Australian who died after contracting Covid 19 on Tuesday suffered from asthma. He lived and worked as a hotel manager in the Khao Lak area of Phang Nga, on the Andaman sea. Officials in Phuket have linked him with a 56-year-old Thai woman working in Phuket who was also diagnosed with Covid 19 on March 14th.
A 69-year-old Australian hotel manager who lived and worked in Phang Nga province died on Tuesday from the Covid 19 virus at a hospital in Phuket. He had visited the province on March 19th and came down with the disease some days later.
A 69-year-old Australian man became Thailand’s 55th casualty from the Covid 19 infection as officials on Wednesday announced one new infection and the death of the expat who worked in the province of Phang Nga as a hotel manager.
A 27-year-old Thai woman, working as a masseuse in Russia, was confirmed as suffering from the disease after being recorded with a high temperature and shortness of breath following her return on Sunday on a repatriation flight from the eastern European country.
The woman was transferred to a hotel in Samut Prakan to be held in quarantine. The government spokesperson pointed to this on Wednesday as evidence of the effectiveness of Thailand’s strict policies.
Australian who died had asthma
It is understood that the Australian suffered from asthma and became ill from the virus on a visit to Phuket on March 24th last.
He began to suffer from fatigue, coughing and shortness of breath. This led to him visiting a clinic where he was found to have a fever with low blood oxygen saturation levels.
Details provided by Covid 19 centre in Bangkok and authorities in Phuket on Australian’s case
Details were provided by Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Wednesday as well as local authorities in Phuket. The man has not been named.
He visited Phuket on March 19th and is understood to have lived in the Khao Lak district of Phang Nga province, a scenic area popular with tourists.
69 year old showed symptoms of exhaustion
The 69-year-old was admitted to a hospital in Phuket.
Tests conducted at the medical facility showed that he was suffering already from severe pneumonia and the Covid 19 virus. The man also showed symptoms of exhaustion. Confirmation of his Covid 19 status came on March 28th.
He was placed on a ventilator at the facility but later developed renal complications. He died on Tuesday, May 5th.
Phuket Covid 19 centre traced the man’s activities, he had not been abroad prior to his illness
Phuket officials have been tracking the activities of the man before his sickness. They have found that he had not travelled abroad within 14 days and that he was living continuously in Thailand.
The man has been linked to a 56-year-old Thai woman who worked as an accountant at a hotel in Nai Harn in Phuket.
Woman linked with the man diagnosed on March 14th
The woman was confirmed as suffering from the virus on March 14th before the Australian visited Phuket. She had a history of extensive contact with foreign tourists.
This led officials to identify 12 people who had high-risk exposure to the woman.
27-year-old teacher daughter of the woman confirmed as infected on April 4th in Phuket
The woman’s daughter, a 27-year-old Chinese language teacher, who worked extensively and interacted with foreigners and tourists was also diagnosed with the Covid 19 virus on April 4th but officials determined that no person had high-risk exposure to her.
There is no news yet on the current medical condition of the woman and daughter in this case.
Phuket hardest hit by Covid 19
Phuket has been the province in Thailand hardest hit with this virus in terms of infection rate. The province has had 220 infections and seen 3 deaths with 36 people still being treated for the disease.
That means nearly 21% of people being treated right now for Covid 19 in Thai hospitals are in Phuket while the province only accounts for 0.6% of Thailand’s population.
Many of those diagnosed in Phuket have been non-nationals and the experience on the resort island is a positive testimony to the care given to foreigners throughout the kingdom during this emergency.
Thursday, however, marks the fourth day a new case of the virus has not been detected in the small province which has also been subjected to the most stringent and invasive lockdown measures which are being gradually lifted.
Further reading:
‘New normal’ life and economy could be here for 9 months warns Thai Prime Minister on Tuesday
Top Thai executives roll out plans but ultimately ‘herd immunity’ may be the basis for recovery
Government to control rollback of lockdown measures to reopen all businesses from May until July
Some shops and outlets to reopen in Bangkok but measures to be reimposed if infection rate rises
