The explanation, which the PPHO itself and Phuket officials have repeated for weeks through public announcements, comes as the number of new infections on the island this week climbed to more than 600 local cases.
It also comes following Phuket officials using a new format of report to inform people of the total number of cases, including foreigners who test positive on landing in Phuket and people who report themselves.
In the new-format report, the total of new infections reported, which for yesterday tallied over 1,000, is shown in a large red box on the report.
“In the past two to three days, Phuket has had an average increase in the number of infected people, including by ATK tests, exceeding 1,000 per day,” Dr Kusak said.
“But 95-98% of the people infected were ‘Green’ patients, with few or no symptoms at all,” he stated.
Dr Kusak repeated the explanation under home quarantine. or ‘Home Isolation’, and were assessed and provided treatment advice via the online system of the Aunjai Clinic.
“Those who were assessed as suffering symptoms of infection or were classified as at-risk Group 607* patients are treated with Favipiravir medication,” he added.
“They are advised on how to treat themselves at home,” he said.
Dr Kusak assured that Phuket provincial officials are continuing to take all precautionary measures intensively and continuing with the mass-vaccination campaign as part of the ‘Universal Protection’ policy.
“Waiting to live a normal life when the COVID-19 epidemic is over is very difficult right now,” Dr Kusak said.
‘We need to be careful, protect ourselves, so we can live a normal life,” he said.
However, Dr Kusak made no mention of the recent rise in the number of ‘Red’ patients, suffering serious COVID-19 infections, to 17. The number of Red patients jumped from six to 16 overnight in the report for Feb 12, and has remained at 16-17 each day despite more than 10 deaths reported in the days since.
Dr Kusak also made no mention of the 23 deaths his office has attributed to COVID-19 so far this month. The PPHO attributed only 10 deaths to COVID-19 in January, but in the past week has reported multiple deaths attributed to COVID-19 nearly every day this past week.
Also not explained, was the number of people reported as under medical care or supervision jumping by 545 overnight in the report for Tuesday (Feb 22). All other daily reports over the past two weeks have shown the number to fluctuate, up or down, by less than 100.