The news came at the now-daily meeting of the Provincial Communicable Diseases Committee held Phuket Provincial Hall this morning (Mar 20).
Governor Phakaphong said that the infected Danish tourists comprised a family of: the father, 48 years old; the mother, 39 years old; and their child, 7 years old.
Governor Phakaphong also finally admitted that there have been previous cases of people in Phuket confirmed as being infected with the virus.
The other two were both Chinese tourists from Wuhan, one of them 32 years old, the other 35 years old.
Governor Phakaphong declined to give any further details about the cases involving the Chinese tourists, such as when and where they were identified as infected with the virus, where they were taken for treatment, and when or if they have left the island.
The Danish family brought the total number of people confirmed as being infected in Phuket to five, he said.
The public recognition that Phuket that has had any confirmed cases follows nearly two months of officials repeating to the public that not a single confirmed case had been identified on the island.
The Governor’s admission this morning also follows Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paochinda asking the Governor during a live teleconference in front of reporters late Tuesday night (Mar 17) about a family of three Danish tourists who had been confirmed as infected with the virus.
Gen Anupong had already been briefed on the Danish tourists. He explained that he had been told that the Danish tourists had started developing symptoms during their second night staying in Phuket and told a friend back home they were concerned they might have contracted the virus.
A friend suggested that they report themselves, Gen Anupong said.
Only on being asked by the General, Governor Phakaphong said that the family had notified staff at the hotel, who in turn arranged for the family to be taken into medical care and be tested.
After several tests to confirm the results, the family tested positive for the virus, he admitted.
Health officials had tracked down and tested everyone the tourists were known to have come into close contact with, including immigration officers, the airport taxi driver, a tuk-tuk driver and staff at the hotel, Gov Phakaphong said.
All those people tested negative for the virus, but have been told to self-monitor their heath for the next 14 days, he added.
Governor Phakaphong did not reveal where the Danish tourists are receiving treatment.