The PPHO report, marked as accurate as of 8pm last night, reported no new infections among Sandbox tourist arrivals.
The report also marked one new death attributed to COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths in Phuket attributed to COVID-19 since Apr 3 to 61. Of those, 41 occurred this month, with 21 deaths in the past seven days.
UPDATE: The PPHO this morning (Sept 23) posted details of the death reported for Sept 22, as follows:
Case 6882, male, 47 years old, was a smoker, tested positive by ATK, had received two injections of Sinovac vaccine
Meanwhile, the 239 new local infections bring the total number of new local infections on the island in the past seven days to 1,671, as follows:
- Sept 16 - 236 new cases
- Sept 17 - 235 new cases
- Sept 18 - 242 new cases
- Sept 19 - 228 new cases
- Sept 20 - 237 new cases
- Sept 21 - 254 new cases
- Sept 22 - 239 new cases
The current total of 9,497 people infected in Phuket since Apr 3 does not include 10 infected with COVID-19 in other provinces and 23 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 101 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, 4,177 people were under medical care or supervision, an increase of 31 from the 4,146 reported the day before.
The report also marked 5,467 people in total being discharged from medical care for COVID infection since Apr 3 ‒ 207 more than the 5,260 reported yesterday.
The report recorded 35 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 only 18, from 1,289 to 1,307.
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 2,254 beds available for COVID patients ‒ zero change for the past two days.
Meanwhile, the total number of hospital beds actually occupied by COVID patients in Phuket fell by 76, from 1,933 to 1,857 ‒ representing 82.39% of the total number of hospital beds available being occupied.
Correspondingly, the number of hospital beds reported as remaining available also rose by 76, from 321 to 397, representing 17.61% of the total number of beds designated for COVID patients.
The report marked that of the COVID patients in care 35 were designated as ‘Red patients’ (zero change from yesterday), 347 were designated ‘Yellow’ patients (zero change), and 387 were designated as ‘Green’ patients (+4).
The PPHO has not released an updated map showing the locations of COVID infections across the island since last week. The most recent map was posted publicly last Thursday (Sept 16). It was dated Sept 15 (Wednesday) but marked as accurate as of 6pm last Tuesday (Sept 14).