PHUKET: The latest Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) daily COVID situation report has marked 45 new local infections confirmed across the island yesterday (Dec 17), bringing the total number of people recognised as infected with COVID-19 in Phuket since Apr 3 to 18,974.
The PPHO report for Dec 17, marked as accurate as of 8pm last night, was posted online at 12:18am.
The report for Dec 17 marked four new infections among Test & Go tourists, no new infections among Sandbox tourist arrivals, and one new infection among other international arrivals.
The report marked one new death attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in Phuket attributed to COVID-19 since Apr 3 to 142.
After 55 COVID deaths in September, 44 deaths in October and 18 deaths in November, officials have marked just five COVID deaths in Phuket so far in December.
UPDATE: The PPHO later (at 10pm, Dec 21) posted details of the death reported for Dec 17, as follows:
1) Case 17415, female, 85 years old (Group 608*), suffered from diabetes with 1 year without medication, bedridden, non-smoker, not vaccinated, contracted COVID through a family member high-risk contact
Meanwhile, the 45 new local infections reported bring the total number of new local infections reported on the island in the past seven days to 355, as follows:
- Dec 11 – 56 new cases
- Dec 12 – 62 new cases
- Dec 13 – 50 new cases
- Dec 14 – 48 new cases
- Dec 15 – 50 new cases
- Dec 16 – 44 new cases
- Dec 17 – 45 new cases
The report marked 18 people infected with COVID-19 in other provinces before entering Phuket, as well as 38 returning from other countries and testing positive and 42 COVID patients brought back to Phuket under the “Bring Phuket people home” policy since Apr 3.
The report also marked 282 Phuket Sandbox arrivals who have tested positive for the virus after landing on the island since July 1, and 56 Test & Go tourists who have tested positive since Nov 1.
According to the PPHO COVID situation report for Dec 17, 487 people were under medical care or supervision, 11 fewer than the 498 reported yesterday.
The report also marked 18,487 people in total being discharged from medical care for COVID infection since Apr 3 ‒ 62 more than the 18,425 reported yesterday.
The report recorded 10 people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 after testing positive by antigen test kits (ATK), while the total number of people reported as currently being held at ‘COVID-19 Care Centers’ across the island increased by six, from 46 to 52.
According to the report for Dec 17, there is one ‘Red’ patient (zero change from yesterday), 89 ‘Yellow’ patients (+11) and 45 ‘Green’ patients (-10).
A further 137 people who tested positive for COVID-19 were at ‘hospitels’ (-15), and 52 were designated to recover in “Community Isolation“ (+6), which includes self-quarantining at home.
The report for Dec 17 also marked that of 2,698 hospital beds in total available (zero change), 324 were occupied (-8).
* ‘Group 608’ has become Phuket officials’ preferred term for higher at-risk patients, comprising people over 60 years old along with those suffering from any of the seven recognised medical conditions that place patients at higher risk of developing serious signs of infection, plus women more than 12 weeks pregnant.
Source: The Phuket News