Thailand has recorded its first coronavirus death.

The 35-year-old male retail worker had dengue fever and the new disease known as Covid-19, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said in a briefing Sunday.

The patient had been hospitalised since Feb 16 at a private hospital and transferred to Bamrasnardura Infectious Diseases Institute and died on Saturday after multiple organ failure.

The Public Health Ministry is still looking into the role played by the coronavirus in the fatality, Dr Suwannachai said.

Tests for the coronavirus came back negative since Feb 16 but “the damage was already done to his body” from the earlier bout of infection by the new disease, said Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, the department adviser.

Thiravat Hemachudha, chief of the emerging disease centre of Chulalongkorn Hospital, on Sunday morning posted on his Facebook page that the man died at 6.25pm on Saturday, Feb 29. 

The Department of Disease Control said another patient was in serious condition at Bamrasnaradura and doctors at the institute are closely monitoring the patient.

The department repeated a warning on Sunday that any persons suspected of infecting the virus are required to contact public health officials within three hours.