Two more people test positive for Covid-19

The National Taskforce Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Friday announced that two Lao nationals had contracted Covid-19, bringing the total number of known cases in Laos to 47.
Speaking at a press conference, the Director General of the Department of Communicable Disease Control under the Ministry of Health, Dr Rattanaxay Phetsouvanh, said two men tested positive for the virus when they crossed into Vientiane from Nong Khai province in Thailand.
Samples taken from them were sent to a lab in Vientiane for verification and again tested positive.
The two men, aged 28 and 26, had been working in Pathumthani province, Thailand.
They come from Nan district in Luang Prabang province and returned to Laos together. They were sent to a state quarantine centre where they were again tested for Covid-19 on March 3 and positive results were obtained on March 4, following which they were taken to a Vientiane hospital.
The 32 people who accompanied the men or had close contact with them have all tested negative for the virus but are spending 14 days in quarantine.
The national taskforce requires anyone having Covid-19-like symptoms to be tested. Border officials are required to screeneveryone entering Laos and to ensure that Covid-19 prevention measures are strictly enforced.
Local authorities have been urged to monitor border crossings to prevent people entering Laos illegally from Thailand, to stem the spread of Covid-19 after a recent widespread outbreak in Thailand.
As Thailand faces a second wave of Covid-19, many Lao workers are returning home, both legally and illegally, sparking fears of further infections in Laos.
All provinces bordering Thailand and China have been instructed to continue to strictly enforce government guidelines to prevent the virus from spreading into Laos.
The national committee in charge of Covid-19 prevention and control has urged authorities and people nationwide to comply with the measures put in place to ensure everyone’s wellbeing.
The government has stepped up measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 as ordered by the Prime Minister’s Office after the number of cases increased in Thailand.
Everyone is urged to observe social distancing, wash their hands regularly, and wear a face mask when in a crowded place.
To date, 115,456 people have been tested for the virus. Of the47 known cases,42 people have been discharged from hospital and the other five will remain in hospital until they twice test negative. No deaths from Covid-19 have been reported.

By Phetphoxay  sengpaseuth
(Latest Update March 8, 2021)