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced today that there were no new cases over the past 24 hours with the total now standing at 3,490 cases. There were also no additional deaths with the toll remaining at 58. Nine more patients have recovered from the disease, taking the total number of those who have done so to 3,325 with 107 patients undergoing treatment.
Where Myanmar is concerned, it had maintained some of the region’s lowest case counts until August. But the case count has more than quadrupled in a month, largely due to an outbreak in Rakhine state. The situation there continues to worsen as fears mount that the virus could spread unchecked through the vulnerable Rohingya community.
The country’s underdeveloped health care system may leave Myanmar unprepared to cope with the pandemic should the current wave of infections escalate. Additionally, some conflict-affected parts of Myanmar may be unaware of the pandemic due to the ongoing targeted internet ban, the Center for Strategic & International Studies said.
There were six Covid-19 deaths in Myanmar as of 8 a.m. this morning taking the toll of 46. There was also an addition of 258 new cases yesterday, Myanmar Times reported.
So far this neighbouring country’s cases have increased ten times from 375 on August 16 to 3,894 as of 8 a.m. this morning.
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Top: Lantana flowers which are Covid-19 lookalike. Photo: Jim & Robin Kunze (CC BY 2.0
