UAE bans citizens from travelling to Thailand, Kuwait suspends flights

[Jumbo1968]

3 minutes ago, amdy2206 said:

Finally a sensible government who recognises the problems that could be caused by travelling here. Well done!

How many people who have visited Thailand have returned to their home country and developed coronavirus ?

[FarFlungFalang]

Don't viruses and other single cell life forms live and thrive in those deep sea volcanic vents where it's bloody hot and very damp to say the least?

[justmaybe]

5 hours ago, Jane Dough said:

Another reason to never go to these ghastly countries in the middle east. And come what may to never use their airlines.

 

Rooster

Well, harrumph.

[fruitman]

48 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

Wuhan is quite cold in the winter, which means drier.

 

Iran is also dry.

 

Doesn't check out. 

And singapore has about the same temps as BKK but there it's spreading fast.

[metisdead]

Posts containing content from unapproved sources have been removed. 

[KhaoYai]

1 hour ago, DannyCarlton said:

According to her the only coorlation

New word?

[Farma]

Bahrain has just announced it has 8 confirmed cases. The 1st confirmed case yesterday was a school bus driver who had returned from Iran.

 

The latest 6 Bahraini's had returned from Iran via Dubai which may explain why Bahrain immediately suspended flights arriving from Sharjah and Dubai for 48 hours earlier today.

[Miami007]

10 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

So does this mean the regular Emirates and Etihad flights between LHR and BKK, via UAE are suspended?

 

If UAE doesn't want their citizens to travel to Thailand, how long will it be until their airlines stop flying there?

The UAE government surely doesn't want a bunch of Europeans coming from Thailand and linger in the airport waiting for connecting flights or take a stopover in Dubai 

Only a matter of time until the flights will get suspended

[tomauasia]

Smart government good move. Thai government are a disgrace.

[tomauasia]

Thailand's reported numbers are not legitimate 

[ukrules]

36 minutes ago, Miami007 said:

If UAE doesn't want their citizens to travel to Thailand, how long will it be until their airlines stop flying there?

The UAE government surely doesn't want a bunch of Europeans coming from Thailand and linger in the airport waiting for connecting flights or take a stopover in Dubai 

Only a matter of time until the flights will get suspended

Perhaps, but I believe a large number of their staff are foreigners.

[DJ54]

Suggest they organize a fleet of long tail boats bring in by sea...

i know my wife says I’m crazy e everyday....after she asks for money.

[fruitman]

42 minutes ago, Miami007 said:

If UAE doesn't want their citizens to travel to Thailand, how long will it be until their airlines stop flying there?

The UAE government surely doesn't want a bunch of Europeans coming from Thailand and linger in the airport waiting for connecting flights or take a stopover in Dubai 

Only a matter of time until the flights will get suspended

Well they wanted to be the hub between europe and asia...if they block my flight and bring me into problems i will NEVER EVER fly with them again....

[Jaggg88]

11 hours ago, tjo o tjim said:

12 hours ago, carabaothai said:

Strange..

Only 34 people here but banning Thailand like Korea (833, 7 dead), Italy (230, 6 dead)...

Strange... 

Kind of says how much they trust Thailand’s official numbers.

39 now - 2 more reported since this article was written but I suspect the numbers are much higher.

[Jumbo1968]

3 minutes ago, Jaggg88 said:

39 now - 2 more reported since this article was written but I suspect the numbers are much higher.

I thought it was 37 ?

i think they will drip feed the number of cases at the same time releasing  the number of people cured.

[WaveHunter]

3 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Both of you guys have made some real "iffy" comments I'm sorry to point out.

 

First off, very little is really known about the COVID-19 virus at this point.  Nothing is really known about whether it thrives better in cold or warm environment. 

 

Same is true for how it reacts outside of the body, and while there are some similarities with the SARS virus, COVID is a brand new coronavirus and you can't really say whether it reacts the same as SARS or not in this regard.  Some rough studies have suggested longer active time outside of the body than a few hours but nothing conclusive.

 

Smoking has not been definitely been shown to have an effect one way or another on getting the virus; only some statistical suggestions but from from being conclusive.

 

I don't think it is so irresponsible to say the COVID is more infectious than Influenza.  It actually could be much more infectious if some of the R0 studies that have been conducted lately prove to be correct.

 

The Basic Reproductive Number (R0) for Influenza (the 1918 pandemic strain) was 2.0 - 3.0 (median 1.8).  The median R0 for seasonal flu is 1.28

 

For Covid-19, it is not really well understood yet but most trusted estimates place the R0 between 2-3.  However, some studies indicate it could be as high as 6.6.

 

I get a lot of flack everytime I say this about the R0 possibly being that high, so here are the sources for that assertion:

 

•  Li, Qun and Guan, Xuhua and Wu, Peng and Wang, Xiaoye and Zhou, Lei and Tong, Yeqing and Ren, Ruiqi and Leung, Kathy S M and Lau, Eric H Y and Wong, Jessica Y and Xing, Xuesen and Xiang, Nijuan and Wu, Yang and Li, Chao and Chen, Qi and Li, Dan and Liu, Tian and Zhao, Jing and Li, Man and Tu, Wenxiao and Chen, Chuding and Jin, Lianmei and Yang, Rui and Wang, Qi and Zhou, Suhua and Wang, Rui and Liu, Hui and Luo, Yingbo and Liu, Yuan and Shao, Ge and Li, Huan and Tao, Zhongfa and Yang, Yang and Deng, Zhiqiang and Liu, Boxi and Ma, Zhitao and Zhang, Yanping and Shi, Guoqing and Lam, Tommy T Y and Wu, Joseph T K and Gao, George F and Cowling, Benjamin J and Yang, Bo and Leung, Gabriel M and Feng, Zijian (2020). "Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia". N Engl J Med. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2001316. PMID 31995857

 

• ^ Riou, Julien and Althaus, Christian L. (2020). "Pattern of early human-to-human transmission of Wuhan 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), December 2019 to January 2020". Eurosurveillance. 25 (4). doi:10.1101/2020.02.07.20021154. PMID 32019669.

 

• ^ "The Novel Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, is Highly Contagious and More Infectious Than Initially Estimated". doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.4.2000058.

 

The point really should be that COVID-19 is a highly dangerous and infectious pathogen by any benchmark, especially when you consider that it can be spread by asymptomatic people, many of which don't even realize they are infected.  What has happened on the Diamond Prince should make that very clear.

 

Again, this assertion that it can spread from asymptomatic people still seem controversial, but seriously, look at what's happening on the cruise ship (which has been described as a "floating petri dish of infection"), what is happening in South Korea, Japan, Iran, and of course, China.  It would be impossible to acknowledge the numbers without it being shed by asymptomatic people.

 

Anyway, I think it's safe to say this virus is dangerous without doubt.  All the details of how and why are just going to take time to really understand.

 

Sorry, I meant to say SARS-CoV-2 is a highly dangerous and infectious pathogen, not COVID-19 is a highly dangerous and infectious pathogen..  In other words, Sars-CoV-2 is the virus; COVID-19 is the disease.

 

 

Edited February 25, 2020 by WaveHunter

[Thomas Hannah]

Do you trust thailand to be telling the truth about how many cases or deaths.I for one do not.It looks like UAE does not trust them either.

[Jumbo1968]

1 minute ago, Thomas Hannah said:

Do you trust thailand to be telling the truth about how many cases or deaths.I for one do not.It looks like UAE does not trust them either.

I don’t disagree with you but it would be all over social media, there is only so much the government can cover up.

What they are doing is holding back the number of diagnosed cases, currently 600/700 awaiting results !

[bermondburi]

I was reading this thread earlier. I've got my family flying through Bahrain with Gulf on the way to the UK. I was worried so went to the local Gulf office where I am in Saudi to ask in person. Had to arrange the hotel for transit anyway. I mentioned about Kuwait, and the guy working told me that so long as the passenger has been in Thailand for more than 14 days and is exhibiting no symptoms then they're okay to travel. 

 

So that is Gulf air as of 1 hour ago. 

[sandrabbit]

4 hours ago, WaveHunter said:

Both of you guys have made some real "iffy" comments I'm sorry to point out.

 

First off, very little is really known about the COVID-19 virus at this point.  Nothing is really known about whether it thrives better in cold or warm environment. 

 

Same is true for how it reacts outside of the body, and while there are some similarities with the SARS virus, COVID is a brand new coronavirus and you can't really say whether it reacts the same as SARS or not in this regard.  Some rough studies have suggested longer active time outside of the body than a few hours but nothing conclusive.

 

Smoking has not been definitely been shown to have an effect one way or another on getting the virus; only some statistical suggestions but from from being conclusive.

 

I don't think it is so irresponsible to say the COVID is more infectious than Influenza.  It actually could be much more infectious if some of the R0 studies that have been conducted lately prove to be correct.

 

The Basic Reproductive Number (R0) for Influenza (the 1918 pandemic strain) was 2.0 - 3.0 (median 1.8).  The median R0 for seasonal flu is 1.28

 

For Covid-19, it is not really well understood yet but most trusted estimates place the R0 between 2-3.  However, some studies indicate it could be as high as 6.6.

 

I get a lot of flack everytime I say this about the R0 possibly being that high, so here are the sources for that assertion:

 

•  Li, Qun and Guan, Xuhua and Wu, Peng and Wang, Xiaoye and Zhou, Lei and Tong, Yeqing and Ren, Ruiqi and Leung, Kathy S M and Lau, Eric H Y and Wong, Jessica Y and Xing, Xuesen and Xiang, Nijuan and Wu, Yang and Li, Chao and Chen, Qi and Li, Dan and Liu, Tian and Zhao, Jing and Li, Man and Tu, Wenxiao and Chen, Chuding and Jin, Lianmei and Yang, Rui and Wang, Qi and Zhou, Suhua and Wang, Rui and Liu, Hui and Luo, Yingbo and Liu, Yuan and Shao, Ge and Li, Huan and Tao, Zhongfa and Yang, Yang and Deng, Zhiqiang and Liu, Boxi and Ma, Zhitao and Zhang, Yanping and Shi, Guoqing and Lam, Tommy T Y and Wu, Joseph T K and Gao, George F and Cowling, Benjamin J and Yang, Bo and Leung, Gabriel M and Feng, Zijian (2020). "Early Transmission Dynamics in Wuhan, China, of Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia". N Engl J Med. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2001316. PMID 31995857

 

• ^ Riou, Julien and Althaus, Christian L. (2020). "Pattern of early human-to-human transmission of Wuhan 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), December 2019 to January 2020". Eurosurveillance. 25 (4). doi:10.1101/2020.02.07.20021154. PMID 32019669.

 

• ^ "The Novel Coronavirus, 2019-nCoV, is Highly Contagious and More Infectious Than Initially Estimated". doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.4.2000058.

 

The point really should be that COVID-19 is a highly dangerous and infectious pathogen by any benchmark, especially when you consider that it can be spread by asymptomatic people, many of which don't even realize they are infected.  What has happened on the Diamond Prince should make that very clear.

 

Again, this assertion that it can spread from asymptomatic people still seem controversial, but seriously, look at what's happening on the cruise ship (which has been described as a "floating petri dish of infection"), what is happening in South Korea, Japan, Iran, and of course, China.  It would be impossible to acknowledge the numbers without it being shed by asymptomatic people.

 

Anyway, I think it's safe to say this virus is dangerous without doubt.  All the details of how and why are just going to take time to really understand.

 

I'm going to repeat a link, this is about a pathology professor in Hong Kong who had experience of SARS.

It was originally a private briefing for investment analysts. It might be nearly 2 weeks old but I think with his expertise it's still relevant.

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/coronavirus-expert-says-the-virus-will-burn-itself-out-in-about-6-months/679415

 

 

 

 

 

[sandrabbit]

from another article on accuweather 

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/coronavirus-cases-spike-in-south-korea-and-italy-sparking-new-fears/688516

 

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, there have been more worldwide new recoveries than new confirmations of coronaviruses cases for six straight days. On Feb. 22, more than 4,000 cases were deemed recovered, the highest recovery day on record for the virus. Around the world, there have been over 25,000 cases of recovery since the beginning of the outbreak.

For comparison, there have been an estimated 16 million cases, 160,000 hospitalizations and 9,400 deaths from the flu in the United States, according to CDC data, since Jan. 11, the date of the first reported fatality from COVID-19, as recorded by the China state media and shared by the Xinhua news agency.

 

[WaveHunter]

1 hour ago, sandrabbit said:

I'm going to repeat a link, this is about a pathology professor in Hong Kong who had experience of SARS.

It was originally a private briefing for investment analysts. It might be nearly 2 weeks old but I think with his expertise it's still relevant.

 

https://www.accuweather.com/en/health-wellness/coronavirus-expert-says-the-virus-will-burn-itself-out-in-about-6-months/679415

That's a very comforting viewpoint.  I sincerely hope he's correct in his assumptions, and that COVID-19 will react as he anticipates, because containment is not working right now and will not work from this point on.  Most experts agree that even the best containment efforts at this stage can only slow the outbreak down, not stop it. 

 

The opportunity to actually stop it by containment ended back in early December when appropriate actions weren't taken by the Chinese government, and close to 7 million people were able to leave Wuhan, and thereby seed the virus throughout China and abroad.  The "cat is out of the bag" now so to speak, and there's no changing that.

 

Even if he is correct,  6 months is a very long time.  If we have to go through 6 months of continued growth of this outbreak, that is conceivably millions of people becoming infected between now and then, even by conservative estimates.  Remember, we are only eight weeks into this right now and look where things are. 

 

Remember, COVID-19 has a doubling time of 6.4 days, and Basic Reproduction Number of anywhere from 2-3 or even may be higher in certain circumstances, according to some studies, as high as 6.6.  See this wiki if you don't believe it may be as high as 6.6  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number

 

And let's not forget the economic devastation that may likely occur as supply chain disruptions lead to depleted inventories of critical goods such as vital pharmaceuticals, and the effect that supply chain disruptions will have on the economies of weaker nations in general such as Venezuela or dozens of other already economically distressed countries all around the world.

 

Experts say China supplies almost 30% of the goods needed by all nations around the world.  You can't cut off that much supply without serious global repercussions.  This would be the first time in history that such a devastating supply chain disruption like this will occur, if it does.  The implications are just as frightening as the toll in human life may be.

 

Nearly 90% of the world's inventory of pharmaceuticals come from China.  Experts also say that if there is a major supply chain disruption, most nations have only about a 90 day supply of essential pharmaceuticals in inventory, which means most countries will run out just when they need them most if a pandemic really does pan out.

 

Somehow we always recover from disasters and crises, but at what cost.  This one is going to be far more costly in lives and in money than anyone thought it could be...I think. 

Edited February 25, 2020 by WaveHunter

[Perhaps2more]

covid-19

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

People who live in Thailand are more likely to die from road accidents than from coronavirus.

 

[sandrabbit]

9 minutes ago, WaveHunter said:

Experts say that supplies almost 30% of the goods needed by all nations.  You can't cut off that much supply without serious global repercussions.

I agree 100%, we live in a just in time world now, maybe my wife and I should stock up on some canned goods and pet food as apparently some survival experts say that good dog food will see humans through a crisis ( I think they mean sacks of dried food). We also have some fruit trees.

[Perhaps2more]

13 hours ago, Chivas said:

If Kuwait have suspended only a matter of hours before Qatar Oman Etihad Gulf Emirates follow suit

This could be fun lol

I don't think the Arab world is qualified to lead the rest of the world on how to behave or anything else.

[SaamBaht]

So why it the WHO praising the lying gangsters that run China? Wait, the WHO chief is from Ethiopia where China is building a great big spy-ah-research facility.  

[condobrit001]

51 minutes ago, Perhaps2more said:

covid-19

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

People who live in Thailand are more likely to die from road accidents than from coronavirus.

 

This is a totally invalid comparison. I you don't drive or otherwise use the roads you will not be at risk. If you walk to a supermarket, use the BTS/MRT, use bars and restaurants you will be at some risk.

[DrTuner]

Look at the bright side. Next time you go to holiday from Thailand to abroad, you get free 14 days of accomodation. If they let you in at all.

Edited February 25, 2020 by DrTuner

[DrTuner]

1 hour ago, sandrabbit said:

I agree 100%, we live in a just in time world now, maybe my wife and I should stock up on some canned goods and pet food as apparently some survival experts say that good dog food will see humans through a crisis ( I think they mean sacks of dried food). 

I've been eyeing that smoked chicken flavor my dog eats for a long time. Mmmm, chicken.

[fruitman]

44 minutes ago, condobrit001 said:

1 hour ago, Perhaps2more said:

covid-19

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

 

People who live in Thailand are more likely to die from road accidents than from coronavirus.

 

This is a totally invalid comparison. I you don't drive or otherwise use the roads you will not be at risk. If you walk to a supermarket, use the BTS/MRT, use bars and restaurants you will be at some risk.

Well you're also at high risk when you use a thai boat, bus, train, minivan....so yes this virus kills less people than thai traffic.