One thousand four hundred and six members of the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya staff were tested for the Covid-19 virus by the Regional Medical Sciences Center 6 Chonburi at the end of January. Patients in the community remembered phase 1 of the pandemic in 2020 which produced the erection of field hospitals in the hospital grounds, so it was obvious that the hospital had been taking the Covid-19 seriously.
The hospital also found some people believed that the hospital must then be harboring the virus and not informing others. Fortunately, nothing could have been further from the truth.
So just how many of the 1,406 staff showed they were carrying the virus? Zero! That is correct, a big fat zero.
So what does that show? It shows that by active surveillance the staff have been adhering to the rules instituted by management, such as screening for Covid-19 before entering the hospital building and that was for all patients as well as every staff member. The chairs have been set to 1.5 meters apart (social distancing). Masks must be worn in the hospital at all times. Hand sanitizing stations are placed throughout the hospital.
Standing items are sanitized regularly by the cleaning team. Staff with potential exposure to the virus are supplied with personal protective equipment (PPE) and hospital levels of medications and equipment are kept high. Short rapid lockdowns have been instituted where required. Travelers coming into Thailand are kept in quarantine for two weeks.
The next step in the Covid-19 saga is immunization of the population. Research laboratories have been working round the clock to produce vaccines that will produce an immune response and allow the world to return to another “normal” situation. In the meantime, final testing is being done on the vaccines so we know exactly what the immune response will be. One jab or two?
