Officials forecast 400,000 COVID-19 cases in Thailand

[Miami007]

4 hours ago, Curmudgeon1 said:

Where did you get the piece of info?

Apple is re-opening all its stores in China, Chinese mask manufacturers who would not (weren't allowed to) export masks 10 days ago are now contacting people in the West and are offering masks for sale.  

[geriatrickid]

11 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

I think it is safe to say that we will all get it in one from or another. Eventually. just like any other strain of flu.

Except that this is not a strain of the flu. it is deadlier and is mutating faster than seasonal flu varieties. And we need not get it from one another. Social distancing will need to continue until a vaccine is rolled out in 18 months.  If not, millions will die before their time.

[CGW]

3 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

Social distancing will need to continue until a vaccine is rolled out in 18 months.  If not, millions will die before their time.

At least you are able to maintain a calm and rational POV 

Get a grip! 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

36 minutes ago, Miami007 said:

yes, i noticed that too... so masks protect the healthcare worker because they are in close contact... I'd guess that it may be even more protection for a person who has casual exposure in the general population..

 

 

Indeed, but with the important caveat... IF the general public wearer fits the mask properly, puts it on and takes it off properly, and follows other hygiene protocols like regular handwashing, avoiding touching face, etc etc.

 

[SometimezaGreatNotion]

Silver lining for Chiang Mai: the PM2.5 pollution density levels are probably lethal enough to sterilize microbiological threats like COVID-19.

[Allset]

Oh really by the end of next year huh are they looking at a crystal ball? 

[El Matador]

It feels good to be in Vietnam right now.

Thailand is not great to fight the virus but let's be honest, Western countries have been disasters against coronavirus. They don't even have enough masks for doctors in some places.

 

[outsider]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

Health officials in Thailand have forecast that at least 400,000 people may be diagnosed with the coronavirus, COVID-19, by the end of next year.

 

End of next year? I thought you super-gits can get it under control in three months. Or something like that.

[Allset]

1 hour ago, El Matador said:

It feels good to be in Vietnam right now.

Thailand is not great to fight the virus but let's be honest, Western countries have been disasters against coronavirus. They don't even have enough masks for doctors in some places.

 

Or maybe start shipping street cleaners and stuff to China. Oh and most of Africa. 

[4MyEgo]

13 hours ago, Jacobi Barnes said:

Health insurance won't cover coronavirus, even for Thais. You would need to buy special coronavirus health insurance to get coverage. New rules, look it up before spouting nonsense. It would be utterly absurd for a farang to purchase health insurance as a ) Thai health insurance companies will make a million excuses as to why they won't cover you so good luck. b) the out of pocket costs for healthcare are meager at best in Thailand and I think "most" farangs here have plenty of savings and can handle an emergency when one arises. If you don't have emergency savings, you really have no business living outside of your home country. c) if you're a healthy person with a strong immune system, you won't even know that you have the virus. Most people will react like this guy who is asymptomatic https://www.nba.com/article/2020/03/16/donovan-mitchell-interview-says-asymptomatic

Who is spouting nonsense ?

 

I have two policies one for the family and one for me which covers a pre-existing condition of which both insurers (International) will cover if I am hospitalised.

 

I see no new rules on the net nor have I been advised by the insurers that the goal posts have been moved, perhaps you would like to back up what you state with a link which is relevant ?

[Peter Denis]

15 hours ago, Jacobi Barnes said:

Health insurance won't cover coronavirus, even for Thais. You would need to buy special coronavirus health insurance to get coverage. New rules, look it up before spouting nonsense. It would be utterly absurd for a farang to purchase health insurance as a ) Thai health insurance companies will make a million excuses as to why they won't cover you so good luck. b) the out of pocket costs for healthcare are meager at best in Thailand and I think "most" farangs here have plenty of savings and can handle an emergency when one arises. If you don't have emergency savings, you really have no business living outside of your home country. c) if you're a healthy person with a strong immune system, you won't even know that you have the virus. Most people will react like this guy who is asymptomatic https://www.nba.com/article/2020/03/16/donovan-mitchell-interview-says-asymptomatic

Hmmmm...

A compatriot of mine contacted his insurer who confirmed that all Corona-virus associated health-costs would be fully re-imbursed.

Your point b) about being able to self-insure as healthcare costs in Thailand are low is only partially true.  Broken arm/leg or dengue-treatment > no problem.  But for catastrophic events like being paralysed or needed heart surgery, the costs would ruin you and devastate your present life-style when not being well-insured. And of course I am talking about real insurance and not the 400K max coverage the thai IO-approved health-insurance policies mandatory when applying/extending your OA Visa.

 

Edited March 19, 2020 by Peter Denis

[johnarth]

well the truth is in there in a funny way, my wife and I have just got over one hell of a case of flue, our doctor told us no not the flue you have smoke problem from the grass fires, NOW the good news China no longer has the virus, hate to think what they did to stop it just like that.

[lkn]

18 hours ago, Rudie k said:

34200 deaths in the 2018-2019 Flu season (normal Influenza)....divide that by 365 days in a year and we get 94 deaths a day...as of today America has had 171 deaths since January. Here is what you should be comparing this to

What your comparison fails to account for is the exponential spread of COVID-19 (if strong measures are not taken).

 

The U.S. had 15 known cases 30 days ago, today that number is 14,372, which is almost a doubling every 2nd day, so it won’t take long for majority of the population to get it, and the mortality rate, based on data from other countries, are 3-4%. The hospitals will be overloaded, making it impossible to provide proper treatment to everyone infected, so we are looking at potentially million of deaths in the U.S. alone (if no precautions are taken to stop/slow the spread).

 

So your 34,200 deaths from the common flu is peanuts compared to this.

[TheAppletons]

On 3/18/2020 at 5:21 PM, 4MyEgo said:

I have two policies one for the family and one for me which covers a pre-existing condition of which both insurers (International) will cover if I am hospitalised.

 

I see no new rules on the net nor have I been advised by the insurers that the goal posts have been moved, perhaps you would like to back up what you state with a link which is relevant ?

  The coronavirus is not a pre-existing condition, i.e., you didn't have the coronavirus infection prior to purchasing the policy.  

 

  That said, if you purchased your insurance from a reputable health insurer, you're likely covered for medical expenses incurred due to coronavirus health care treatment. 

 

  On the other hand, if one relies upon travel insurance for health care coverage, many of those policies have exclusions for pandemics.

[fusion58]

On 3/18/2020 at 9:52 AM, webfact said:

On Tuesday, the Thai government announced that all schools and entertainment venues will close in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces. Pattaya and Phuket have also announced that its bars, nightclubs and entertainment venues will be closed until 31 March.

 

But not CW? One of the worst viral incubators imaginable?

 

Thailand: Where logic goes to die.

 

 

[4MyEgo]

9 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

  The coronavirus is not a pre-existing condition, i.e., you didn't have the coronavirus infection prior to purchasing the policy.  

 

  That said, if you purchased your insurance from a reputable health insurer, you're likely covered for medical expenses incurred due to coronavirus health care treatment. 

 

  On the other hand, if one relies upon travel insurance for health care coverage, many of those policies have exclusions for pandemics.

Yes aware of that thanks, two policies meaning one for the family and one for me as I have a pre-existing condition which the insurer that I use with for the family won't cover, nor others for that matter.

 

As you say, if the insurer is a reputable health insurer, they will pay medical expenses incurred due to the Covid-19, but both policies state that one must be admitted for more than 24 hours, and be notified beforehand if possible.

[morrobay]

On 3/18/2020 at 1:15 PM, brucegoniners said:

What a bunch of jerk offs. They have no freaking idea. 400K? 10 million? 16 million? Common. Come up with solution, not stupid predictions that have no basis in fact.

The fact that R0,s in hot and humid climates are about 1.5 and in other climates at least 2.5. So in 4 generations (outgoing infection periods) 1.5^4 = 5 infections. And 2.5^4 = 39 . So Thailand is going to be OK in general. The stadium infections were very close clustered contagion. Again this low R0 is the only fact I can imagine that Pattaya is not full of cases.

[Perhaps2more]

15 hours ago, fusion58 said:

 

But not CW? One of the worst viral incubators imaginable?

 

Thailand: Where logic goes to die.

 

 

Most people recover completely from the Coronavirus. It is contagious but not deadly.

 

Coronavirus  ... AGE - DEATH RATE
all cases
80+ years old     14.8%
70-79 years old  8.0%
60-69 years old  3.6%
50-59 years old   1.3%
40-49 years old   0.4%
30-39 years old   0.2%
20-29 years old   0.2%
10-19 years old    0.2%
0-9 years old   no fatalities

[CGW]

11 hours ago, 4MyEgo said:

As you say, if the insurer is a reputable health insurer, they will pay medical expenses incurred due to the Covid-19, but both policies state that one must be admitted for more than 24 hours, and be notified beforehand if possible.

My insurer sent a note stating that all expenses are covered. If its less than 24 hour hospitalisation there would be no cover as I never took that option, is how I understand it.

[30la]

Spread even more panic, what you have done up to now with the help of the media should be enough ...

[Fex Bluse]

On 3/18/2020 at 12:17 PM, NCC1701A said:

but but but the experts on this forum said this would not happen in Thailand.

 

i was specificity assured this would not happen. 

 

something about it being too hot. 

 

WEAR A MASK

Lots of very poorly educated and gullible old farangs around. The kind who believe deep in their hearts that the 20 year old Thai bar girl really does find them handsome. 

 

I am looking forward to this opportunity to see them cheerleading for their adopted country as everything falls apart. 

 

Let's see how loyal they are when Thai incompetence finally threatens them directly. 

 

Can't wait 

[pokerface1]

So with 400,000 people confirmed to have been tested positive for the virus at the cost 10,000 baht per test that's 4,000,000,000 baht a lottery win for the hospital no doubt. I hope the government are making sure that money is going straight back into the health care system as it starts flowing in and not into brown paper envelopes. Then of course there's the unofficial number of poor people who can't afford the test the mind boggles at what that could be.  

[404error]

By the end of next year? ???? probably the dark number by april this year..

[metisdead]

Off topic deflection posts and replies have been removed. 

[SantiSuk]

On 3/18/2020 at 9:58 AM, ianezy0 said:

People are also urged to wear a face mask when outside.......

 

Back to this old chestnut again!

I dislike conspiracy theories generally. I will simply record that I recall many of these pop-up virus experts in the very early days on international news TV (CNN and BBC World) saying that wearing masks was a good idea to stop you spreading the disease and stop you touching your own face. With the lack of mask availability globally and the need to reserve (the more effective ones) for medical pros this seemed to morph into 'masks are a waste of time' and certainly this seems to have been embraced by TV.com members.

 

Personally I'm wearing one when I go out but it's not anti-viral (not available) - my supply is one from the pm2.5 days of a Bangkok visit in January - and I don't recall even in the early days experts saying that the anti-viral masks will stop viruses getting to you. Nonetheless, if someone coughs or sneezes in my direction and droplets come onto my mask I'm gonna hold my breath rip it off and head to the nearest wash facility; might be marginally advantageous!

[SantiSuk]

I'm 69 and with 3 co-morbidities so I don't take kindly to the naysayers who imply that the global death rate stats are an acceptable cull.

 

I'm naturally interested in the Thai death rate of 1, which is replicated in a number of hot countries of SE and South Asia (and Africa). OK, Singapore is a bit of an outlier.

 

People say the death rate in Thailand is manipulated. Would protagonists of this theory please explain how the government is preventing families of all these unrecorded dead people from blowing the whistle on a government that seems to be widely disliked? Would protagonists also please explain how the government have muzzled every doctor in the land in every public and private hospital by convincing them to lie to relatives about the affliction they had while under hospital care and convincing them to lie about the cause of death. I would add that a government that finds itself in an uncomfortable popularity position would not sensibly take the risk of being found out - it's a potential mass riots/reverse coup recipe. OK - that's the weakest of my points

 

As with most conspiracy theories, for me it does not stand up to reasonable due diligence. Maybe it's personal hope but my money is on the temperature amelioration effect.

Edited March 22, 2020 by SantiSuk

[dinsdale]

On 3/18/2020 at 9:58 AM, ianezy0 said:

People are also urged to wear a face mask when outside.......

 

Back to this old chestnut again!

It's actually a god idea. You may have the virus and this will help prevent spreading to other people or someone may cough or sneeze on you and although masks will not prevent you getting it it may minimize the amount of contagion your body gets. This may give your body a better chance of fighting it.

[ianezy0]

16 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

It's actually a god idea. You may have the virus and this will help prevent spreading to other people or someone may cough or sneeze on you and although masks will not prevent you getting it it may minimize the amount of contagion your body gets. This may give your body a better chance of fighting it.

Hi Dinsdale, I wholly agree with you. I also constantly wear a mask when out my condo. The sarcastic comment was because of the differing advice to wear or not to wear one and the pics of the minister not wearing a mask, half wearing a mask or wearing a mask ???? 

I also believe it is respectful to the Thais to wear one.

Edited March 22, 2020 by ianezy0

[cardinalblue]

How much is your bridge? Will you include annual maintenance?

[SantiSuk]

1 hour ago, ianezy0 said:

Hi Dinsdale, I wholly agree with you. I also constantly wear a mask when out my condo. The sarcastic comment was because of the differing advice to wear or not to wear one and the pics of the minister not wearing a mask, half wearing a mask or wearing a mask ???? 

I also believe it is respectful to the Thais to wear one.

Agree with the cultural sensitivity point ianezyo. Some falang seem to like the cocking a snook at the Thais/I know better than (I'm superior to) them concept of not wearing a mask.