Six soldiers test positive on return from US drills

Six Thai troops returning from training in Hawaii this week were among 10 people who tested positive for Covid19, according to the army.

Gen Natthapon Srisawat, director of the army’s Covid-19 situation administration centre, yesterday gave details about the soldiers after the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) yesterday announced 10 new confirmed cases including the Thai soldiers who had returned from the US.

According to the CCSA, among the new cases were returnees from Sudan, Pakistan, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as the six soldiers from the United States.

The soldiers were among 11 troops who were isolated and put under a Covid-19 observation programme at the army-run Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok after exhibiting suspicious symptoms. The remaining 140 have entered a state quarantine centre in a hotel in Pattaya.

Gen Natthapon said the five others who tested negative will be transferred to the quarantine facility in Pattaya where the returnees will have a swab test today. If they test negative, they will have another swab test on Aug 3 when the 14-day mandatory quarantine period ends.

Despite the risk of Covid-19 infection, he said the army cannot cancel overseas training programmes as they are part of the Thai-US army cooperation agreement.

The group took part in a 21-day military exercise codenamed Lightning Forge 2020 in Hawaii that ended on Tuesday and arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport the following evening.

During Covid-19 screening carried out at the airport, the 11 soldiers had symptoms including a fever, cough and sore throat, which made them fit the definition of patients under investigation.

The new infections brought the total number of cases to 3,279. He said 3,107 patients had recovered, including two discharged on Thursday. The death toll remained unchanged at 58.