Our Mission Leapfrog teams in Thailand made rapid progress in pulling together a diverse group of local collaborators by connecting with community leaders, hospitals, policy makers and technology partners. However, with the COVID-19 pandemic taking priority for healthcare resources, we shifted our focus to two provinces – Pattani and Yala – and identified smaller-scale experiments where we could immediately address COVID-19 needs while also providing benefits and learnings that can be applied to the core Leapfrog Ambition.

Pattani and Yala are located in the southern region of Thailand. Based on their locations and healthcare infrastructures, the level of preparedness and resources to manage COVID cases were particularly low. There is a limited amount of testing supplies and capabilities for rapid testing and no mechanism for actively identifying positive cases to help control the virus from spreading.

As cases increased, there were not enough hospital beds to manage acute patients and difficulties in getting care to patients who preferred isolating at home instead of in community hospitals. Even with the availability of vaccines, the reluctance toward certain vaccines provided a barrier to having vaccines be a means to quell the spread. There was a similar reluctance toward vaccines and limitations in testing resources in Yala, but they were facing an overflow of hospitalized patients as residents preferred community hospitals over home isolation.

By loading a fleet of local, open-air vehicles called “tuk tuks” with COVID tests, the Mission Leapfrog team were able to administer tests to 4,000 people and immediately isolate and provide care to positive cases.