PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: The 57-year-old arrived in the early hours of Sunday morning on a flight from Islamabad. He was issued a medical certificate from a hospital there dated March 26th which specified that he was free from the Covid 19 virus. 19 students on the flight were subsequently quarantined but Mr Anan Soho’s temperature on arrival was found to be normal. On Friday, Thailand recorded 4 more deaths from the virus with 103 new infections. Most who died were elderly.
Thailand’s Immigration Bureau has tracked down all immigration officers involved in the screening of a Thai man who returned from Pakistan on a flight into Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sunday. Details of the case were presented on Friday by Immigration Bureau Chief Lieutenant General Sompong Chingduang. The 57-year-old man subsequently died on the No 37 train from Bang Sue to Su-ngai Kolok on Monday night shortly after being urged by railway personnel to disembark after his obvious ill health caused them to test the man at Hua Hin Station en route.
The 57-year-old Thai man who died on a southbound train at Thap Sakae railway station in Prachuap Khiri Khan on Monday night flew into Thailand from Islamabad in Pakistan after being issued with a fit to fly letter from a hospital in Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan dated March 26th.
The man, named as Anan Soho, arrived in Thailand on Sunday, March 29th at 5.50 am on flight TG 350 and cleared screening at Suvarnabhumi Airport even though he later requested a wheelchair at the terminal.
The flight to Thailand had 279 other passengers, many of them students returning to the kingdom.
13 students may have interacted with the man
The Head of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau Police Lieutenant General Sompong Chingduang presented details of the case on Friday.
Six immigration officers at Suvarnabhumi Airport are being kept under observation as they have been identified as being involved in the clearance of Mr Anan on his arrival last Monday.
13 students returning on the plane are also thought to have had contact with the man.
Railway personnel placed in quarantine
Earlier, the State Railway of Thailand confirmed that 11 of its staff including those on the train and platform personnel have been ordered into 14 days quarantine after they may have also been in contact with the ill-fated train passenger.
Mr Anan visited Bang Sue Central Station twice, once on Sunday morning and later on Monday afternoon when he boarded his train.
Students ferried to hospital and quarantined as they had temperatures in excess of 37.5 degrees
Today, a spokesman for the Immigration Bureau disclosed that 13 students on the flight that arrived early last Monday morning had temperatures exceeding 37.5 degrees and were ferried to a hospital to be held in quarantine.
These details were given by Police Major General Suraphong Chaichan, the Deputy Head of the Immigration Bureau.
57 year requested a wheelchair while waiting for his luggage at Suvarnabhumi and was wheeled to a taxi
Mr Anan passed the screening but requested a wheelchair while waiting for his baggage due to the extended queue.
The Deputy Director of Airport Operations at Suvarnabhumi Airport revealed that the passenger was limping as he waited for his baggage.
He was later wheeled across the terminal by an airport official. He then hired a taxi and left for central Bangkok sometime after 6 am.
Today, officials revealed that the worker involved and the taxi driver which took Mr Anan from the airport have been tested for the Covid 19 virus and results are expected shortly
State Railway Director shows footage of the man coughing near a passenger at Bang Sue
The Director of the State Railway of Thailand, Thakun Intharachom, later revealed that CCTV footage at Bang Sue central station on Sunday morning after 10.27 am showed Mr Anan engaged in a coughing fit in the proximity of another passenger.
The railway executive indicated that it appeared that Mr Anan had coughed on the passenger but later the man in the video contacted the state transport company to dispute this.
Nevertheless, he has been asked to quarantine himself as he is at risk of developing the infection.
Stayed in a Muslim hotel in Bangkapi on Sunday night
Mr Anan was at the railway station to book his ticket on the train for Monday when he was captured on the security footage.
The man was seen on footage to be in a physically compromised position and appeared to have difficulty in walking and standing up for long periods of time.
He then left by taxi and headed to a Muslim hotel on Soi Ramkhanaeng 59 in Bangkapi. He stayed at the hotel overnight before setting off on his final journey on Monday afternoon.
Boarded train south at 3.34 pm on Monday
He boarded the Bang Sue to Su-ngai Kolok No 37 train at 3.34 pm and occupied seat no 28 as the train departed.
By the time the train reached Bang Pong station in Ratchaburi, he had begun to cough and display symptoms.
At Hua Hin Station in Prachuap Khiri Khan, he was examined and staff found his temperature to be 36 degrees.
Advised by staff and railway police at Hua Hin station to disembark but declined, found dead later
He was advised at that point, to delay his journey, disembark and seek medical attention by very concerned train staff who called in the railway police and trained staff to screen the passenger.
The staff member that tested the man’s temperature had a hazmat suit while railway police observed.
The screening of the man on the train was also reported to be limited by the necessity for the train to keep its timetable. It is understood that the operation took just three minutes.
Staff at the scene were noticeably aware of the man’s poor health and weak physical condition according to later reports.
His body was found near the restroom at 10.15 pm by passengers as the train arrived at Thap Sakae station.
Doctors later confirmed that the man had died from a diabetes-related condition and other diseases while also advising that he had tested positive for the Covid 19 virus.
Thailand announced the largest number of deaths so far at four on Friday, most of them elderly people
On Friday, Thailand announced its highest number of deaths for the Covid 19 disease so far with 4 fatalities and 103 new infections.
One of those who died was a 59-year old employee of the State Railway of Thailand who had no underlying conditions. The man fell ill on March 16th last with a fever and his condition became critical on March 31st.
Two of the fatalities were elderly Thai men, both 84 years of age who had attended the Rajadamnern boxing stadium in Bangkok.
One fell ill on March 18th and was admitted to hospital on March 21st with 39-degree fever and other symptoms. He died on Thursday.
The other man suffered from kidney disease, hypertension and gout. He was admitted to hospital on March 26th and died also on the same day.
The 19th victim was a 72-year old man who contracted the disease from one of his children who was at the same boxing stadium.
He had a kidney condition and fell ill on March 16th. He passed away on Wednesday.
A spokesman for the Covid 19 centre urges Thai people not to greet parents and elders this year
Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin of the Covid 19 centre gave Friday’s briefing and used the occasion to urge all children not to greet elderly parents as usual during this emergency despite Thai tradition and culture at this time of year for Songkran.
He also identified that many of those infected are between 20 and 29 years of age because they tend to have busy and active social lives.
From today’s briefing, it also seems that the number of infections appears to have swung back towards Bangkok which now accounts for 53% or the majority of cases again in the kingdom. Approximately 10% of those infected are foreigners but this number is declining.
Further reading:
Man returning from Pakistan dies with Covid 19 virus condition on overnight train heading South
Emergency could be extended as more people present themselves at hospitals due to the virus
No need for further measures in Bangkok says Covid 19 centre spokesman as provinces take steps
Monday’s figures include 2 more virus deaths as emergency Covid team calls for fewer commuters
