A number of hospitals in several provinces have stopped providing services to patients after many of their personnel contracted Covid-19.
This latest move has left many people wondering just exactly what is the point of a hospital then?
It is worth reminding ourselves that this is all for a virus test with a 98% chance of being wrong for a virus with a 99.6% survival rate.
Or, at least, did have until the hospitals started closing down and people were unable to find treatment.
Ruam Phaet Chai Nat Hospital in Chai Nat closed yesterday after a hospital employee was infected. The hospital has been thoroughly cleaned and will reopen on May 12. High-risk employees have been quarantined.
The infected employee, 44, contracted the virus from an infected person in Ta Khli district in Nakhon Sawan. He is the 30th and latest case of Covid-19 in Chai Nat.
In Trang, Ratsada Hospital reported six infected hospital personnel, with 12 others waiting for their test results.
The hospital and Ratsada Public Health Office were declared maximum-control areas. Most of the infected personnel are not in patient-facing roles.
As of yesterday, the hospital closed all departments, except emergency care, in order to test the rest of its personnel and sanitise the premises.
Trang has reported a total number of 96 Covid-19 cases.
In Phangnga, an accident and emergency room staff member of Takua Pa Hospital contracted Covid-19. Twenty-two people, including his colleagues and family members, tested negative for the virus.
The hospital closed its accident and emergency room temporarily for deep cleaning on Tuesday. It will reopen again tomorrow.
Sam Pran Hospital announced it was closing its operating room for 14 days, from Tuesday until May 10 after an operating room employee contracted the virus. Forty medical workers who had been in contact with the infected person have gone into quarantine.
In Lampang, 26 staff members of Maetha Hospital who were at risk of contracting Covid-19 tested negative but one tested positive.
The staff will work from home for 14 days. The infected person contracted the virus from another infected person who had visited the hospital.
Khon Kaen Hospital earlier this month ordered 105 medical staff to quarantine immediately. The hospital was forced to stop receiving patient referrals and to temporarily close two medical wards and one paediatric ward.
Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in Bangkok announced it would stop receiving new Covid cases until tomorrow after staff came into contact with infected patients.
