Phuket finds 4 Covid infections from newly-mandated rapid antigen tests
Phuket is reporting 4 new Covid-19 infections from those arriving from red zone provinces on the first day of the new requirement for such travellers to undergo rapid antigen tests. As of Thursday, all people arriving from the 17 red zoned provinces must undergo the test if they can’t prove that they have been fully vaccinated or have received a negative Covid test within 72 hours before arriving. Phuket itself is also a red zone province.
Thursday saw 1,051 arrivals at Phuket International Airport. 958 underwent rapid antigen testing, with 2 receiving positive Covid results. 9,338 people arrived by road that same day, with 2 more testing positive. Despite the expectation of the tests creating a traffic jam at the airport, the Phuket Vice Governor says the process actually only takes 15-20 minutes. But, in Thai time, that number could be doubled.
(Thaiger readers said it was taking some people up to 90 minutes to get their results back).
Phuket health officials reported 13 new Covid infections yesterday, bringing the total to 292 during the current outbreak. A second field hospital is also currently being set up at Phuket Rajabhat University, just north of Phuket Town. The first field hospital is already set up at the Prince of Songkhla University Phuket Campus in Kathu and has 170 beds. Currently, however, only 70 to 80 patients are being treated there. The new field hospital will only be used as a backup if the first one is full.
Yesterday, Thailand reported the highest amount of daily infections since the pandemic began, at 2,070 with 4 deaths. And, today, that number has risen even more as 2,839 new infections have been reported to the CCSA in the past 24 hours. 8 more deaths have also been reported. It’s also the highest number of deaths to be recorded in a single day as well.
The new sharp rise in infections since the last outbreak began is concerning many in the healthcare industry and in the general population in regards to having enough staff and facilities to handle the influx of Covid patients.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
