So, things did not turn out exactly as expected.
Was settled into my ASQ at Le Meridien and was doing pretty well and in the routine. Unfortunately, on Day Five, my 2nd COVID test came back as positive. (No symptoms ever developed). Results were given by a Doctor over the phone, and I was told that I was being transferred to BNH (Bangkok Nursing Hospital). I am required to stay there minimum of 10 days. I was given several hours to get packed up as I would not be returning to the hotel.
While packing, I emailed the front desk with my insurance documents attached and asked them to print 3 copies, which was accomplished quickly. They also apparently shared with nurse / hospital staff. More on insurance below.
Transfer to hospital on Friday evening and taken directly to my room. Nurse arrived to get vital signs and draw blood. Was informed I would have chest Xray following day. Was also told I would be taking temperature and oxygen saturation levels twice a day. Would relay numbers to nurse via in-room phone or Line App. (I added nurses’ station to my Line and it worked very well to communicate). This was the only time a nurse entered my room. All communications with them were either by phone or Line Messaging app.
Pics of the room below. It was private room with in-room bathroom / shower. TV on the wall with limited Thai and Intl channels. WiFi password provided and was of decent speed and stability. VPN and video stream worked OK. Air Conditioning worked very well.
Took me a bit to figure out the food situation. Menu supposedly accessible via QR code, but I could not get it to work on multiple devices. Nurse printed out a copy for me the next day. Orders could be placed 7AM to 430 PM. Prices were shown on the menu. Pricey for Thailand. Food was delivered and left on table outside door. Carry out containers. A set of "real" plates / bowels / fork and spoon was in the room, along with dishwashing supplies. Was originally not made clear to me if meals were covered by insurance. Once insurance company was better in touch, they advised meals would be covered.
Doctor stopped by next day. Took some medical history and explained the quarantine requirements. Based on my history, pretty well established I was not contagious, but there was no discretion on quarantine requirement. When a positive test is returned, 10 days in hospital is required. Doctor stopped by about every other day to check in on me.
Days passed as you would expect. No opportunity at all to leave the room over the course of the 10 days. Cleaning lady in protective gear cleaned the room on about day 4, 6, and 8. She also replenished any needed supplies. (drinking water, paper towels, soap, etc).
On Saturday morning, I called the insurance company to notify them of my hospital stay. No English-speaking staff available on weekends. I called again at the beginning of the week. After numerous transfers, finally reached English speaking staff in the COVID insurance department. Notified them and they also seemed to be communicating with hospital as well. Bit fuzzy on the details of this, which left me somewhat nervous during my stay as far as what insurance would be covering. I purchased the COVID insurance from a Thai Company (TIP Insure by Dhipaya) which if I recall correctly, I linked to from the Thai Embassy website.
During one of Doctor visits, asked about this and she indicated information was being shared with insurance company and no issues known with coverage, that it seemed everything was ok.
At the end of quarantine, I could apparently leave any time after midnight. However, insurance company opens at 8AM and they need to send final paperwork (bill?) to them for payment / approval / something. So, if I didn’t want to just pay everything out of pocket, I need to wait for that process to complete. Estimate was 2-3 hours, so plan on a Noon discharge latest.
Day of exit arrived. At around 9AM, nurse dropped off a packet of papers showing my medical care. Included were 2 documents specifically stating I was cleared for travel, and a second that I had completed quarantine and was not a COVID risk. At 10AM, a knock on the door from hospital staff of insurance desk advised Insurance company has paid for everything. Signed 3 papers and was told I could leave. Nurse waiting outside my door escorted me out of the COVID unit and to the elevator bank. I took elevator down to 1st floor and walked out a free man.
Interesting experience, which I don’t really want to go through again. But overall, could have certainly been worse. I did also get an email from Le Meridien, advising they would be refunding some money as I was not able to complete my stay with them. They had to charge for 5 days further of room rate, as by regulation they cannot enter the room to clean if for 5 days after I left. So refund was for 4-5 days of room rate, as well as the 9-10 days of meals that I could not have. Ended up being about 25% of the amount back. I wasn’t really expecting any type of refund, so kudos to Le Meridien. Will certainly be my default hotel in Bangkok, as they really did take care of me well.
I am now in Sakhon Nakon, enjoying my time back in Thailand. Everything after discharge has been more or less normal, other than mask wearing. Domestic travel went smoothly.
Thought my experience may be of interest to others. Let me know if you have any questions, either here or by PM.
Supply and document setup. Water replaced with each cleaning staff visit. Big bottle of hand soap and hand sanitizer.
Fridge and Microwave.
Not very comfortable bed, as you can imagine. Ended up using the comforter as a bedding pad, and asked for a light blanket to use as a cover. Helped somewhat and was able to get some sleep nightly.
Tried a night's sleep on the couch. Not really any more comfortable then the bed.
Large shower.
