Samut Sakhon – Treatment facilities are being constructed in Samut Sakhon, which is the epicenter of the new COVID-19 outbreak in the country. The Minister of Public Health has overseen the construction of a field hospital at the shrimp market and a care center serving COVID-19 patients.
Located in a sealed-off area, the field hospital at the wholesale shrimp market in Samut Sakhon is being set up to serve only people living in flats and dormitories around the shrimp market, which has become the epicenter of the current outbreak.
The field hospital will adopt the cohort ward arrangement to serve asymptomatic COVID-19 patients, or patients with mild symptoms, in addition to undertaking basic diagnosis and treatment, family planning, contraceptive injection, and mental health counseling.
The hospital can serve up to 100 patients daily, with a capacity of 30-40 beds which can be expanded to 100 beds. Patients with more severe symptoms will be referred for more advanced treatment at other hospitals. Departments of this field hospital have been color-coded into a Red Zone for the patients’ ward, Orange Zone for the waiting and triage areas, and Green Zone as the nurses’ station.
Outside the shrimp market, another facility called the Care Center is being constructed to serve asymptomatic or mild symptoms COVID-19 patients at Samut Sakhon Central Stadium.
The center here will be serving patients receiving treatment who have been improving, as well as COVID-19 patients with non-critical conditions. Military personnel have been deployed to provide round the clock security protection at this facility, to prevent COVID-19 patients and people outside from interacting, which is a protocol to minimize the chances of community transmissions.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul has already met with seafood restaurant owners in Samut Sakhon, and showed off his cooking skills at Tha Ruea Pattakarn restaurant, in an attempt to assure the general public of the safety of seafood items from Samut Sakhon, saying that all well-cooked seafood items are safe to consume without any risk of COVID-19 infection. (NNT)
