Thai troops test positive for COVID-19 after US drill

ANKARA

At least nine Thai soldiers have tested positive for COVID-19 after returning from a military drill in the US, the government said on Wednesday.

A total of 150 Royal Thai Army soldiers returned on July 22 from the exercise in Hawaii, the Bangkok Post reported.

Eight of them had tested positive for COVID-19 by the end of last week and another one was diagnosed on Monday, according to Thai health official Tanarak Plipat.

The soldiers were in Hawaii for over 20 days for the US Army’s first large-scale exercise since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

At least 5,500 troops participated in the exercise and no one fell ill during it, the official added.

Thailand has recorded 3,298 coronavirus infections, including 58 deaths and 3,111 recoveries, so far, according to government figures.