COVID-19: Thailand adds UK, USA and others to list of high risk countries - new “self-monitoring” measure for travellers

[mbenson]

37 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

I believe that the story concerning an increase in viral pneumonia cases was never substantiated, it certainly faded away quickly enough.

 

What's different with this virus is that it survives particularly poorly in the Thai climate, hot and humid conditions. Also, It doesn't contaminate by direct airborne contamination but by contact contamination. Shaking hands seems to be one of the most common forms of cross contamination in Europe. Thais don't shake hands, they wai at a respectful distance. Quite the opposite of the social etiquette in, say, Italy.

Yes,but why then do Malaysia and Singapore have over twice as many cases as Thailand? Both have lower populations than Thailand and I believe far fewer foreign visitors. It doesn't add up. Hence, I question the notion that the climate is making this much difference. I believe that Thailand is under reporting, either intentionally or because they have not been able to the testing required to get it right.

As for the "wai" hypothesis, they sure seem to share a lot of glasses and cigarettes... Handshakes are not the only form of intimate social contact.

Edited March 14, 2020 by mbenson

[EricTh]

5 minutes ago, mbenson said:

Yes,but why then do Malaysia and Singapore have over twice as many cases as Thailand? 

Yes, it is really strange because Thailand has the largest number of Chinese tourists out of these three.

 

The top 10 destinations for Chinese tourists is in the link below. Guess which country is number one..... Thailand!!

 

https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/201902/27/WS5c75c041a3106c65c34eb8ce_11.html

Edited March 14, 2020 by EricTh

[sezze]

There is a slight option that they have a generic advantage , however i highly highly doubt it. For flu there is certainly a weather advantage , flu virus does not like hot weather . 2nd difference is the greeting which is at distance , normally kisses and handshake is only performed in tourist places , not in rural Thailand among Thais . 3th difference is people just die in Thailand . They are not tested nor recorded in 1 way or another . 4th difference is the generic advantage , since loads of people die of other conditions well before . Most Thais nearly never go hospital , they only go to die . They nearly never see a doctor in their life , besides motorbike/car crashes . Even then , why do you think so many Thais have bad scares ?, because it was home threated , not stitched up . This means theres less people of old old age or middle/young age with underlying conditions , which in fact are the ones in risk of dying of flu ( and Covid for that matter ) .

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, mbenson said:

Yes,but why then do Malaysia and Singapore have over twice as many cases as Thailand? Both have lower populations than Thailand and I believe far fewer foreign visitors. It doesn't add up. Hence, I question the notion that the climate is making this much difference. I believe that Thailand is under reporting, either intentionally or because they have not been able to the testing required to get it right.

As for the "wai" hypothesis, they sure seem to share a lot of glasses and cigarettes... Handshakes are not the only form of intimate social contact.

It's no mystery!

Testing here has been minimal. 
Every time a country begins more aggressive testing, the numbers go up, usually a lot.

 

[DannyCarlton]

Just now, mbenson said:

Yes,but why then do Malaysia and Singapore have over twice as many cases as Thailand? Both have lower populations than Thailand and I believe far fewer foreign visitors. It doesn't add up. Hence, I question the notion that the climate is making this much difference. I believe that Thailand is under reporting, either intentionally or because they have not been able to the testing required to get it right.

So where are the bodies? Where are the reports on social media or Thai visa of people dropping like flies?

 

Twice as many as Thailand is still insignificant. Try putting Italy's or S.Korea's figures into the equation. I'm not asying that there isn't any under reporting either deliberate or by incompetence but it doesn't appear to be an epidemic in Thailand.

[DannyCarlton]

2 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

It's no mystery!

Testing here has been minimal. 
Every time a country begins more aggressive testing, the numbers go up, usually a lot.

 

Testing has been even more minimal in the US.

[Logosone]

12 minutes ago, mbenson said:

Yes,but why then do Malaysia and Singapore have over twice as many cases as Thailand? Both have lower populations than Thailand and I believe far fewer foreign visitors. It doesn't add up. Hence, I question the notion that the climate is making this much difference. I believe that Thailand is under reporting, either intentionally or because they have not been able to the testing required to get it right.

This actually tallies with the data for influenza. Also more mortality of people in Hong Kong compared to Thailand.

Edited March 14, 2020 by Logosone

[JCP108]

12 minutes ago, EricTh said:

I think USA is now starting to give nation-wide Covid-19 test by next week. It isn't just a general medical cert but a Covid-19 test. Watch video below at 2:40 for the announcement.

 

 

Actually, most things he has said about this health crisis has been objectively not true so far. So, I wouldn't rely on his announcement of such to mean that those tests will be actually widely available on that schedule. 

[Isaanbiker]

Thailand's Department of Disease Control:

 

           https://ddc.moph.go.th/en/

[473geo]

23 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

I don't think that there would be much of a difference between Italy and Thailand there, in fact Italy has one of the highest average ages by population in the world.

Yes hence perhaps why the more rapid impact in Italy

As I said, if any country is not testing the dead, then the virus could easily be treading its way through a population killing off the weak and elderly if 'natural causes' for example are all that appears on a death certificate - would then be more about disclosure than inbuilt immunity

 

I am in the UK now and apart from the ridiculous self inflicted toilet roll/pasta and now biscuit shortage in the shops there is no direct impact for me, life goes on travel daily to work, don't know of anybody with CV19, no drama, don't expect the virus to kill me, don't see many masks at all, much the same as Thailand 

 

Oh wait my weekend football betting entertainment has been ruined!!! ???? perhaps we should move up to critical level!

[DannyCarlton]

Here's an article being passed around amongst medics in the UK regarding the possible effects of sunlight on Covid-19.

 

https://medium.com/@ra.hobday/coronavirus-and-the-sun-a-lesson-from-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-509151dc8065

 

"When new, virulent diseases emerge, such SARS and Covid-19, the race begins to find new vaccines and treatments for those affected. As the current crisis unfolds, governments are enforcing quarantine and isolation, and public gatherings are being discouraged. Health officials took the same approach 100 years ago, when influenza was spreading around the world. The results were mixed. But records from the 1918 pandemic suggest one technique for dealing with influenza — little-known today — was effective."

[Logosone]

Fresh air?

 

I live in Chiang Mai.

 

I'm so screwed.

[DannyCarlton]

1 minute ago, Logosone said:

Fresh air?

 

I live in Chiang Mai.

 

I'm so screwed.

I did say Pattaya was better! 555

[trainman34014]

5 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Here's an article being passed around amongst medics in the UK regarding the possible effects of sunlight on Covid-19.

 

https://medium.com/@ra.hobday/coronavirus-and-the-sun-a-lesson-from-the-1918-influenza-pandemic-509151dc8065

 

"When new, virulent diseases emerge, such SARS and Covid-19, the race begins to find new vaccines and treatments for those affected. As the current crisis unfolds, governments are enforcing quarantine and isolation, and public gatherings are being discouraged. Health officials took the same approach 100 years ago, when influenza was spreading around the world. The results were mixed. But records from the 1918 pandemic suggest one technique for dealing with influenza — little-known today — was effective."

The only way we can get 'fresh air' in Chiang Mai at the moment is be locked indoors with our Air Purifiers working flat out all day...which is exactly what we are doing !

[DannyCarlton]

1 minute ago, trainman34014 said:

The only way we can get 'fresh air' in Chiang Mai at the moment is be locked indoors with our Air Purifiers working flat out all day...which is exactly what we are doing !

I'm in Pattaya and even though I'm currently self isolating I spend an average of 15 hours per day outside.

[KhaoYai]

37 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

Surely, if if we were going to get hammered it would have happened by now?

You don't know that it hasn't and that it isn't continuing right now.

[Chazar]

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

More like none. 

The virus is here. 

The virus is everywhere. 

Its way too late to do travel bans. 

They are proven useless. 

 

But that doesn't mean do nothing. 

 

As the article states these models apply to any nation where the virus had already taken hold. Including Thailand. 

 

Time is of the essence! Thailand is already late in starting similarly to the USA. 

 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/03/13/opinion/coronavirus-trump-response.html

 

 

How Much Worse
the Coronavirus
Could Get, in Charts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/health-51881555/coronavirus-do-face-masks-actually-work

 

hype  it  up  as  much  as  you  like

[searcher22]

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Imagine the hotel reactions when tourists start saying they will quarantine themselves in their hotels for 14 days just in case - be immediately evicted at check in !

On the flip side, can hotels afford to turn away the few guests that show up?

[DannyCarlton]

41 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

You don't know that it hasn't and that it isn't continuing right now.

There's zero evidence that it is and plenty of indicators that it isn't, as I've explained.

[Neeranam]

I'm due to fly to UK for a month next week. 

If you were me, would you cancel? 

[DavisH]

9 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I'm due to fly to UK for a month next week. 

If you were me, would you cancel? 

798 cases there as we speak. That could be several thousand by this time next week if the trend is to continue. Personally, I wouldn't travel at this time. I will be delaying / cancelling my trip to Australia next month, also. 

[sezze]

Well , Belgium did bite the bullet . Negative traveladvice for ALL countries , news just came in , have to look in the final details but this means i wont be coming . Now i have to check what i can do to get ticket back or money back .

[Traubert]

23 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I'm due to fly to UK for a month next week. 

If you were me, would you cancel? 

Yeah of course,

 

I'd rather go to Wuhan. Or New York. (second choice)

[SAINT THOMAS]

My wife went to the clinic yesterday for the last time to have her wound from a nail hole cleaned.

 

The doctor asked her again if I was coming back from America soon my wife told her in a few months.

 

The doctor said good to wait for awhile since COVID-19 is all over Thailand.

 

Am I to believe the doctor or this government that puts Money ahead of its own people.

 

Anyone can see how the numbers are exploding in each country, but not in Thailand?

[Neeranam]

6 minutes ago, Traubert said:

Yeah of course,

 

I'd rather go to Wuhan. Or New York. (second choice)

Sorry, is this a joke?

[DavisH]

3 minutes ago, SAINT THOMAS said:

My wife went to the clinic yesterday for the last time to have her wound from a nail hole cleaned.

 

The doctor asked her again if I was coming back from America soon my wife told her in a few months.

 

The doctor said good to wait for awhile since COVID-19 is all over Thailand.

 

Am I to believe the doctor or this government that puts Money ahead of its own people.

 

Anyone can see how the numbers are exploding in each country, but not in Thailand?

And did your wife ask this doctor for the evidence of widespread infection? The MoPH's job is to report all known infections. Why weould the MoPH cover this up? I would suggest the US will be in a much worse situation in one month than Thailand will be. 

Edited March 14, 2020 by DavisH

[bangarang]

Any idea how this affects our regular border-runs on a non-o multi visa if we are a citizen of one of the countries on that list?

Im asking because im a US citizen and have until april 14th to do a border run for a new 90-day stamp. I would most-likely go to the andaman club by Ranong.

Edited March 14, 2020 by bangarang

[Mung]

12 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Sorry, is this a joke?

I second I'd rather be in Wuhan than the UK right now (currently in the UK myself) but NYC.. nah that's also a sinking ship. Plus I don't have the thousands of dollars to blow on the inevitable medial bills 

[Mung]

12 minutes ago, DavisH said:

And did your wife ask this doctor for the evidence of widespread infection? The MoPH's job is to report all known infections. Why weould the MoPH cover this up? I would suggest the US will be in a much worse situation in one month than Thailand will be. 

It already is now

[KhaoYai]

50 minutes ago, DannyCarlton said:

There's zero evidence that it is and plenty of indicators that it isn't, as I've explained.

If you believe anything that the Thai authorities say - good luck to you.

 

The first case in Thailand was confirmed on 13 January - I don't know of any other country that has taken no measures at all (talked a lot about them though) that in 2 months has only recorded 82 cases.

Edited March 14, 2020 by KhaoYai