Thai government gets high marks for its handling of coronavirus pandemic

[ChrisKC]

1 hour ago, malibukid said:

the traditional South East Asian little meat, fruits, vegetables diet probably plays an important role.  people are just healthier.  the Western diet is all about meat, meat, meat.  potato,, junk food, sugar sugar sugar. diary on and on

That might have been true 40 years ago but now, South East Asia, in particular Thailand, eats a lot of meat

( much of it processed), sometimes three times a day, a few fruits and very little quantity of real vegetables, in many cases a few leaves count as vegetables. In restaurants, very little vegetables served in any meals and of those containing them, much is over-cooked.

look around the shops, the people, you see meat everywhere, sugar sugar in and on everything

[Hoppyone]

7 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Mass testing that was not, and still not has been, carried out ???????????????

Anyway most people not understand the questions 

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

What date was the first confirmed case in Thailand ?

What date were international arrivals, even from a few high risk countries, banned ?

Do you really think he did a good job ? Or do you think he is a joke leader and just love a good wind up of other TVF members ????

Steven winds you all up about getting p!ssed, so he is probably winding you about how good the PM has been for the coronavirus.  ????

[GeniusFarang]

Are people really this dumb? Do they really think that Covid is anything to be scared about? 
 

I think a lot of the sheep Aussies are on here fear mongering the the lame ass Covid Hoax. Oh no! A 99.9% survival rate!! It’s horrible!! Close down businesses! Close down tourism! Wear face masks! 
 

These are all the bubble boys and girls that never played sports or played outside as kids. I blame their parents for raising pure stupidity. 

[lensta]

22 minutes ago, Shocked farang said:

Does anyone know what will be the requirements for foreigners once the international flights restart in June? Will there be any quarantine or need for Covid19 insurance and medical certificate? Thank you in advance.

Who said international flights were resuming in June??

 

[Shocked farang]

2 minutes ago, lensta said:

Who said international flights were resuming in June??

 

Yes, they will. That doesn't mean that all the flights previously scheduled will happen as there are very few passengers willing to travel. Just check with the site of the airline.

[Youlike]

Well the CCP also got high marks from the WHO for it's handling of the virus....keeping it quiet for 6 days is what caused it to spread worldwide, well done CCP! And thanks but no thanks.

[NightSky]

6 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Proves how single minded it gets, there's no comment of the knock on consequences, companies closing, people losing jobs, food queues, people dying not going to hospital

As you already know its the 'Thai' way....

 

Edited May 4, 2020 by NightSky

[SVC Porter]

31 minutes ago, Shocked farang said:

Yes, they will. That doesn't mean that all the flights previously scheduled will happen as there are very few passengers willing to travel. Just check with the site of the airline.

I'm hoping to still take up work in Aug/Sept.....I can see and book flights out with a number of airlines for mid Aug and at a reasonable cost.  Cathay for eg....though the weird thing is whilst the flight travels from Ireland to BKK via HK their website says no transit through HK allowed!  Why show the route as bookable if you cannot fly it?

 

In other news If I don't make it out there I'm unemployed for a year ????

[DirtyHarry55]

50 minutes ago, unamazedloso said:

Ok... it started off so so... BUT i do commend prayut for visa amnesty and lockdown and such. A lot of mistakes were made with allowing chinese planes to continue to land here and such but i feel they realised their mistakes and for the first time i admire prayuts stance. Let me just say i find it hard to be honest and nice with this guy but do a good deed and it shouldn't go unnoticed!!

They waited far too long before they started the Visa Amnesty many tourists lives were unnecessarily being put at risk waiting in crowded immgration cues but they made a packet collecting Visa Extension Fees and overstay fines. But hey yea they got around to eventually well done.

[peter48]

4 hours ago, tribalfusion001 said:

I'm back in the UK now and I don't know anyone who has been confirmed with it, my 87 year mother also doesn't know anyone has tested positive either and no one on my Facebook has mentioned it.

 

The figures in Thailand are dubious to say the least, when I was there 6 weeks ago I didn't know anyone who had it and didn't seem a problem either. The lockdown in Thailand has caused millions of people to lose their jobs with very little government support and when the furlough scheme ends in the UK then millions of people will be unemployed.

Come on, were at 28,446 Covid  deaths in UK - Sunday's figures. Its been a catastrophe for UK at 2nd worse deaths on earth. PM Johnson is responsible for this. Too slow to lock down in March , too little PPE, shocking deaths in elderly care homes which were left for too long, unprotected medics in early weeks. Compared to higher spending, better health care systems in Germany, the UK figures are truly shocking. Ethnic minorities, the inner city poor , over 70s/80s, over weight , high blood pressure etc like USA were most vulnerable. 

 

Now why Thailand got off so lightly will be a mystery for ever especially Bangkok compared with say London, Paris , Milan, New York, Madrid. Of course Europe tested more. Were some untested deaths in some Asian countries being recorded as viral Pneumonia? Certainly Italy, Spain and UK have many more elderly in Urban areas compared to Asia? The lock down saved 100,000s of lives in thses countries. This is a nasty, viscous virus,  that has high 'infectivity' and having coming from Bats whose anti-virus systems are strong it found humans an easy target. It has infected by today in the world 3,476,021 ( nearly 3.5 Million) and killed nearly 250,000 humans by today. (FT). Be aware - the young generally OK but the over 55s etc take care. 

[tomauasia]

Yeah yeah and there's no heroin traffickers in parliament and no prostitutes in Thailand. Yes we have handled it well. Left people starving with a hope of 5000.

[Dogmatix]

The government is awarding itself high marks.  For what? 

 

Letting in 55,000 package tourists from Wuhan when it was already known the virus was raging there? 

 

Doing very limited testing and having no plan to ramp up to mass testing? 

 

Not providing sufficient PPE for hospitals but allowing profiteering and export of PPE by politicians and the politically connected?

 

Doing very little to prepare additional ICU capacity, so that the healthcare system would be overwhelmed, in the event of exponential growth of infections?

 

Letting returnees from Korea, where the virus was raging, disappear?

 

Allowing a mass exodus of Thais and foreign workers from Bangkok and other cities?

 

Muddled policies over lockdowns, holidays?  

 

Stranding Thais and foreign residents overseas?

 

Spending 0.6% of GDP to bailout the national airline that was already bankrupt, using COVID as an excuse?

 

Grudgingly handing out less than the THAI bailout amount to the poor who have nothing to eat as a result of the lockdowns.?

 

The government deserves high marks for being lucky.  That's all.  It might not be so lucky in the second and third waves.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Dogmatix

[blazes]

20 minutes ago, peter48 said:

Come on, were at 28,446 Covid  deaths in UK - Sunday's figures. Its been a catastrophe for UK at 2nd worse deaths on earth. PM Johnson is responsible for this. Too slow to lock down in March , too little PPE, shocking deaths in elderly care homes which were left for too long, unprotected medics in early weeks. Compared to higher spending, better health care systems in Germany, the UK figures are truly shocking. Ethnic minorities, the inner city poor , over 70s/80s, over weight , high blood pressure etc like USA were most vulnerable. 

 

Now why Thailand got off so lightly will be a mystery for ever especially Bangkok compared with say London, Paris , Milan, New York, Madrid. Of course Europe tested more. Were some untested deaths in some Asian countries being recorded as viral Pneumonia? Certainly Italy, Spain and UK have many more elderly in Urban areas compared to Asia? The lock down saved 100,000s of lives in thses countries. This is a nasty, viscous virus,  that has high 'infectivity' and having coming from Bats whose anti-virus systems are strong it found humans an easy target. It has infected by today in the world 3,476,021 ( nearly 3.5 Million) and killed nearly 250,000 humans by today. (FT). Be aware - the young generally OK but the over 55s etc take care. 

 

Bats in China, it's worth adding.

[blazes]

My wife's father (78) was in hospital in Korat at the same time as Boris was in London.  He was at death's door, in ICU on a ventilator, and had pneumonia (as the hospital reported it to the family).   Everyone was ready to see him go.

 

The hospital said he did not have Covid-19. (So, where did the pneumonia come from?  an allergic reaction to something? maybe, but....)

 

Ten days later he was out of hospital and sitting at home.

 

Maybe he was one of the lucky ones....but I strongly believe that the family were fobbed off with a story they preferred to hear....

The point of the anecdote surely is: be sceptical of all "official stories".

Edited May 4, 2020 by blazes

[Chiang Mai Bill]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nah, it's only to do with indoor/outdoor living.

Those countries where people congregate inside (air-con and/or central heating) have high infection rates.

Those countries where people mainly live in the open air don't.

 

Recirculating air is a bad idea.

And few in Thailand use air-conditioning?  And when I see the throngs who escape the heat and visit the air-conditioned malls on a weekend to wander around is an . . . illusion then!

[Almer]

7 hours ago, cdmtdm said:

go and survey the villages in Isaan to get the true numbers ...

To save me the bother can you fill us in please ?

[Greg O]

There will not and cannot be any true numbers,use your good sense and if not comfortable just stay home ...It doesn't matter the next infrux of repats has started and another round of semi random testing (based on tracing) will restart this week. 

[Ricebarnandrooms]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

assistance provided to help ease the resulting economic hardships.

Really?  What exactly? 

[robsamui]

`The "excellent manner in which the Thai government handled the Covid-19 outbreak"?
A conclusion arrived at by 1,800 people - out of 67 million - who just happened to be walking past a big-city university over a 2-day period?

The fact that this laughable excuse of a student project is utterly non-representative of public opinion appears to have been ignored by both the academics at the university ("a Thai academic" - there's an oxymoron if ever there was one!) and also the editor of a national newspaper, who must have been having a slow news day.

Lets just look at what the government actually DID - and in this case a distinction must be drawn between proactive positive action and attainment, and a passive, inactive role. In other words, what they did, rather than what they didn't do.

 

January: while the epidemic in China was out of control in Wuhan, and major nations were limiting air travel and restricting incoming flights from China, Thailand turned a blind eye. To celebrate the Chinese New Year, flight and hotel discount packages were announced, even though Thailand saw the first Covid-19 infection appear on January 13th.

February: while the rest of the world began to quarantine anyone coming out of China, Thailand took no action and actually waived the visa fees to try to encourage more Chinese tourism. The government announced 40 cases of infection but did not set up public testing or prevent Chinese tourists from entering. There were no efforts to restrict or limit public gatherings, meetings or travel. 

March: on 4th March the government ordered all hospitals to cease recording and reporting on any Covid-19 or pneumonia  cases, after 6,000 cases of "viral pneumonia" had been announced at the end of February. Public gatherings were banned in Bangkok on March 6th after a boxing match gave rise to over 100 reported infections. But it took until March 26th to declare a State of Emergency and extend  this to all provinces. The government still did nothing to introduce any organised testing or emergency treatment plans, but promised to arrange a monthly cash payment for the near future instead. 

April: night-curfew announced. Government bans alcohol sales. A one-time-only 5,000 baht compensation payment was announced on April 17th, with the Prime Minister apologising because the "government doesn't have enough money to make ongoing monthly payments". Confusion ensued as there was no central organisation and each province was left to manage this payment, with the majority not doing so.

"So - what did your government actually DO in the war, daddy?"

"Well, son, it tried to get as many Chinese tourists as possible still coming, and actually paid them a visa-waiver to try to get this to happen. It told anyone who thought they had Covid-19 to go home to their families and wait to see what happened. It banned hospitals reporting infection statistics. It allowed private hospitals to offer instant Covid tests for 25,000 baht while avoiding setting up free effective public testing for its citizens.

It took people's temperatures at airports. It stopped people gathering together. It banned alcohol sales and introduced a night curfew.

It also continued to levy fines for overstay on stranded foreigners, right up to the last moment. It promised all citizens a 5,000 baht monthly payment, which didn't happen. It stood by and watched while many dozens of groups of foreigners all over the nation organised donations, established food points and gave out free food, drink and clothing to suffering Thai people - and even broke up these "assemblies" in a number of provinces as they contravened the current emergency laws."

"But what did it actually DO, daddy?"

"DO, son? Why it produced a country with hardly any infections or deaths . . . you only have to look at the government statistics to see this! And I read it in the paper just today that at least 1,800 of its citizens have given their government high marks for everything!"
 

Edited May 4, 2020 by robsamui

[off road pat]

9 hours ago, SkyFax said:

The Covid-19 Riddle: Why Does the Virus Wallop Some Places and Spare Others?

Experts are trying to figure out why the coronavirus is so capricious. The answers could determine how to best protect ourselves and how long we have to.   May 3, 2020 Updated 11:28 a.m. ET

The coronavirus has touched almost every country on earth, but its impact has seemed capricious. Global metropolises like New York, Paris and London have been devastated, while teeming cities like Bangkok, Baghdad, New Delhi and Lagos have, so far, largely been spared. ...

 

Cultural factors, like the social distancing that is built into certain societies, may give some countries more protection, epidemiologists said.

In Thailand and India, where virus numbers are relatively low, people greet each other at a distance, with palms joined together as in prayer. In Japan and South Korea, people bow, and long before the coronavirus arrived, they tended to wear face masks when feeling unwell.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/03/world/asia/coronavirus-spread-where-why.html

Thank you for posting this article. It's very interesting and I have forwarded it to my friends and family !

Best Regards.

[Winky Wilson]

Thailand made a strategic plan of attack based on health over wealth. The strict enforcement of the public servants here and compliance of the people is  unmatched by any nation other than China. The western nations    were too confident about their “superior health care” and failed.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Winky Wilson

[GAZZPA]

I thought they failed to lockdown the country that was the source of the virus? Also didn't the PM promise 5k to the people that needed it?

 

Anyway, this is all about giving themselves a self pat on the back for the sake of image and face. completely irrelevant. I hope the Thai people who really need to urgently get back to work can all do so soon, their kids need feeding!

[GAZZPA]

57 minutes ago, Winky Wilson said:

Thailand made a strategic plan of attack based on health over wealth. The strict enforcement of the public servants here and compliance of the people is  unmatched by any nation other than China. The western nations    were too confident about their “superior health care” and failed.

You really are totally clueless. I absolutely believe that claim the climate of Thailand and all other sub tropical and tropical climates are experiencing far less issues with the virus because of their climates and in the case of Thailand have very little, if anything to do with expert handling. If you are there you are very fortunate for that reason only.

 

As for health, after living in Thailand and experiencing the healthcare system I would rather be in the UK any day of the week. The superior health care system here was not confidently relied on to deal with the huge increase in very sick patients, extra hospital beds were created at huge expense very very quickly. Thankfully they have not really been needed as yet because the superior healthcare system has coped with the increase.

 

If Thailand had the outbreak that Europe had you would be in very serious trouble. I can just imagine the hospitals with a bucket at reception asking for your initial 20k to walk in to get help. A similar thing happened to my friend who suffered renal failure after an infection in Thailand, it was cash first, treatment later. He could have died for goodness sake, he went home as soon as he could to get some decent healthcare.

 

 

[DrTuner]

I've never heard of anyone I know ever mention being in these polls. Does anybody here know even one person who was asked something?

 

People working at Suan Dusit don't count.

[transam]

1 hour ago, Winky Wilson said:

Thailand made a strategic plan of attack based on health over wealth. The strict enforcement of the public servants here and compliance of the people is  unmatched by any nation other than China. The western nations    were too confident about their “superior health care” and failed.

Lao, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam did better doing virtually nothing, was it that..?

[Greg O]

Excellent description Robsamui ! Such hipocrites but then again they aren't taught nor do they practice integrity, always blame and " save face" just narcissists . 

[transam]

3 hours ago, peter48 said:

Come on, were at 28,446 Covid  deaths in UK - Sunday's figures. Its been a catastrophe for UK at 2nd worse deaths on earth. PM Johnson is responsible for this. Too slow to lock down in March , too little PPE, shocking deaths in elderly care homes which were left for too long, unprotected medics in early weeks. Compared to higher spending, better health care systems in Germany, the UK figures are truly shocking. Ethnic minorities, the inner city poor , over 70s/80s, over weight , high blood pressure etc like USA were most vulnerable. 

 

Now why Thailand got off so lightly will be a mystery for ever especially Bangkok compared with say London, Paris , Milan, New York, Madrid. Of course Europe tested more. Were some untested deaths in some Asian countries being recorded as viral Pneumonia? Certainly Italy, Spain and UK have many more elderly in Urban areas compared to Asia? The lock down saved 100,000s of lives in thses countries. This is a nasty, viscous virus,  that has high 'infectivity' and having coming from Bats whose anti-virus systems are strong it found humans an easy target. It has infected by today in the world 3,476,021 ( nearly 3.5 Million) and killed nearly 250,000 humans by today. (FT). Be aware - the young generally OK but the over 55s etc take care. 

You a Labour Party member.......?

 

Doesn't any PM act on what he is being told by his experts in the field.....?

 

Are you a Doctor....?

[tomauasia]

1 hour ago, GAZZPA said:

You really are totally clueless. I absolutely believe that claim the climate of Thailand and all other sub tropical and tropical climates are experiencing far less issues with the virus because of their climates and in the case of Thailand have very little, if anything to do with expert handling. If you are there you are very fortunate for that reason only.

 

As for health, after living in Thailand and experiencing the healthcare system I would rather be in the UK any day of the week. The superior health care system here was not confidently relied on to deal with the huge increase in very sick patients, extra hospital beds were created at huge expense very very quickly. Thankfully they have not really been needed as yet because the superior healthcare system has coped with the increase.

 

If Thailand had the outbreak that Europe had you would be in very serious trouble. I can just imagine the hospitals with a bucket at reception asking for your initial 20k to walk in to get help. A similar thing happened to my friend who suffered renal failure after an infection in Thailand, it was cash first, treatment later. He could have died for goodness sake, he went home as soon as he could to get some decent healthcare.

 

 

Thai numbers are fake. China is much worse. CCP rest my case.

[DavisH]

12 hours ago, jaiyen said:

What pathetic rubbish !  A poll asks 1800 Thai people what they think about the handling of the pandemic and the figures say they are satisfied !  The rest of the world thinks completely the opposite. Have a look at South and Western Australia if you want to see good results. Didn't need to do a fixed poll to see good figures. The people made it happen

 

LOL and what is the population density in WA and SA???? Australia's infection rate is not all that impressive - only massive fines made people do the right thing there.