The PPHO report, marked as accurate as of 8pm last night, was posted online in a new format at 11:56pm.
The report marked six new infections among Sandbox tourist arrivals but no new infections among non-Sandbox arrivals from abroad.
The report also marked Phuket’s first ‘Test & Go’ tourist testing positive for COVID-19. No details were provided about the protocol brought into effect to quarantine the tourist.
The report also marked two new deaths attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in Phuket attributed to COVID-19 since Apr 3 to 123. After 55 COVID deaths in September, officials marked 44 deaths in total for the month of October.
UPDATE: The PPHO later posted details of the deaths reported for Nov 4, as follows:
1) Case 12551, male, 44 years old (Group 608*), high blood pressure, renal failure, was a smoker, vaccinated with two doses of Sinovac, found positive by ATK, lived in a cluster area
2) Case 14702, male, 62 years old (Group 608), high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, renal failure, a previous smoker but had quit, not vaccinated, was a high risk contact
Meanwhile, the 54 new local infections bring the total number of new local infections reported on the island in the past seven days to 396, as follows:
- Oct 29 - 61 new cases
- Oct 30 - 59 new cases
- Oct 31 - 62 new cases
- Nov 1 - 53 new cases
- Nov 2 - 57 new cases
- Nov 3 - 50 new cases
- Nov 4 - 54 new cases
The current total of 15,480 people infected in Phuket since Apr 3 does not include 10 infected with COVID-19 in other provinces and 35 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 211 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, 702 people were under medical care or supervision, 102 fewer than the 804 reported the day before.
The report also marked 15,035 people in total being discharged from medical care for COVID infection since Apr 3 ‒ 163 more than the 14,872 reported yesterday. However, the new format report marked that 161 people had been discharged “and returned home”.
The report recorded nine people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 after testing positive by antigen test kits (ATK), and the total number of people reported as currently being held at ‘COVID-19 Care Centers’ across the island rose by four, from 185 to 189.
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.
HOSPITAL BEDS
The new format report still includes the recently added “hospital bed report”, which marked how many patients were designated ‘Red’, ‘Yellow’ and ‘Green’. However, those numbers are featured too small and at such low resolution that they can no longer be read.
Instead, the main numbers clearly seen in the “hospital bed report” detail how many of the hospital beds that have been designated for Red-, Yellow- and Green-designated patients are occupied.
The Phuket News has previously ignored these numbers as the number of beds reported as occupied for each colour designation most often did not match the number of patients reported for each colour designation.
The report posted last night marked that of 5,388 hospital beds in total available, 606 were occupied.
It also reported that 31 of 50 ‘Red’ hospitals beds available were occupied, and 302 of 548 ‘Yellow’ hospital beds available were occupied;
Of the 4,790 ‘Green’ hospital beds available, 317 at field hospitals were occupied, 1,391 in hospitels were occupied and the remaining 2,641 in “CI” (“Community Isolation”) were occupied, said the report.
* ‘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.