COVID-19 Samitivej Hospitals Contact Point Information

Dear all,

Samitivej Hospitals has received the information from Ministry of Health regarding COVID-19 and we thought this might be useful for the school community.

Ministry of Public Health recommends that schools and universities in Thailand should not require their students and staff to obtain medical certificate and COVID-19 testing result from clinics or hospitals. This is based on the facts that 1) Viral detection rate in the recently infected patient during the asymptomatic phase is very low, and the negative test result cannot be used to confirm that the patient is not infected with COVID-19 (known as a false negative), and 2) Unnecessary visits may impose the risk of hospital-acquired infection or introducing pathogens to the sick patients at the health care facility.

Department of Disease Control’s Recommendations for schools and universities with students and staff with a history of recent travel to the COVID-19-affected area.

1. Self-imposed home-isolation for 14 days for students and staff with a history of recent travel to the COVID-19-affected area
2. Daily health screening including thermal check and inspection of respiratory tract symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, and runny nose
3. For students and staff under home-isolation, guidelines should include daily report on signs and symptoms, limited exposure to the public or crowded places, limited use of shared items, meals, and public transport. If the students or staff show signs and symptoms of fever or respiratory tract infection, they should prevent disease spreading by wearing a surgical mask and seek medical care or call the DDC Hotline 1422 immediately.
4. Schools and universities should assign a health education teacher or staff to coordinate with public health government officer in the area
5. Schools and universities must provide enough places for hand hygiene, including soap and water, and alcohol-based hand rub for students and staff.

These recommendations have been endorsed by the Ministry of Education and have been distributed to schools and universities in the country today.

Related announcement by Ministry of Education.

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30382687

If you have any questions or concerns regarding COVID-19 or the Screening Test details, please contact our contact point as per information below.