Another Student Confirmed With COVID-19 / 8.4.2020
Source: Vientiane Times
A 20-year-old Lao female student who returned home from England has been confirmed as infected with COVID-19, taking the total number of cases to 15 nationally, authorities said on April 8.
The woman is a resident of Chommany village in Xaysettha district, Vientiane and was studying in the UK, the Standing Deputy Head of the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Associate Prof. Dr Phouthone Muongpak, told the daily news briefing on Wednesday evening.
The woman was among 36 suspected cases tested on April 7. These included 28 people from Vientiane, along with one each from Champassak, Bokeo, Xaysomboun, Luang Namtha, Xayaboury, Savannakhet, Khammuan and Oudomxay provinces.
The new infected cases flew out of the UK on March 22. She arrived at Wattay International Airport in Vientiane on March 23, via Suvarnabhumi Airport on Thai Airways flight TG 574. This was the same flight as the 11th case (a 55-year-old citizen of Papua New Guinea who is an employee of Phu Bia Mining Limited) and the 12th case (a 20-year-old woman from Naxay village in Xaysettha district who also travelled from England).
After arriving at Wattay Airport, the additional confirmed COVID-19 case went into self-quarantine for 14 days along with the 12th confirmed case in a garden house from March 24 and did not visit her own home in Chommany village.
On April 5, the latest victim started having neck pains, headache and breathing difficulties, and went to get tested at Mittaphab Hospital but returned a negative result.
On April 6, the victim developed flu-like symptoms with a high fever. On April 7, she returned to the hospital and tested positive for the coronavirus.
Authorities have confirmed the infected two Lao students and Papua New Guinea citizen were on the same Thai Airways flight TG 574 from Bangkok to Vientiane on March 23.
Currently, 12 COVID-19 patients are being treated at the 150-Bed Hospital, also known as Mittaphab Hospital, with another three patients receiving treatment at Luang Prabang Provincial Hospital.
From January to April 6, some 781 people have been tested, and 15 were found to be infected.
As of April 8, the coronavirus has spread to 209 countries and territories with more than 1,424,341 confirmed cases around the world. The virus has claimed 81,896 lives. More than 301,770 people have recovered.
