An elderly man has put 30 staff of B.Care Medical Center in Bangkok's Sai Mai district at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus after denying he had travelled overseas. He later admitted he had travelled to Japan and tested positive for the Covid-19 virus.
The management of the hospital stated on Wednesday that the man arrived at the facility on Sunday with a cough and a fever. When questioned, he said he had not travelled abroad. He was initially diagnosed with pneumonia and was admitted.
The following morning a lung expert examined him and asked if he had taken an overseas trip. He again denied leaving the country.
Later in the morning he admitted to travelling abroad. He was isolated and immediately given a Covid-19 test. The result showed that evening that he had contracted the disease.
"The patient's concealment and denial of the overseas trip resulted in 30 hospital officials who came into close contact with him being put at risk of contracting the Covid-19 infection," the hospital stated.
The staff initially tested negative but were to be checked repeatedly over the next 14 days. They were put on home quarantine.
"The concealment has had a negative impact on society, other people and your own family members," the hospital stated. The patient had already been referred to a public hospital.
Media reported that the patient travelled to Hokkaido with his wife and returned on a flight to Thailand last Thursday.
It was initally unclear whether the man was one of the people cited in the health ministry's Wednesday morning report of three new coronavirus cases.
