7,000 Factory Workers Have Tested Covid-19 Positive in Thailand

Health officials in Thailand report that out of 100,000 covid-19 tests conducted on factory workers about 7,000 tested positive. Dr. Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, announced the figures on Wednesday.

Most of the covid-19 tested workers were at nine big factories. Four of which each had 10,000 or more employees. He said 26-27% of workers at the factories tested positive for Covid-19.

Officials were also isolating factory workers in good health from the general population. Above all to ensure the disease was contained within their workplaces, he said.

They were waiting for these well workers to develop herd immunity, because they might get mild levels of infection from their ill colleagues, Dr Taweesilp said.

Once there was herd immunity, business and other activities could resume in the province, he said.

Samut Sakhon province was the epicentre of the second wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, believed to have begun at the central shrimp market in December.

Since the beginning of the new Covid-19 wave, Samut Sakhon has recorded 15,186 Covid-19 cases, or 80.49% of total cases since mid-December.

Woman dies from Covid-19 complications

Meanwhile, on Wednesday Dr. Taweesilp reported one new Covid-19 death, raising the toll to 80, and 157 new cases – 144 local infections and 13 imported – bringing the total to 23,903.

Dr Taweesilp said the latest death was a Thai woman, 65, who had suffered from laryngeal cancer, terminal renal failure and high cholesterol.

She had been in close contact with an infected family member who came from Samut Sakhon. Five of eight immediate family members were confirmed with Covid-19.

Bangkok logged eight new cases in a staff dormitory at Chulalongkorn University

The 13 imported cases included eight quarantined arrivals – from India (1), the Philippines (1), Japan (1), the United States (2), Kuwait (1), Argentina (1) and Malaysia (1).

The five other arrivals were ship crew from Indonesia, who were repatriated right away the spokesman said.

Of the 23,903 total cases, 18,914 recovered including 548 discharged over the past 24 hours and 4,909 were receiving treatment.

Global Covid-19 cases rose by 377,975 in 24 hours to 107.39 million. The worldwide death toll went up by 13,005 to 2.35 million. The US had the most cases at 27.79 million, up 95,542.