Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

French woman in Thailand may have acquired virus locally

Health officials in Thailand say a French woman on the resort island of Samui has tested positive for the coronavirus and probably acquired it after arriving in Thailand in what could be one of few cases of local transmission

Via AP news wire
Friday 23 October 2020 06:44 EDT
Virus Outbreak Thailand
Virus Outbreak Thailand

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A French woman on the Thai resort island of Samui has tested positive for the coronavirus and probably acquired it after arriving in Thailand in what could be one of few cases of local transmission, health officials said Friday.

The finding was announced the same week that Thailand began allowing some tourists to enter again after banning all commercial flights since early April. On Tuesday, 39 tourists from Shanghai flew into Bangkok under a special tourist visa program that allows in a limited number of visitors under tight restrictions, including a 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

The 57-year-old woman arrived in Bangkok with her husband and son on Sept. 30, and all three underwent the mandatory 14-day quarantine, during which they tested negative twice for the disease, said Dr. Sophon Iamsirithaworn, director of the Bureau of General Communicable Diseases

The family flew on Oct. 15 to Samui, where they maintain a residence. The woman went to a hospital on Tuesday after experiencing coronavirus symptoms, and on Wednesday tested positive. Her family has been quarantined again but a new test gave negative results for them.

Also under quarantine were passengers and crew of the flight they took to Samui and 40 workers at the quarantine facility in Bangkok. Those test results are pending.

Thailand has had few cases of local transmission over the past several months. Almost all have been found in Thais or foreign residents returning from abroad.

Earlier this week, the Health Ministry announced that five people in the town of Mae Sot, on the border with Myanmar, tested positive. The five, none of whom exhibited symptoms, were the first locally transmitted cases confirmed in Thailand since early September, when a prison inmate in the Bangkok area tested positive.

All five of the Mae Sot cases are members of a family of Myanmar nationals residing in Thailand. Myanmar has had a serious outbreak that began in August, causing Thai authorities to tighten controls along the border.

Thai health officials on Friday announced eight new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 3,727, including 59 deaths.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in