Thai Health Officials in Krabi Say Over 100 People on Coronavirus Watch

The Thai Public Health Office has reported its monitoring more than 100 people suspected of carrying the Wuhan coronavirus. Furthermore five of them must get additional blood tests, Wittaya Watthanuengkowit, Thai health said.

Currently, they are monitoring over 100 patients who from China; 10 per cent of them were Thai people,” Thai health said. These people had fever or other symptoms and were treated in several hospitals in Krabi province.

Presently, they have been allowed to stay in hotels, under close monitoring of the hotels’ management and medical teams. Five patients must go through more tests. Furthermore the province has quarantined them in the hospitals, while awaiting their blood test results.

“This time we have ordered all hospitals to provide more than 100 rooms to exclusively monitor suspected cases of infections in the future,” a Thai health doctor said. The 100-plus tourists from China will be monitored for another 14 days,” he added.

Thai Health Using Anti-flu and anti-aids drug combo

Meanwhile, Thai health Doctors have confirmed a combination of flu and anti-aids drugs commonly used to HIV is effective in treating patients who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The finding was confirmed by two doctors from Rajavithi Hospital, Kriangsak Atipornwanich and Assoc Prof Subsai Kongsangdao, at a media briefing in Bangkok on Sunday.

The use was declared a success after being used on a woman from Wuhan, China who displayed severe symptoms. The woman showed signs of improvement within 48 hours after the drug cocktail was administered.

The 70-year-old tourist was first admitted to Hua Hin Hospital in Prachuap Khiri Khan. She was transferred to Rajavithi Hospital on Jan 29.

 

Even more finding the patient tested positive for the novel coronavirus, doctors decided to administer oseltamivir, an anti-flu drug used to treat the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers). In addition they used lopinavir and ritonavir — anti-aids drugs commonly prescribed to HIV-positive patients.

Dr Kriangsak said Chinese health authorities have already started using the combination to treat coronavirus patients. “We checked and found that Mers patients were effectively treated with flu medications. Furthermore we added the anti-retrovirals with great results.

“After 10 days of positive readings, the test finally came back negative 48 hours after administering the medications. The treatment, as well as the recovery, is fast,” he said.