GOVERNOR EXPANDS ‘COMMUNITY ISOLATION’ CENTRES >
Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has announced that provincial officials will expand the number of ‘Community Isolation’ centres on the island to help cope with the rising number of people being kept in quarantine on the island.
Speaking at the Phuket Sandbox Operations Center last Friday (Sept 10), Governor Narong said that the move was to accelerate the establishment of Community Isolation centres to support ‘Green’ patients, those who have tested positive for COVID-19 but are suffering light symptoms of infection.
According to the Ministry of Public Health head office in Bangkok, a ‘Green’ patient is recognised as suffering mild symptoms of a sore throat; anosmia (loss of taste/smell); cough; runny nose; rashes; diarrhea; red eyes; and a body temperature over 37.5°C.
-oining the Governor were Vice Governors Pichet Panaphong and Piyapong Choowong, as well as Rewat Areerob, President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO,
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Once the centres have been set up, all those involved are asked to report problems and obstacles in their operations, Governor Narong said.
The PPAO is to provide transport shuttle buses for the movement of personnel and patients at the centres, he said.
“The departments under the Ministry of Public Health, Vachira Phuket Hospital and the hospitals in Phuket together are to create a drug kit to deliver to those who test positive who come to receive treatment in the waiting area,” he said.
“On this occasion, all sectors were instructed to visit the community to closely take care of ‘Group 608’ patients [at greater risk of serious infection]. If they are found to be sick or at risk, they must be taken into treatment immediately,” Governor Narong said.
Wuttichai Bamrungrat, a local official at the meeting, explained that 10 new venues will open as Community Isolation centres across Phuket, as follows
Thalang District ‒ Splash Hotel, Mai Khao (48 rooms); The Impress Resort, Thepkasattri; Nai Yang Beach resort, Sakhu ( 60 rooms); Wat Cherng Talay (200 beds).
Muang District ‒ Access Resort & Villa Hotel, Karon (130 rooms); Baan Phu Chalong Place, Chalong (40 rooms); De Blue & Spa Rawai Hotel, Rawai (59 rooms); Bhukitta Hotel, Phuket Town (38 rooms).
Kathu District ‒ Patong Resort Hotel (80 rooms); Di Pantai resort, Patong (60 rooms).
The move to expand the number of “Community Isolation” centres on the island followed the number of people being held in quarantine after testing positive for COVID-19 by an antigen test kit (ATK) over the previous week easily exceeding 1,000.
People are held in the quarantine detention centres until they either test negative for COVID-19 by RT-PCR test, or develop more serious symptoms of infection and are moved to a field hospital or a regular hospital for medical care and supervision.
However, the move also follows Phuket health officials on Sept 6 announcing that ‘Green’-coded patients will be asked to observe quarantine at home.
On Monday (Sept 13), Governor Narong inspected the opening of an “Aunjai Clinic”, located on Komaraphat Rd near Vachira Phuket Hospital, where people who test positive for COVID-19 by using their own ATKs can seek medical consultation about their symptoms and decide whether or not they should be admitted into isolation or medical care.
-oining the governor for the inspection were Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Kusak Kukiattaikoon and Vachira Phuket
Hospital Director Chalermpong Sukonthaphon.
The move was to alleviate the burden on the Community Isolation centres and on the number of hospital beds available for COVID patients.
According to the PPHO COVID situation report for Monday, 3,300 people were under medical care or supervision.
The report recorded ]ero new cases of people suspected of being infected with COVID-19 after testing positive by antigen test kits (ATKs), and the total number of people reported as currently being held at ‘COVID-19 Care Centers’ stood at 1,184.
The PPHO daily COVID situation report also marked that Phuket currently has in total 2,542 beds available for COVID patients, with 2,230, or 87.73%m of those occupied by patients.
The island had just 312 patient beds still available, said the report.
However, the report also marked that of the COVID patients in care only 34 were designated as ‘Red patients’; 339 were designated ‘Yellow’ patients and 696 were ‘Green’ patients.