Coronavirus: Friends who shared cigarettes and drinks while partying caused 13 new infection cases
Thailand issued a new coronavirus warning on Thursday, asking people to not share their drinks, cigarettes and avoid social activities after at least 13 new cases were traced to a group of friends who shared their cigarettes and whiskey while partying. The health ministry's permanent secretary, Dr. Sukhum Kanchanapimai, said that a fresh cluster of cases was caused by party-goers who became infected during a night out in Bangkok.
"There was inappropriate behavior, sharing drinks, cigarettes and not avoiding social activities after returning from an at-risk country," Dr Kanchanapimai told reporters. "Don't share cigarettes and drinks," he added. Thai PBS World reported that the group had met in Bangkok on February 21, 27, and 29 to socialize.
Dr Kanchanapimai told the outlet that the friends had been "drinking from the same glass of whiskey and smoking the same cigarette in an enclosed air-conditioned room for a long time."
One of the members of the group reportedly had been in contact with tourists from Hong Kong.
Thailand saw its highest daily jump of 11 cases on Thursday after the group's diagnosis. Reports state that none of the newly-diagnosed patients are believed to be "super spreaders."
Thailand, on Thursday, raised its official coronavirus count by five cases, increasing the total to 75 cases. One person has died of the virus so far. At least three of the cases reported on Friday are linked to a confirmed patient who returned from South Korea and socialized with friends and family later by going to an entertainment venue, Kanchanapimai said. The group was later quarantined. Eight other people linked to the case are also being monitored.
Authorities, on Monday, raided a house in the Saraburi province of Bangkok after they received a tip that workers were putting used face masks and in a washing machine before selling them as new ones by ironing them. Police seized thousands of masks and have taken them for further investigation to a local health department.
The deadly new coronavirus has claimed over 4,200 lives across the globe with 118,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 infections. The spread of the virus was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization earlier this week.