With zero new cases reported today, the total number of people in Phuket officially confirmed as infected with the virus since the outbreak began remains at 224.
However, the national Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in Bangkok today reported just one new case for the whole country, an asymptomatic resident of Chiang Mai who recently returned from Phuket, bringing the total in Thailand to 3,018.
No additional deaths were reported for the country, leaving the accumulated toll at 56, reported the Bangkok Post.
CCSA spokesman Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin said the new case was a 39-year-old native of Chiang Mai province who had worked in the southern tourist island of Phuket.
The man left Phuket on May 2 for Chiang Mai with his wife and child, and village-based health volunteers in Chiang Mai brought him for a COVID-19 test.
“The patient came from an at-risk area, had no symptoms and is of working age. We would have not known about his infection without the efficiency of the village-based health volunteers who deserve the credit,” Dr Taweesilp said.
He urged people who had left Phuket to seek COVID-19 tests no matter whether they appeared ill or not, “for the sake of rapid disease control”.
Meanwhile, the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department of Thailand (PR Phuket) this morning reported that so far 10,027 people on the island had been classified as at risk of contracting COVID-19 since the outbreak began, an increase of 65 on the 9,962 reported yesterday.
Of those, 9,803 were found not infected with the virus.
PR Phuket this morning also reported that 92 people remained in hospital, comprising 24 people already confirmed as infected, and 68 people still waiting for test results, a decrease of five from the 73 reported yesterday.
So far three people in Phuket have died as a direct result of being infected with COVID-19, including an Australian hotel manager from Khao Lak.
“All confirmed COVID-19 cases are receiving hospital treatment,” the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), which serves as the Phuket Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Incident Command Center, noted in their report today.
“Due to the spread of COVID-19, the way of life in Thai society has changed to a ‘new normal’,” the PPHO also noted in their report.
“The PPHO recommends that people live the ‘new normal’ style by staying at home, going outside only when necessary; using separate personal containers, do not share items with others; plan your trip before leaving the house; wearing a face mask, carrying alcohol gel sanitiser, maintaining social distancing of one to two meters; washing your hands regularly, every 30 minutes; using public transport only when necessary; avoiding congested areas; if riding a motorcycle taxi sit sideways [on the motorbike] and [you] must wear a face mask and helmet; carrying a cloth bag; and when [you] get home [you] must wash [your] hands immediately, shower and change clothes,” the PPHO said.
“The elderly and people with chronic illnesses, especially lung disease, should stay at home,” the PPHO cautioned.
"Any person who experiences any of the following symptoms – coughing, mucus, sore throat, runny nose, loss of sense of smell, shallow or rapid breathing or a fever – must see a doctor immediately to check for COVID-19,” the PPHO urged.