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Disease Control Department deputy chief urges public cooperation to stop novel coronavirus from spreading further, writes Onnucha Hutasingh
Tanarak Plipat, deputy directorgeneral of the Disease Control Department, has recently become a household name because of his daily updates on the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand. In his briefings, he always stresses the need to maintain personal hygiene as a protection against the novel coronavirus, in addition to advising people to stay away from large public gatherings and use face masks when in crowded places.
Speaking to the Bangkok Post, Dr Tanarak expressed his concerns about the danger of hiding one’s travel history from health authorities, especially in the middle of an escalating pandemic.
“Anyone who suspects they might have symptoms [of Covid-19] must seek immediate medical attention and observe self-quarantine to prevent local transmission to others,” said Dr Tanarak.
He was referring to an elderly couple who tested positive following a trip to Japan — a known Covid-19 hotspot — last month.
The couple sought medical attention after falling ill following a trip to Hokkaido, but they decided to cover up their travel history until their doctors pressed hard for a straight answer.
When they finally admitted the truth, their grandson — who did not travel with them to Japan — had already tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“This can only be described as a lack of social responsibility,” Dr Tanarak said.
Dr Tanarak received his medical degree from Prince of Songkla University, before moving on to acquire his Master’s degree in public health from Mahidol University and PhD in epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
A graduate of the Field Epidemiology Training Programme, Dr Tanarak started his medical career as a general physician at Krabi’s provincial health office in 1991.
He became the director of the epidemiology bureau under the Disease Control Department in December 2013, and in February 2017 he was promoted to be a deputy director of the department.
Yesterday, health officials reported 32 new cases of Covid-19, the largest daily jump in infections since the outbreak began, bringing the total number of cases in Thailand to 114.
The 32 new reported cases include 17 people who were infected during nights out at bars or boxing stadiums and tourists returning from holidays overseas.
“Despite the availability of information about the outbreak and protective measures one can take, many Thais are deliberately paying no attention,” he said.
“We are concerned about the extent of the public’s understanding about the importance of protecting themselves.
If they fail to follow advice from medical professionals, no matter how efficient the public health system is and how good the doctors are, the outbreak cannot be controlled,’’ Dr Tanarak said.
And in cases where they do choose to pay attention, he continued, it has lead to panic and “witch hunts” which affect specific groups, such as illegal Thai workers who returned from South Korea.
Dr Tanarak praised the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand, which recently started requiring travellers from Covid19 affected countries and territories to produce medical certificates prior to being allowed to board their flights to Thailand.
Under the measure, travellers from South Korea, China, Italy, Iran, Macau and Hong Kong who fail to show their health certificates to authorities before boarding their flights to Thailand will not be allowed to continue their journey.
However, he disagreed with a proposal to put Thailand under total lockdown, insisting the situation in Thailand isn’t severe enough to warrant banning foreigners from entering the country.
“Are you sure we can live like that?” Dr Tanarak said. Some believe that once in lockdown, people will quickly grow tired of the constraints.
Dr Tanarak added the Chinese government had announced that Wuhan — the Chinese city where the outbreak first began — will be reopened and life will soon return to normal.
“Chinese authorities have also offered aid, such as medicines and face masks, to Thailand,” Dr Tanarak said.
“Had we slammed the door in China’s face when they were in trouble, they wouldn’t have offered help to us like this.”
When asked how long the Covid19 outbreak will last in Thailand, he predicted that Thais will have to live with the virus for two years before the situation improves.
“I insist that risks to public health can be managed if everyone cooperates by protecting themselves, by strictly following advice from health officials,” Dr Tanarak said. “Hopefully, the situation in the country will return to normal.”