Screening of new COVID-19 infections in Bangkok, to determine where they will be sent for treatment, will now be conducted at three triage or pre-admission centres, each to be responsible for cases in three different zones.

Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said yesterday (Monday) that the Bussarakum Hospital will be in charge of COVID-19 cases in northern Bangkok, the Nimibutr national sports stadium will take care of the new cases in central Bangkok and the Bang Khun Thian Geriatric Hospital will take care of the rest of the capital.

The separation of areas of responsibility for the triage centres was decided at a meeting of the advisory committee of the Centre of COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) yesterday. Among the advisors attending the meeting were Clinical Professor Dr. Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn and Dr. Somsak Akkasilp, director-general of the Department of Medical Services.

The three triage centres will assess the condition of newly infected people and separate them into three colour groups, green, yellow and red, according to their symptoms.

To determine the hospital to which the patients will be sent, there is a centralized hospital bed management system, which links all the relevant information on COVID-19 tests received from laboratories, pro-active screening and the availability of hospital beds.

Mr. Sathit said that this centralized information centre will help to manage hospital bed allocation more effectively.

Regarding infections among migrant construction workers, in Bangkok’s Laksi and Wattana districts, he said that asymptomatic, or Green cases, will be sent to a field hospital in Samut Sakhon province, which is already operational.

He also said that he will seek cooperation from private hospitals in accepting asymptomatic migrant workers, because they still have some unoccupied beds, adding that the triage centre at Bussarakum Hospital will be asked to admit these patients as well.

For infected prison inmates, the Corrections Department hospital is ready to admit Green and Yellow cases for treatment, while the severe, or Red cases, will be sent to the Mongkutwattana field hospital, which is expected to open today (Tuesday).

The hospital has 48 beds for severe cases and 150 beds, equipped with high flow oxygen machines, for the less severe or Yellow cases.