The Government of Thailand announced yesterday a series of measures to integrate information and to coordinate the response of separate government ministries in responding to the COVID-19 outbreak as it reaches Thailand.
The World Health Organization Representative to Thailand, Dr. Daniel Kertesz, welcomed the attention taken by the Government to the threat of COVID-19 adding:
“In addition to these measures, it is critical to remain focused on an aggressive and effective public health response to contain the virus and stop it from spreading. This must include: increasing surveillance and testing to determine the extent of the epidemic and to detect cases as quickly as possible; isolating cases quickly to prevent spread of the virus; treating patients effectively while protecting health care workers; and identifying contacts and tracing them every day for 14 days.”
“Doing this now may slow the epidemic down to allow Thailand’s health systems time to prepare and ease the burden on health services,” continued Dr. Kertesz.
WHO stands ready to assist the Government of Thailand as it increases its response to the COVID-19 virus, reiterated the WHO Representative.
WHO recommends that individuals protect themselves and their families from COVID-19 or any other infectious disease by following four basic steps:
- Regular, frequent hand-washing with soap and water, or alcohol-based hand-rub
- Sneezing/coughing into elbow, sleeve or tissue
- Avoid touching eyes, nose, mouth
- Attempting to maintain at least 1 metre distance from others, especially those who are coughing or sneezing.