After five months of battling the Covid-19 pandemic, normalcy is gradually returning to the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute (BIDI), a specialised hospital for emerging infectious diseases and respiratory illnesses.
The institute's lobby -- which had been packed in February and March when the number of novel coronavirus cases peaked -- has become roomy again, just like it was before the pandemic.
When the disease peaked in Thailand, the hospital took in about 80 Covid-19 patients each day.
These days, the number of cases have gone down to the single digits.
Its medical staff appear more relaxed, and some nurses have even been able to take some time off to see their family in the provinces.
'HECTIC DAYS'
Apichart Vachiraphan, director of BIDI, said the current, more casual ambience is starkly different to that during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when hundreds -- sometimes over a thousand -- people flocked to the hospital to get tested.
BIDI's laboratory can carry out 300 tests each day, but one day, Dr Apichart said, over 900 people came and signed up.
"The massive crowd and long queue [for the test] frustrated everyone, making the atmosphere at the hospital stressful," he said.
To calm everyone's nerves, he ordered staff to serve up cup noodles to everyone in the queue.
"That was hectic for us, but it was a good lesson in crisis management," he said.
"We can learn a lot from managing Covid-19 cases and other emerging diseases."
Among the lessons learned by BIDI was that a combination of plasma treatment and a prescription for favipiravir and remdesivir can help patients recover.
But Dr Apichart said cooperation, teamwork and good management are just as important as any medical breakthrough in times of crisis like Covid-19.
"We learned that the key to handling a crisis is cooperating with all stakeholders. And that truly made us a winner," he said.
Every day, BIDI staff would meet to get the latest updates on cases and allocate resources to meet the needs of each patient.
In normal cases, two medical staff are assigned to a patient. But in Covid-19 cases, the hospital may need to assign up to six personnel to a patient, said Dr Apichart.
PUBLIC SUPPORT
BIDI's successes in dealing with Covid-19 cases may be explained by its experience and resources, but Dr Apichart said BIDI's personnel have been buoyed by public support throughout the crisis.
Every day, BIDI's staff had delicious food to eat as people donated everything from hot noodle soup, seasonal fruit, imported snacks, and even fancy pastries and bread, he said.
When face masks were in short supply in February, Dr Apichart said the hospital received donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) for its staff, as well as financial contributions to the hospital.
"We've had to shoulder a heavy workload. But it didn't feel like we were working alone," he said.
household name
The institute has become somewhat of a household name since Covid-19 was first reported in Thailand in early January. Since then, the Ministry of Public Health has relied on the 60-year-old hospital to treat serious cases.
Located in Nonthaburi province, this state hospital has been long renowned for spearheading treatments for emerging infectious diseases -- the hospital is said to have treated Thailand's first HIV+ patient.
As such, patients who tested positive for emerging communicable diseases in Thailand -- including severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) and Ebola -- have been sent to BIDI for treatments.
Dr Apichart said the hospital admitted Thailand's first case -- a female tourist from China -- on Jan 8.
"So far, BIDI has treated 214 out of over 3,000 Covid-19 patients in Thailand," he said.
To date, the hospital has reported four deaths -- including a 70-year-old man who was admitted after he contracted Covid-19 at a boxing stadium event.
The average patient age was 41 years old and 60% of the patients were male.
Most patients stayed for two weeks, although some had to stay longer.
The hospital held the distinction of treating the country's youngest and eldest Covid-19 patients -- a one-month-old toddler and an 83-year-old.
As of now, Dr Apichart said, there is only one Covid-19 patient left at BIDI.
"That patient has been treated and will be checking out very soon," he said.