Covid-19-infected Samut Sakhon governor Verasak Vichitsangsri has relapsed with a bacterial lung infection and brain damage, according to Dean of Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Prasit Watanapa.
Dr Prasit announced yesterday the governor was in critical condition again and that the hospital needed to assess his condition every hour.
The governor was given new antibacterial drugs to fight his infection, he said.
Dr Prasit said the 58-year-old governor had been cleared of Covid-19 after he tested negative twice but the virus and bacteria had damaged his lungs.
Mr Verasak was confirmed to have Covid-19 on Dec 28 last year, about a week after the province saw a strong resurgence of Covid-19, mostly among the large community of migrant workers but later spreading to other provinces.
He was admitted to Samut Sakhon Hospital with symptoms of a sore throat and cough and was transferred to Siriraj Hospital after being diagnosed with lung inflammation.
The hospital would closely monitor the governor's conditions for another 72 hours to see if he would respond to the new medications, Dr Prasit added.
Dr Prasit admitted the condition had an impact on the governor's brain as he had a pre-existing cerebrovascular disease.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed the Prime Minister's Office to contact the Public Health Ministry to perform Covid-19 swab tests for members of the media working at Government House yesterday.
Natthriya Thaweevong, director of the Government Spokesman Bureau, said Covid-19 testing for the press was a proactive measure to prevent the pandemic. Results will be known today.
Six Government House officials tested positive for Covid-19 in late December last year. They were later given swab tests to confirm whether they indeed had the virus. The Government Spokesman Bureau said the second tests showed the original rapid results test had returned false positives.