A Thai returnee from Myanmar who was not in quarantine was among five new cases of novel coronavirus infection reported on Saturday, raising the total to 3,902.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has yet to explain why the 29-year-old woman, who returned from Myanmar on Tuesday, had not been isolated upon arrival for 14 days as required.
She tested positive on Thursday with a fever and a headache. Since Monday, she has lost the sense of smell and is being treated at Nakornping Hospital in Chiang Mai.
The centre reported that Chiang Mai governor Charoenrit Sa-nguansat had held a meeting with provincial health officials on Saturday and ordered the clean-up of risk areas in Muang district.
The four other cases on Saturday were from India (2), the Philippines (1) and Sweden (1).
From India, a 27-year-old Indian housewife arrived on Nov 11 on the same flight as that of four previously confirmed cases. She stayed at an alternative quarantine facility in Bangkok. On Monday, she tested positive with no symptoms. The other case from India was a 31-year-old Indian software engineer who arrived on Nov 14 on a transit flight from the United Arab Emirates. Five days later, he tested positive with no symptoms.
The third case was from the Philippines. A 24-year-old Thai company employee arrived on Nov 20 on a transit flight from Hong Kong. He tested positive on Wednesday with a runny nose.
The case from Sweden was a 44-year-old Thai who works as restaurant employee. He had a record of being infected on Oct 19 and later recovered. He arrived in Thailand on Thursday and tested positive upon arrival with a cough.
Of the 3,966 cases in Thailand to date, 95.8% have recovered, including eight discharged from hospitals over the past 24 hours, and 108 people remain in hospitals. The death toll remains at 60.
The centre also on Saturday said the Public Health Ministry had collaborated with Agoda, am online travel agency and search engine, in launching an online booking service for alternative state quarantine packages in Thailand to facilitate returnees and foreigners allowed to enter the country.
Also on Saturday, the centre said health authorities in Kanchanaburi province had relaxed rules on border shipments of goods, commodities, animals, farm goods and other daily life products, except tobacco and alcohol. Traders can now ship the products on Wednesday and Thursday of the second and fourth weeks of the month at the Three Pagodas pass in Sangkhla Buri district.
Global Covid-19 cases soared by 612,825 over the previous 24 hours to 61.98 million. The worldwide death toll soared by 10,814 to 1.44 million. The US had the most cases at 13.45 million, up by 164,012, followed by India with 9.35 million, up by 41,354. Thailand ranked 151st.
