Officials say mass testing and isolating in next 2 weeks could flatten Covid-19 curve | “What we gathered from launching the tests shows the transmission in Bangkok remains a serious concern. It tells us there are still many people sick with Covid-19 and who have no access to testing. We need to press on with mass testing.” The Thaiger

Officials say mass testing and isolating in next 2 weeks could flatten Covid-19 curve

By 

Maya Taylor

Thursday, August 12, 2021 09:43

Health officials are hopeful that mass testing and isolating over the next 2 weeks could bring down Covid-19 infections in Bangkok. Dr Yongyot Thammawut from the Public Health Ministry says 41 teams of 400 doctors and other healthcare workers have been carrying out mass testing in the capital and other central provinces since the start of the month.

Yongyot says the Comprehensive Covid-19 Response teams who carried out the testing did so across 100 communities, including condominiums and crowded locations, in areas with high infection rates.

"What we gathered from launching the tests shows the transmission in Bangkok remains a serious concern. It tells us there are still many people sick with Covid-19 and who have no access to testing. We need to press on with mass testing."

According to a Bangkok Post report, out of 141,516 people who were tested using antigen test kits, 15,588 were found to be infected, but this number dropped to 15,074 when PCR tests were used. 69% of those who tested positive were asymptomatic or showed only minor symptoms, while 4,427 had moderate symptoms. 323 patients had severe symptoms.

Yongyot believes that if mass testing and isolating can continue in the capital over the next 2 weeks, the Covid-19 curve could begin to flatten. Patients will be taken for treatment and isolated from others, thereby reducing the spread of the virus and potential fatalities.

Today, Thailand reported another 22,782 new infections and 147 deaths.