Thailand reports three new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

[webfact]

Thailand reports three new coronavirus cases, no new deaths

 

FILE PHOTO: Reuters

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand on Thursday reported three new coronavirus infections and no new deaths, bringing the total to 3,037 confirmed cases and 56 fatalities since the outbreak started in January.

 

The new cases included two domestic transmissions and one infection found in quarantine in an individual returning to Thailand from the Philippines, said spokesman for the government's coronavirus task force, Taweesin Wisanuyothin.

 

(Reporting by Panu Wongcha-um; Editing by Martin Petty)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-05-21

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[webfact]

German man among three new Covid-19 cases

By The Nation

 

 

Three new Covid-19 cases were found over a 24-hour period but there were no deaths, Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, spokesman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration(CCSA), said on Thursday (May 21).

 

The total number of Covid-19 patients increased to 3,037.

 

All the new cases found in Bangkok and Chonburi; two in community areas while one patient, who had returned from the Philippines, was in state quarantine.

 

The first case is a Thai man, 72, who suffers from diabetes and lung cancer. He is being treated in a state hospital. He went to have a haircut at a salon on Prachachuen Road four days ago after which his symptoms start to show up on May 18.

 

The second case is a 42-year-old German man who lived in Bangkok but had gone to Chaiyaphum province from April 30 to May 16. His relative had a fever on May 8 but did not go to hospital. He also went to a shopping mall in Chaiyaphum during his stay. After returning to Bangkok, he went to check-up his health and was found to be infected on May 18.

 

The third case is a 25-year-old female student who had returned from the Philippines. She entered the state quarantine area on May 13 and was found to be infected on May 19 though none of the symptoms were visible.

 

Meanwhile, nine people have fully recovered and returned home.

 

As of May 21, the total number of confirmed cases in the country stood at 3,037 -- 84 are under treatment, 2,897 have recovered and been discharged, and there have been 56 deaths.

 

Globally, there have been more than 4.99 million confirmed cases and around 320,000 deaths.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30388242

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-05-21

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[ThailandRyan]

So much for Phase 3 and moving forward....

[smedly]

the two unrelated cases involving community spread means there are two more infected people somewhere and probably a lot more

[villageidiotY2K]

Is it just me that taweesins hair is turning greyer with that smiley face he's keeping? 

[Bkk Brian]

Community spread in Issan, Chaiyaphum, better get some testing underway in the provinces!!

[ThailandRyan]

24 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Community spread in Issan, Chaiyaphum, better get some testing underway in the provinces!!

It is what many of us on here have been saying for the last few weeks.  However, you have this government with it's head stuck in the dirt, and not ramping up the testing on a random basis throughout the country.  On top of that they want to get tourism up and running, but how many asymptomatic carriers are there no one knows about, or those who have symptoms but are to afraid to go and see a doctor, and would rather just waste away at home with family by their side until the end.  I unfortunately fear that this is what is happening in the provinces, and yet every time someone suggests this there are those that scream "Where are the piles of bodies" "Show me" and "It would be all over social media".  People need to actually wake up and be aware.  With one of the infected being an expat who went to a mall and shopping and the rest of his story, I fear how many have been in contact and may be infected now.  So at this juncture in time I will sit back and shut-up, I know that this post will be fodder for many.  Go ahead and flame away at my fears and beliefs.  I have already lost 4 family members since the end of February, and will never know if they were infected as they were never tested.  I have also lost 3 friends back in the USA who were positive with Covid.

Edited May 21, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[Guderian]

Ugh, sounds like it might be a good idea to make sure your booze stock at home is adequate.

 

OTOH, the two new community transmission cases should rattle a few cages. I think a lot of people were becoming complacent and wondering why things aren't back to normal already with no locally-spread cases in ages. Semper vigilans.

[SkyFax]

18 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

  I unfortunately fear that this is what is happening in the provinces,

Maybe so -- but the last big scare in Isaan with a COVID positive person going to a hospital and an entire tambon shut down resulted in no additional cases.

 

86 Khon Kaen medics quarantined after fifth Covid case emerges -- Apr 15. 2020

Khon Kaen’s Nam Phong Hospital has had to quarantine 86 medical personnel after a 63-year-old Covid-19 patient visited the hospital on Tuesday (April 14). ...

The authorities have also closed 10 routes to Kut Nam Sai village in Nam Phong district, where the woman came from, and left only three main roads open in order to control people’s movements and cut down on the contagion.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30386054

[tlandtday]

27 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

It is what many of us on here have been saying for the last few weeks.  However, you have this government with it's head stuck in the dirt, and not ramping up the testing on a random basis throughout the country.  On top of that they want to get tourism up and running, but how many asymptomatic carriers are there no one knows about, or those who have symptoms but are to afraid to go and see a doctor, and would rather just waste away at home with family by their side until the end.  I unfortunately fear that this is what is happening in the provinces, and yet every time someone suggests this there are those that scream "Where are the piles of bodies" "Show me" and "It would be all over social media".  People need to actually wake up and be aware.  With one of the infected being an expat who went to a mall and shopping and the rest of his story, I fear how many have been in contact and may be infected now.  So at this juncture in time I will sit back and shut-up, I know that this post will be fodder for many.  Go ahead and flame away at my fears and beliefs.  I have already lost 4 family members since the end of February, and will never know if they were infected as they were never tested.  I have also lost 3 friends back in the USA who were positive with Covid.

You make some good points.  If one does not test one will see no problem.  There is little or no incentive for an average thai to go get tested or go to a hospital.  They are living day to day and testing positive can mean both they and their family can be quarantined, likely fired from his/her job and likely ostracized.  Additionally the hospital visit may cost money and the hospitals themselves may have a higher risk of contagion than anywhere else.  I think many are in the villages like you said or at home. I also believe there are a lot of people with little or no symptoms and this could change at any time particularly during rainy season.  You say you lost family members was that here in Thailand?

Edited May 21, 2020 by tlandtday

[offset]

39 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Community spread in Issan, Chaiyaphum, better get some testing underway in the provinces!!

I wonder if that has anything to do with the man they found dead in that province they said had covid but we never hear any more about it and never showed up in the reports

[hotelbri]

According to worldometers  Thailand has performed just over 42,000 tests since Sundays declared figure of 286008  ..????????

[ThailandRyan]

43 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

You say you lost family members was that here in Thailand?

Yes here in Thailand all in the Udon Thani Province, 3 at the end of February and beginning of march after they had come here to Bangkok for the Chinese New Year.  The 4th one died last week after having gone to a funeral 3 weeks earlier and coming down with a fever and a respiratory issue.  All died at home, and were cremated after a short ceremony at the houses.  

[Krataiboy]

3 hours ago, tlandtday said:

You make some good points.  If one does not test one will see no problem.  There is little or no incentive for an average thai to go get tested or go to a hospital.  They are living day to day and testing positive can mean both they and their family can be quarantined, likely fired from his/her job and likely ostracized.  Additionally the hospital visit may cost money and the hospitals themselves may have a higher risk of contagion than anywhere else.  I think many are in the villages like you said or at home. I also believe there are a lot of people with little or no symptoms and this could change at any time particularly during rainy season.  You say you lost family members was that here in Thailand?

It is, of course, a tragedy when anyone dies. But people die all the time from a wide variety of causes, many of which routinely a far higher toll than COVID 19.

 

With the virus clearly running out of steam worldwide, is time for us to get back to a normal life - both for the sake of our physical and mental health and social cohesion and to kickstart the flagging economy.

 

There is no credible evidence that ongoing lockdowns, curfews and other socially disruptive restrictions do more than slow down the pandemic's progress. Indeed, some experts believe they they are likely to cause even more deaths and serious health problems than COVID 19.

 

And what is the point of keeping schools closed when most young children who catch the virus suffer only very mild symptoms or none, and are unlikely to infect any adults they mix with?

 

Any suggestion that the draconian measures imposed during the current health crisis be continued as part of the "new normal" must be firmly rejected, as must mandatory vaccination and any other further infringements of human rights. Four months of medical martial law is more than enough.

 

Edited May 21, 2020 by Krataiboy

[Deli]

1 hour ago, Krataiboy said:

It is, of course, a tragedy when anyone dies. But people die all the time from a wide variety of causes, many of which routinely a far higher toll than COVID 19.

 

With the virus clearly running out of steam worldwide, is time for us to get back to a normal life - both for the sake of our physical and mental health and social cohesion and to kickstart the flagging economy.

 

There is no credible evidence that ongoing lockdowns, curfews and other socially disruptive restrictions do more than slow down the pandemic's progress. Indeed, some experts believe they they are likely to cause even more deaths and serious health problems than COVID 19.

 

And what is the point of keeping schools closed when most young children who catch the virus suffer only very mild symptoms or none, and are unlikely to infect any adults they mix with?

 

Any suggestion that the draconian measures imposed during the current health crisis be continued as part of the "new normal" must be firmly rejected, as must mandatory vaccination and any other further infringements of human rights. Four months of medical martial law is more than enough.

 

Could not have said it better

[Mama Noodle]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Three new Covid-19 cases were found over a 24-hour period

 

Virus is still active and floating around the population. Of those people who caught it in Thailand, that means there's AT LEAST 2 others that have it (Excluding the returnee) who passed it onto the 2 local transmission cases. 

[steven100]

1 hour ago, Krataiboy said:

With the virus clearly running out of steam worldwide,

Breaking news >>>05/21/202008.27am

Please research before posting ....  

Coronavirus: Man gives 52 people virus in 2.5 hours at choir practice

When he turned up to choir practice, he had no symptoms. Just 2.5 hours later, 52 of the 61 singing group members were infected with coronavirus.

The singers arrived to find six rows of 20 chairs evenly spaced before them. Some chose to sit as far apart from the rest as possible. Others simply took up their familiar positions, regardless of how many were around them.

Researchers identified where each person sat in relation to the carrier.

The session started with a 40-minute mass practice. Then the singers split into two focus groups for a 50-minute intensive. One group moved into a smaller room where they sat on benches. The other was in the larger room but had pulled their chairs into a tight cluster.

After a 15-minute free-ranging break, they all reconvened for a final 45-minute massed practice.

A day later, one person developed symptoms. Within 12 days, 52 had contracted the disease.

Three were hospitalised. Two died roughly a week later.

[SkyFax]

25 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Coronavirus: Man gives 52 people virus in 2.5 hours at choir practice

It was a choir practice held in Skagit Valley, Washington, on March 10

[steven100]

4 minutes ago, SkyFax said:

It was a choir practice held in Skagit Valley, Washington, on March 10

it still illustrates how deadly the virus can be ....  but some farang know better it seems. 

[Krataiboy]

42 minutes ago, steven100 said:

Breaking news >>>05/21/202008.27am

Please research before posting ....  

Coronavirus: Man gives 52 people virus in 2.5 hours at choir practice

When he turned up to choir practice, he had no symptoms. Just 2.5 hours later, 52 of the 61 singing group members were infected with coronavirus.

The singers arrived to find six rows of 20 chairs evenly spaced before them. Some chose to sit as far apart from the rest as possible. Others simply took up their familiar positions, regardless of how many were around them.

Researchers identified where each person sat in relation to the carrier.

The session started with a 40-minute mass practice. Then the singers split into two focus groups for a 50-minute intensive. One group moved into a smaller room where they sat on benches. The other was in the larger room but had pulled their chairs into a tight cluster.

After a 15-minute free-ranging break, they all reconvened for a final 45-minute massed practice.

A day later, one person developed symptoms. Within 12 days, 52 had contracted the disease.

Three were hospitalised. Two died roughly a week later.

One picture worth a thousand words. Look up the latest graphs showing the worldwide trend of COVID 19 infections and deaths.

[richard_smith237]

15 minutes ago, steven100 said:

20 minutes ago, SkyFax said:

It was a choir practice held in Skagit Valley, Washington, on March 10

it still illustrates how deadly the virus can be ....  but some farang know better it seems. 

I think people are questioning how reports are 'sensationalized' while essential facts are omitted.

 

52 people caught the virus from 1 man: 3 were hospitalized, 2 died.

How old were the 3 who were hosptialzed? were they already seriously ill.

 

Now, I know Covid-19 doesn't just severely impact those with severe underlying conditions and those with no underlying conditions have died. However, the 'facts' are often missed out in these reports.

 

On the UK news it was reported that a 52 years old Nurse had tragically died, she was recognized for her work etc. Quite tragic. I looked a little further into that story and the nurse in question had been off work for medical reasons for 18 months due to illness (not sure what illness) - but whatever it was, was severe enough for her not to work for 18 months, a cold 'could' have taken her life.

 

In so many cases it seems that Covid-19 is the straw that breaks the camels back for people already very unwell.

The big question is 'how much life' has Covid-19 stolen from those who have died. Would they have died anyway within a week or 2, would they have enjoyed life for another 2 years, would seasonal Influenza have the same tragic impact on the same people who are dying of Covid-19 ?

 

The virus clearly 'can be deadly to some' but how much more deadly to those few is it than a severe cold or seasonal Influenza?

 

 

IF SARS-Cov-19 can spread from 1 person to 52 people in such a short period of time, then the spread rate is so exceptionally high the numbers of asymptomatic infected may be far far higher than we ever imagined, ultimately meaning that its not as severe as we imagined based on case fatality rates. 

 

With the little knowledge we had of SARS-Cov-19 at the beginning the lock-down was clearly the better of a group of bad decisions, there were no clear right decisions at that point in time. Now that we have a better handle on the virus its beginning to appear that the lock-down has worked, health services have not been overwhelmed and the objectives of the lock down have been met - its clearly time to open things back up while continuing to test people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Deli said:

Could not have said it better

And yet, the day yesterday saw the most infections recorded in the world to date at 106,662, with 4,279 deaths.  Brazil is also blowing up and a second wave has started.  

 

1 hour ago, Deli said:

With the virus clearly running out of steam worldwide

So rethink what Krataiboy said as he is so far out of touch with reality, and I believe so are you.

[ThailandRyan]

42 minutes ago, Krataiboy said:

One picture worth a thousand words. Look up the latest graphs showing the worldwide trend of COVID 19 infections and deaths.

https://covid19.who.int/

 

Yes look up a graph that shows increases across the board

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

https://covid19.who.int/

 

Yes look up a graph that shows increases across the board

Cases are obviously going up because more testing is being done. But deaths are what matter and these have been falling fairly rapidly since the pandemic peaked around mid-April.

[JCP108]

11 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

https://covid19.who.int/

 

Yes look up a graph that shows increases across the board

But, not here.

 

Somtam. Hot weather. Plala. No mounds of bodies. No social media reports refuting the official reports. 

[ThailandRyan]

Yep, keep your head stuck in the ground, nothing to see here, no one being tested and those in the provinces not going to the hospitals when sick because of the worry all family will be quarantined and if they are sic they may die alone, so go figure, many funerals in my old home town in Udon Thani in the past 3 months...I have lost 4 family members from what has been described as fevers and respiratory issues, went to the clinic at first, given meds and went home, stayed there and never went back when they got sicker, family just attended to them until the end, many of course only have had classic cold symptoms, my father in-law had a major chest issue, but it healed after about 3 weeks.....believe what you guys want, I see things differently than you all want to believe...

[checkered flag]

I live in a small town and there are funerals all the time, always have been. Old people die at home and everyone attends. Not like western countries where old people die in nursing homes and only a few attend the funeral. 

In Thailand with cigarettes, air pollution and a lot of drinking, it's supprising people live as long as they do. Covet 19 is only a minor issue, mostly in the cities.

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Yep, keep your head stuck in the ground, nothing to see here, no one being tested and those in the provinces not going to the hospitals when sick because of the worry all family will be quarantined and if they are sic they may die alone, so go figure, many funerals in my old home town in Udon Thani in the past 3 months...I have lost 4 family members from what has been described as fevers and respiratory issues, went to the clinic at first, given meds and went home, stayed there and never went back when they got sicker, family just attended to them until the end, many of course only have had classic cold symptoms, my father in-law had a major chest issue, but it healed after about 3 weeks.....believe what you guys want, I see things differently than you all want to believe...

Yes there is obviously an undercount in Thailand and all countries except for perhaps rare exceptions like New Zealand. 

 

The question is how much of an undercount. 

 

That unfortunately is unknowable. 

 

The concern I have as Thailand opens up in steps is that the public takes the official counts literally and feel they can slack off on preventative measures. That will obviously backfire sooner or later. 

[checkered flag]

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Yes there is obviously an undercount in Thailand and all countries except for perhaps rare exceptions like New Zealand. 

 

The question is how much of an undercount. 

 

That unfortunately is unknowable. 

 

The concern I have as Thailand opens up in steps is that the public takes the official counts literally and feel they can slack off on preventative measures. That will obviously backfire sooner or later. 

Are you basing this on facts or your gut feelings? My experience with the Thai PHS is that they document things well. 

There is a tendency in the West to over report. Time will help sort this out.

[Jingthing]

1 minute ago, checkered flag said:

Are you basing this on facts or your gut feelings? My experience with the Thai PHS is that they document things well. 

There is a tendency in the West to over report. Time will help sort this out.

This is so wrong. 

There is no tendency in the west to over report. 

There is under reporting everywhere. 

Testing is limited everywhere. 

 

 

Common sense. 

 

A massively infectious virus. 

 

Very limited testing. 

 

Obviously there is underreporting here. 

 

I'm amazed that people don't get that. 

 

Imagine if they tested everyone in Thailand right now. 

 

Does anyone actually believe they wouldn't find many unknown active cases as well as many previous cases via antibody testing? 

 

That is not to say Thailand hasn't done well. They have.

 

Again the question is the level of unknown cases. We can't know without massive testing. Remember a huge percentage of cases have no or mild symptoms and no need to ever see a doctor much less enter the reporting radar. 

 

The simple point here is it's not time to abandon measures such as hand washing. mask wearing. and distancing.

 

That won't come until a vaccine is widely done.