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Since late December 2019, the world has been challenged with an outbreak of COVID-19. In Thailand, an upper middle-income country with a limited healthcare infrastructure and restricted human resources, nearly 3,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported as of early May 2020. Public health policies aimed at preventing new COVID-19 cases were very effective in halting the pandemic in Thailand. Case fatality in Thailand has been low (1.7%), at least in part due to early stratification according to risk of disease severity and timely initiation of supportive care with affordable measures. We present our initial experience with COVID-19 in Thailand, focusing on several aspects that may have played a crucial role in curtailment of the pandemic, and elements of care for severely ill COVID-19 patients, including stratification, isolation, and affordable diagnostic approaches and supportive care measures. We also discuss local considerations concerning some proposed experimental treatments.

Original publication

DOI

10.4269/ajtmh.20-0442

Type

Journal article

Journal

The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene

Publication Date

07/2020

Volume

103

Pages

48 - 54

Addresses

1Division of Critical Care, Department of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Keywords

Lung, Humans, Pneumonia, Viral, Coronavirus Infections, Antiviral Agents, Critical Care, Patient Isolation, Infection Control, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Intensive Care Units, Health Resources, Thailand, Female, Male, Immunomodulation, Airway Management, Pandemics, Betacoronavirus, COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2