Spraying disinfectant to prevent the spread of coronavirus in Bangkok (Photo:VNA) Bangkok (VNA) - Military hospitals and field hospitals run by the military of Thailand have been told to prepare to take in Covid-19 patients as the number of infections in Thailand continues to rise, local media reported.
Defence Ministry spokesman Kongcheep Tantravanich said on March 29 that Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the armed forces to open up their hospitals to help stave off a shortage of beds for coronavirus patients.
As such, all military-run hospitals will admit Covid-19 patients if state-run healthcare facilities run out of beds, Lt Gen Kongcheep said was quoted as saying by the English-language Bangkok Post newspaper.
Military personnel are also assisting public health authorities organise health checks for Thai expats who had recently arrived from abroad at airports, seaports and land border checkpoints across the country, he said.
In an effort to curb local transmission, soldiers have been ordered to take part in a routine cleaning campaign to reduce the risk of contracting the virus at public areas across the country. Military personnel are also producing washable, fabric face masks, which are distributed to communities where masks are in short supply.
Meanwhile, Chulalongkorn University’s Covid-19 Emergency Operation Centre debuted a Covid-19 strip test on March 29 to ease the workload of the country's overworked medical personnel.
Centre chief Narin Hiransuthikul said the team at the university's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences has conducted more than 100 trials of the test, which has a 95 percent accuracy.
He said there are currently enough strips to test 50 university employees and 50 members of the public each day. Those wishing to register must register online.
Thailand recorded 136 new infection cases and two deaths on March 30, raising the total number of Covid-19 cases to 1,524 and and death toll to./.
VNA
