How is Case Investigation Performed in Light of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic–A Case Study of the First Imported COVID-19 Case from Europe in Thailand

Abstract

This study aimed at describing an investigation of a confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) case in Chonburi, Thailand. He was the first imported case of COVID-19 from Europe to Thailand. The case was an Italian expatriate working in Chonburi. He left for Italy on 14 February 2020 and returned to Thailand on 1 March 2020. At the port of entry, he passed the temperature scan. The following day, he developed upper respiratory symptoms. The providers at a private hospital performed nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) and throat swab (TS). On 3 March 2020, positive results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection were reported. Subsequently, he was referred to Chonburi Region­al Hospital. The investigation team of the Department of Disease Control (DDC), Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), could identify 75 contact persons. Of these 75, 56 were classified as high-risk. Of these 56, 40 were tested for NPS and TS and all were found negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection. The rest 16 contacts could not be reached at the time of investigation but their name list was submitted to the incident commander (IC) and the Immigration Bureau for further tracing. Later, the investigation team found that none of these 16 contacts became positive. Another important discovery from this investigation was that a number of healthcare workers were counted as high-risk contacts due to improper use of personal protective equipment (PPE). The report of this investigation raised the concern for proper PPE application amongst healthcare workers to the Emergency Operating Center (EOC) of the MoPH. Outcomes from this event in combination with other events alike were fed into policy decision making process of the MoPH. The MoPH later launched a message to emphasize the importance of proper PPE application amongst healthcare providers to minimize the number of high-risk healthcare-worker contacts who would be subject to a 14-day quarantine. In addition, the MoPH also underpinned that the self-quarantine measure must be strictly enforced to mitigate the risk of wider disease spreading.