Dr Kusak broke the news during a live broadcast this morning (June 9). Screenshot: PR Phuket

 

By The Phuket News

 

PHUKET: A foreigner has tested positive for COVID-19 while still staying at a local quarantine facility, it was revealed during a live broadcast by key Phuket officials, including Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew, this morning (June 9).

 

Present for the broadcast press conference were Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon and Vachira Phuket Hospital Director Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol. 

 

All three ‒ Governor Narong, Dr Kusak and Dr Chalermpong ‒ are key figures on Phuket’s Communicable Disease Committee, which under the extended state of emergency is responsible for all affairs in Phuket related to COVID-19.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/foreigner-infected-while-in-phuket-quarantine-80281.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2021-06-09

 

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However, he did recognise that the “cluster” related to the infected foreigner had already “over”.

 

How wonderfully re-assuring.
The farang is held at a location where the authorities know there was a cluster. Was he told of this, I doubt it ? How big was the cluster ? Would he have been able to get moved to another site for security ? No way.
Now 3 weeks until open day. No mention of whether gyms and bars will be open, or whether you can get a glass of wine with your meal. I bet the booking sites are overwhelmd with the tsunami of tourists clammering to get here and enjoy the rainy season. Bookings could well be into double figures as I speak.

1 hour ago, dcsw53 said:

Now 3 weeks until open day. No mention of whether gyms and bars will be open, or

Gyms have been open since June 2nd.

9 hours ago, dcsw53 said:

However, he did recognise that the “cluster” related to the infected foreigner had already “over”.

 

How wonderfully re-assuring.
The farang is held at a location where the authorities know there was a cluster. Was he told of this, I doubt it ? How big was the cluster ? Would he have been able to get moved to another site for security ? No way.
Now 3 weeks until open day. No mention of whether gyms and bars will be open, or whether you can get a glass of wine with your meal. I bet the booking sites are overwhelmd with the tsunami of tourists clammering to get here and enjoy the rainy season. Bookings could well be into double figures as I speak.

Why do you think 'farang'?

Foreigner infected while in Phuket quarantine

 

 

Can they sue for it ? Or are they supposed now to pay for extra quarantine for Thai quarantine failures ? 

You only had to look at the alarming number of ASQ imported cases over the last 15 months at one stage 35% of all infections for the entire country to guess at the source ????

6 hours ago, stevenl said:

Why do you think 'farang'?

 

Why do you object to the use of the word "farang" in this context?

12 minutes ago, nkg said:

 

Why do you object to the use of the word "farang" in this context?

This is from Wiktionary:

Farang (plural farangs)

1. (ethnic slur, sometimes derogatory) A foreigner in Thailand who is of Western ancestry; one who comes to Thailand from a Western country. 

 

Unless you have some other information we don't know if the "foreigner" in this situation is in fact a westerner.   From the article assuming it is a "Falang" would be false.

From the Phuket News, “In May, we conducted 23 rounds of screening and tested 4,308 people, and found 11 infected cases. In June, [so far] we have conducted three rounds [of screening] and tested 967 people, and found four infected cases,” he said.  Sounds like the rate of infections are going up.  4308 tested and 11 infections, 967 tested and 4 infections.  Do the math!  Appears that if 4308 people had been tested in the second round of testing there would have been 17.8 infections.

3 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

You only had to look at the alarming number of ASQ imported cases over the last 15 months at one stage 35% of all infections for the entire country to guess at the source ????

It is an alarming number that suggests that people were not tested before leaving another country or the test was ineffective if it is to be believed that they carried the virus before boarding the plane.  It also raises queries why everyone else on the plane was not infected.

The alternative is that they became infected whilst in quarantine which suggests lax procedures or that they weren't followed properly when handling quarantine subjects.

Of interest would be exactly when they were found to be infected as that should give a clue as to where the infection came from based on the incubation time needed before symptoms are shown.

The final possibility is that people, coming to the end of their 2 week quarantine period, are tested by medical staff linked to a specific hospital and are found to be positive are then shipped off to the hospital for a further quarantine/treatment paid for by their insurance.

Sadly I do not have access to any data on the above.

ONE CASE? 

Close the gyms!

18 hours ago, dcsw53 said:

However, he did recognise that the “cluster” related to the infected foreigner had already “over”.

 

How wonderfully re-assuring.
The farang is held at a location where the authorities know there was a cluster. Was he told of this, I doubt it ? How big was the cluster ? Would he have been able to get moved to another site for security ? No way.
Now 3 weeks until open day. No mention of whether gyms and bars will be open, or whether you can get a glass of wine with your meal. I bet the booking sites are overwhelmd with the tsunami of tourists clammering to get here and enjoy the rainy season. Bookings could well be into double figures as I speak.

Which "Farang" are you talking about?

 

Sounds like you are from the "I moved to Thailand voluntarily and I am persecuted because I am white" crowd.

 

Get over it.

great use up two weeks of your holiday in compulsory quarantine pay 40,000 baht for the privilege and catch covid while in quarantine.I suppose  compensation an apology and a full refund  will be out of the question .

Phuket officials have been very vocal in pressing for easing of restrictions with special exemption schemes when they cannot keep people safe who do turn up  and pay 40k plus for quarantine.

What tests are they using?  Rapid tests, or PCR tests cranked up?  Either way,  they are unreliable.  This can explain false negative/positive tests at country of origin and days later in Thailand.

58 minutes ago, school12 said:

What tests are they using?  Rapid tests, or PCR tests cranked up?  Either way,  they are unreliable.  This can explain false negative/positive tests at country of origin and days later in Thailand.

PCR tests are very, very reliable.

Why is this a surprise and such a big deal?

With Thailand's poor selection of Sinovac and AstraZenica, about half of those that have received both doses will still be able to be infected and continue to pass it on to others.

Covid will be running rampant here for a long long time as it becomes almost eradicated in other countries.

I came through swampy airport in march checks are very strict on non nationals impossible to get through without a negitive PCR was also in AQL 2 tests neg 1 after 10 days let out day 14, while the biggest homegrown kristle club cluster happened.

Foreigers bringing in covid was always blamed, its come back to haunt them more than once.

The incompentence of thailand can be blamed on its mismanaged and tardy approach hope they get there act together.

 

1 hour ago, Gold Star said:

Why is this a surprise and such a big deal?

With Thailand's poor selection of Sinovac and AstraZenica, about half of those that have received both doses will still be able to be infected and continue to pass it on to others.

Covid will be running rampant here for a long long time as it becomes almost eradicated in other countries.

And with possibly only 50 % of the people on Phuket having gotten one shot of Vaccine to date, and that Vaccine probably being Sinovac with its 3 % efficacy after just the One shot Covid aint going anywhere soon.

12 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

You only had to look at the alarming number of ASQ imported cases over the last 15 months at one stage 35% of all infections for the entire country to guess at the source ????

That tells you volumes about where they test and by comparison, where they don't test. 

they are being blinded by the money just like the west was (which resulted in mass deaths and numerous lockdowns, which probably cost more in the long run) Patience is the key here, to wait for mass vaccination to take effect. Keep these areas closed or you will end up like the UK, opening and closing like an elevator while a 150,000 are buried..

He obviously wasn't in the sandbox but lucky for him for his 100k US Covid insurance 

17 hours ago, nkg said:

 

Why do you object to the use of the word "farang" in this context?

I object to be called "Farang". If you need where it came from you would. When was the last time you called a black man "<deleted>"?

1 hour ago, Paul Kernell said:

I object to be called "Farang". If you need where it came from you would. When was the last time you called a black man "<deleted>"?

 

I think there is a difference between a Thai person calling me "farang" as an insult, and using the word "farang" as a generic term for foreigners.

 

What word do you think Thai people should use when talking about non-Thais? Should they not be allowed to have a word in case you get offended?

Farang is in common usage and has been embraced by us Westerners in the same way that gays have embraced the term queer.

Anybody taking umbrage at the word, at this stage, has mental issues and deserves our sympathy.

All farangs are foreigners, but not all foreigners are farangs. Arabs, Africans, Asians, or Eskimos are not farangs.

Therefore, the infected foreigner was not necessarily a farang.

3 hours ago, Paul Kernell said:

When was the last time you called a black man "<deleted>"?

True dat, <deleted>.

 

22 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Foreigner infected while in Phuket quarantine

 

 

Can they sue for it ? Or are they supposed now to pay for extra quarantine for Thai quarantine failures ? 

 

How can that be classified as a quarantine failure ???

 

Quarantine met its very objective which is to ensure all quarantinees are Covid-19 free before they are released. This one wasn’t. 

 

 

I wonder if a second test was carried out to rule out the possibility of a false positive. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

39 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Quarantine met its very objective which is to ensure all quarantinees are Covid-19 free before they are released.

How can you possibly say quarantine met its objective when its process infected someone ? 

57 minutes ago, Poet said:

Farang is in common usage and has been embraced by us Westerners in the same way that gays have embraced the term queer.

Anybody taking umbrage at the word, at this stage, has mental issues and deserves our sympathy.

All farangs are foreigners, but not all foreigners are farangs. Arabs, Africans, Asians, or Eskimos are not farangs.

Therefore, the infected foreigner was not necessarily a farang.

 

However, I do take umbrage at your use of the word "Eskimo."  Nowadays, it is considered a pejorative term. ????

This one vaccine and opening up is just plain greed before creed. 

I think this opening is going to be a big failure.   Maybe a few who have lovers but not many tourists unless Chinese will fall for this.