Thailand Ministry of Health reports 26,615 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 40 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 14,641 recovered patients.
Thailand has had a total of 2,844,897 cases since the pandemic began. A total of 2,621,004 has recovered and the country logged a total of 22,852 deaths. There are 201,041 active cases and 687 are on a critical status.
As part of attempts to declare the virus endemic within the next four months, the Public Health Ministry will enable hospitals to treat Covid-19 patients as outpatients. The outpatient plan for persons infected with Covid-19, according to Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, is set to start on March 1.
People suspected of being infected will be tested using an antigen test kit (ATK), and if the results are positive, doctors may consider giving favipiravir or fah talai jone, as well as other drugs, based on their symptoms. According to him, the proposed outpatient service is part of the ministry’s goal to downgrade Covid-19 to a self-care illness.
Several Covid-19 patients are receiving therapy at home in Chiang Mai and Phuket, according to Dr. Kiatiphum, and Siriraj Hospital is creating a similar scheme in which individuals with minor symptoms will be isolated at home.
He also stated that, based on their doctors’ assessments, at-risk populations can be treated as outpatients.
Somsak Akkasilp, director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said the ministry is in negotiations with three medical societies about developing standards for medical treatment for Covid-19 outpatients.
He said that the decision was made in accordance with Thai Paediatric Society recommendations for the care of young Covid-19 patients, which provide that children under the age of 15 can be treated as outpatients.
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