TV news channels in Thailand on Saturday played video clips with quotes from former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra affirming that he had already recovered from COVID-19 infection.
The former prime minister said he contracted the virus in mid-August in Dubai.
"I was discharged from the hospital more than 20 days ago," said Thaksin on Nation TV. "I have recovered now."
Thaksin, however, did not say whether he had fully recovered from the contagion but said in the TV clip that he was staying at home in the Middle East.
Thaksin said he was discharged from hospital either on Sept. 12 or 13, but before leaving the hospital he underwent seven tests to make sure that he was clear of the virus.
He said that his symptoms first showed up in mid-August and his first test was positive.
He then sought medical treatment in Dubai and later at the Cleveland Clinic in Abu Dhabi.
Thaksin said he suspected he contracted the virus at a food centre in Dubai.
"I may have dropped my guard, did not wear face mask all the time. I went to buy food and ate it."
"Sometimes, we may not wash our hands regularly and our hands may have come into contact with the virus and we use our hands to rub our eyes and get infected," said Thaksin, adding jokingly that he could not afford to eat in a restaurant all the time and has to eat in a food court.
Thaksin was sentenced to a two-year jail term by the Supreme Court in 2008 and he is facing several other charges, and has fled Thailand.
