The Department of Disease Control has formed a team of “60 super riders" to deliver capsules of green chiretta and other essentials to people with Covid-19 in home isolation in Bangkok.
The motocyclists deliver "home islation kits" containing paracetamol, green chireta herbal capsules, or fa talai jone, a digital thermometer, a fingertip pulse oximeter, hand sanitiser and surgical masks.
Director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said on Thursday the department had taken urgent measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 across the country, searching out infected people and those they came into contact with and bringing them into the medical treatment system.
This would reduce the spread of the disease, the number of new patients and loss of lives
The department was working closely with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. Disease control offices 1-12 also had been instructed to coordinate with provincial public health offices and other agencies in curbing the epidemic, the department chief said.
Screening points had been set up in Bangkok at Thupatemi Sports Stadium, Rajamangala National Stadium and the Royal Thai Army Club where at-risk people could be tested for Covid-19 by staff using antigen kits. About 4,000 people were tested each day at each venue.
Those who tested positive had the result confirmed via RT-PCR Mobile Covid-19 testing vehicles. Mobile X-ray vehicles were also sent to the screening points.
People who were positive but were asymptomatic or showed mild symptoms could receive treatment at their homes, but they had to register with authorities and self-quarantine for 14 days until they recovered, Dr Opas said.
The department had set up a team of ‘’60 super riders" to deliver boxes of medicines to people in home quarantine. Each box contained paracetamol, green chireta capsules, a digital thermometer, an oxygen pulse fingertip oximeter, hand sanitizer and surgical masks.
These home isolation kits had already been delivered to more than 100 patients in Bangkok and more would follow.
The department had also arranged 12-15 comprehensive Covid-19 response teams to work with the BMTA and other agencies to find at-risk people living in communities in 50 districts of Bangkok.
Each team had Covid-19 antigen kits and could test 1,000 people a day. They also administered Covid-19 vaccine shots to vulnerable people, such as bed-ridden patients, Dr Opas said.
The teams also assessed Covid-19 control measures in at-risk areas like construction workers’ camps and markets, and woud educate people on coronavirus prevention.
A "super rider" on a run to deliver medicines and other essentials to Covid-19 infected people in Bangkok. (Photo: Department of Disease Control)