Bangkok City Hall is providing proactive COVID-19 testing for residents of Khlong Toei communities, as these densely populated communities are at risk of becoming a new hotspot for COVID-19 cases.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has launched a proactive testing operation for residents of communities in Khlong Toei district, with several testing sites providing swab tests to people in these densely populated communities.
On May 4, The Governor of Bangkok, Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang visited testing sites at Bon Kai Happy Center and Khlong Toei Market, where royally bestowed mobile biosafety units have been deployed to swab test up to 1,000 people per site.
Two more temporary testing sites will be opened on May 5, bringing the total number of proactive testing sites in Khlong Toei to four.
City Hall expects to complete this operation in 1-2 weeks, with around 20,000 tests to be performed by May 19, out of the communities’ total population of up to 90,000 people. The mobile testing sites can provide test results on the day after the swab.
The city plans to prescribe Favipiravir, an antiviral drug for influenza now being used to treat COVID-19 cases in Thailand, as early treatment of people testing positive, limits the virus’ progression into the lungs, before arranging their transfer to a general hospital or field hospital based on their symptoms.
People testing negative will be offered COVID-19 vaccine, with vaccination sites now open at Tesco Lotus Rama IV supermarket, and Khlong Toei Wittaya School.
The BMA has assured the medical profession that it has a sufficient supply of Favipiravir and COVID-19 vaccine available for the people. (NNT)
