The PPHO report, marked as accurate as of 8pm last night, but posted online at 12:04am today, reported no new infections among Sandbox tourist arrivals and no new infections among non-Sandbox arrivals from abroad.
However, 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 93. After 55 COVID deaths in September, officials have marked 18 deaths already this month.
UPDATE: The PPHO later posted details of the death reported for Oct 16, as follows:
1) Case 13634, male, 8 years old (Group 608*), congenital diseases were given as renal failure and epilepsy, the boy was not vaccinated, no mention was given regarding teh boy’s risk history for ctracting COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the 149 new local infections bring the total number of new local infections reported on the island in the past seven days to 1,106, as follows:
- Oct 10 - 164 new cases
- Oct 11 - 169 new cases
- Oct 12 - 165 new cases
- Oct 13 - 156 new cases
- Oct 14 - 150 new cases
- Oct 15 - 153 new cases
- Oct 16 - 149 new cases
The current total of 13,761 people infected in Phuket since Apr 3 does not include 10 infected with COVID-19 in other provinces and 30 returning from other countries and testing positive.
The current Phuket tally also does not include 42 COVID patients brought back to Phuket under the “Bring Phuket people home” policy, or the 154 Phuket Sandbox arrivals who have tested positive for the virus after landing on the island since the Sandbox scheme began on July 1.
According to the PPHO COVID situation report for yesterday, 2,871 people were under medical care or supervision, 158 fewer than the 3,029 reported the day before.
The report also marked 10,960 people in total being discharged from medical care for COVID infection since Apr 3 ‒ 306 more than the 10,654 reported yesterday.
The report recorded 14 people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 after testing positive by antigen test kits (ATK), but the total number of people reported as currently being held at ‘COVID-19 Care Centers’ across the island rose by 29, from 1,552 to 1,581.
The report did not confirm how many people who tested positive by ATKs were confirmed infected by RT-PCR tests or how many people had been released from ATK detention at ‘COVID-19 Care Centers’ and allowed to go home.
The PPHO daily COVID situation report also marked that Phuket currently has in total 6,650 beds available for COVID patients (zero change since Oct 7).
The total number of hospital beds actually occupied by COVID patients in Phuket fell from 3,099 to 2,962 (-137 from yesterday) ‒ with the 2,962 beds occupied representing 44.54% of the total number of hospital beds designated for COVID patients.
Consequently, the number of hospital beds reported as remaining available increased from 3,551 to 3,688 (+137 from yesterday) ‒ with the 3,688 beds available representing 55.46% of the total number of beds designated for COVID patients.
The report marked that of the COVID patients in care only 34 were designated as ‘Red patients’ (zero change from yesterday), 360 were designated ‘Yellow’ patients (-5 from yesterday), and 262 were designated as ‘Green’ patients (-27 from yesterday).
* ‘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.