BANGKOK, Sept 19 (NNN-BERNAMA) — A 54-year-old Thai man who returned from Saudi Arabia earlier this month died of COVID-19 today, the first death recorded in the country in more than 100 days.
The man who had served as an interpreter at the Labour Ministry in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, arrived in Bangkok on Sept 1 and received treatment at a hospital in Bangkok upon arrival.
He died at the hospital at noon today, bringing the death toll due to COVID-19 in the country to 59.
Medical Services Department director-general Dr Somsak Akksilp said that the man was infected with COVID-19 in July and he was admitted to King Fahad Medical City Hospital in Riyadh for treatment.
He said that the patient showed symptoms of pneumonia and had been given respiratory assistance since Aug 10.
His family members then requested for him to be flown home and he tested negative for COVID-19 prior to departure.
Dr Somsak said the patient had been treated at a hospital in Bangkok and his condition had deteriorated.
“The patient had a history of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. The effects of COVID-19 infections worsened his condition and lead to blood infection and multiple organ failures. An x-ray showed his lungs were damaged.
“The patient was asymptomatic when he was transferred to the hospital in Bangkok. However, we cannot deny that he died of COVID-19,” he told a press conference.
To date, Thailand has reported 3,497 COVID-19 cases with 59 fatalities.
–NNN-BERNAMA