Dr. Thanarak Plipat says Thai people are inviting the return of COVID-19

[samsensam]

 

no cases based on how many tests per day?

 

if they are doing, say 100,000 tests per day (not a bad sample for the population size) and finding no new cases i'd say they've done an excellent job.

 

but you need to back up statements with some form of evidence.

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, HerbyJFlash said:

If Thailand really has had no local transmission in around a month and all imported cases are being quarantined , how would a 2nd spread be possible?

 

Isn’t he basically admitting that there is local transmission still occurring?

Yes. 

 

Do you imagine that all cases enter the system? 

 

That's impossible! 

[keithsimmonds]

Big IF but if no one has it how is it going to spread?? The pictures of Mo chit bus station weeks/months ago were enough to send shivers down your spine, the sight of all those people heading back up North South East and West and possibly taking Covid with them....nothing materialized afaik. I am pretty sure that the <deleted> Thai,s eat has made them pretty much immune to any virus. What street food, market stall food and  fresh meat fresh fish places are not visited by flies. Yep pretty hard race me thinks......and nothing to do with anything this government has done imho.

[Gulfsailor]

4 minutes ago, samsensam said:

 

no cases based on how many tests per day?

 

if they are doing, say 100,000 tests per day (not a bad sample for the population size) and finding no new cases i'd say they've done an excellent job.

 

but you need to back up statements with some form of evidence.

It’s not about the amount of tests per population, but how much effort one puts into finding those infected. No point in randomly testing people who show no symptoms and weren’t likely into contact with someone infected. It’s the track and trace approach and Thailand did really well in that regard.  

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

16 minutes ago, keithsimmonds said:

Big IF but if no one has it how is it going to spread?? The pictures of Mo chit bus station weeks/months ago were enough to send shivers down your spine, the sight of all those people heading back up North South East and West and possibly taking Covid with them....nothing materialized afaik. I am pretty sure that the <deleted> Thai,s eat has made them pretty much immune to any virus. What street food, market stall food and  fresh meat fresh fish places are not visited by flies. Yep pretty hard race me thinks......and nothing to do with anything this government has done imho.

And you think the Chinese are any less hearty in what they eat and where it comes from...

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, NB1986 said:

Its easy to say for you Dr. Thanarak, what about if you would be amongst all unemployed people, would you be scared of Covid-19 is easy to talk when your a** is not in danger. Sooner or later if your country want to survive it will have to change that policy. Or more people will die from hunger, crime, car accidents than from Covid-19. 

 

There's not much about mask wearing, social distancing and good hygiene in Thai society at large that has anything to do with unemployment. Thais and everyone else can and should wear masks, maintain social distancing where possible and take other precautions --  until a cure or vaccine is found.

 

The reason people here are out of work, for the most part, is the ban on international traveler arrivals and closed borders. I understand the government here needed to get things under control. But they could open those gate a fair bit wider if they'd only expand the COVID testing on arrival and quarantine programs, which they've been very slow to do.  That's what's been putting people out of work.

 

[keithsimmonds]

5 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

And you think the Chinese are any less hearty in what they eat and where it comes from...

No...same goes foe Lao Vietnam Cambodia and Myanmar. I don't have the answers...(who) does?....but i would be looking at there diets and what if anything they have been inoculated against.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

26 minutes ago, keithsimmonds said:

I am pretty sure that the <deleted> Thai,s eat has made them pretty much immune to any virus.

 

Ya, I'm sure there's going to be a research study coming along any day now that's going to verify your very insightful CV conclusions above.... 

[keithsimmonds]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Ya, I'm sure there's going to be a research study coming along any day now that's going to verify your very insightful CV conclusions above.... 

So sorry should never have posted anything....

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

44 minutes ago, HerbyJFlash said:

If Thailand really has had no local transmission in around a month and all imported cases are being quarantined , how would a 2nd spread be possible?

 

Because the day is eventually going to come, sooner or later, when CV cases will start leaking into Thailand again via either air travel or land borders.

 

The authorities here in recent times seem to have been pretty strict in enforcing the current restrictions. But sooner or later, either by policy change or inattention, the un-quarantined imported cases will resume...  unless a vaccine is found first.

 

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Because the day is eventually going to come, sooner or later, when CV cases will start leaking into Thailand again via either air travel or land borders.

 

The authorities here in recent times seem to have been pretty strict in enforcing the current restrictions. But sooner or later, either by policy change or inattention, the un-quarantined imported cases will resume...  unless a vaccine is found first.

 

They have medication for leaking and then those Depends under pants will work if the medication does not control the leakage..

[steven100]

16 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Because the day is eventually going to come, sooner or later, when CV cases will start leaking into Thailand again via either air travel or land borders.

 

The authorities here in recent times seem to have been pretty strict in enforcing the current restrictions. But sooner or later, either by policy change or inattention, the un-quarantined imported cases will resume...  unless a vaccine is found first.

 

thank you for the common sense post.   simple really but some folks just can't grasp simplicity.

[DavisH]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

He looks to be setting the stage for the numbers to be increased as they know they have been hiding the truth for awhile.  No shock to me when we see a jump.  

PUI are published everyday on the internet, and none of those are coming back as positive. Of course they won't be picking up any asymptomatic cases, but I don't believe there are that many truly asymptomatic cases here - they would comprise a small fraction of all cases. Apart from big malls (and now schools), many places have become quite complacent with the rules. And still 40 days with no positive cases. If there is a spike in cases it will come from outside the country - but I'm giving it another 2-4 weeks to test my hypothesis. 

[ThailandRyan]

7 minutes ago, DavisH said:

PUI are published everyday on the internet, and none of those are coming back as positive. Of course they won't be picking up any asymptomatic cases, but I don't believe there are that many truly asymptomatic cases here - they would comprise a small fraction of all cases. Apart from big malls (and now schools), many places have become quite complacent with the rules. And still 40 days with no positive cases. If there is a spike in cases it will come from outside the country - but I'm giving it another 2-4 weeks to test my hypothesis. 

I can only hope that your view is right, but the PUI has not changed much in weeks and the testing number seems to just meet what is from those in quarantine.  However, I could be totally wrong on those points.

 

Patient Under Investigation (PUI)

Total

321,111

New PUI

121

Edited July 7, 2020 by ThailandRyan

[DavisH]

1 hour ago, HerbyJFlash said:

If Thailand really has had no local transmission in around a month and all imported cases are being quarantined , how would a 2nd spread be possible?

 

Isn’t he basically admitting that there is local transmission still occurring?

Not necessarily, as asymptomatic cases could still be around and not everyone with mild symptoms will go to get checked. Hundreds are tested daily and still no positive cases. He is probably erring on the side of caution, unlike certain world leaders. 

[tribalfusion001]

1 hour ago, Mavideol said:

have to agree with the man, decided to visit Krabi beaches during the holiday and what I saw this week end is a lot of careless people, (at the beach and at some restaurants) no masks, no social distancing, no nothing, they walked around like they used to do before the virus, I am just waiting for the news infections update reports, next week should know

A country with 58 dead and 3200 infections doesn't need masks and social distancing.

[Monomial]

Quote

I personally feel that they are not afraid of COVID-19 and want it to return,” said Dr. Thanarak, adding that this attitude is very dangerous, as he wants them to come to their senses.

 

This attitude by Dr. Thanarak is incredibly rude and insulting.

 

He is correct. I am not afraid of Covid-19 and I do want it to return, if that is what is going to happen. This lockdown and reaction of the past few months is totally unacceptable. Saving human lives at the cost of losing that which makes us human is an unacceptable tradeoff. We need to accept this virus as a part of the new normal - a feature of the natural landscape.

 

I encourage the very privileged doctor to come to his senses instead, as his attitude is unrealistic.  We can not defeat this through lockdowns and artificial changes to lifestyle.  The human race will continue to thrive through this virus, just as we have done with others. But only by embracing our humanity and letting nature take its course.

 

The human race will overcome this with no help from the Doctor. He should concentrate his efforts on treating those who will become sick, and educating us how to best take care of ourselves if we do find ourselves afflicted. He has no business trying to force his personal value choices onto the rest of us and demanding anyone who doesn't agree with him "come to their senses".

 

 

[DavisH]

2 hours ago, steven100 said:

of coarse there is a small number of cases in Thailand .... it's not zero and unlikely to be zero in the future, however this just reiterates the need to pull the Thai's into line and make them responsible like the rest of us.

It's best to assume there are a few undetected cases lingering and act accrodingly. Australia got down to 2-3 cases a day at one time. Now parts of Melbourne are in lockdown. 

[DavisH]

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

I can only hope that your view is right, but the PUI has not changed much in weeks and the testing number seems to just meet what is from those in quarantine.  However, I could be totally wrong on those points.

 

Patient Under Investigation (PUI)

Total

321,111

New PUI

121

I hope its the case also. It will only take a few cases and Thais, being Thai, will panic and we will have more lockdowns. But a few cases can be dealt with, and the contact tracing seemed to work well as they had a lot of volunteers on the job. 

It could be a lot worse, when you look at Brazil with their 50% positivity rate - that indicating they are underestimating their real numbers. 

[DavisH]

6 minutes ago, Monomial said:

 

This attitude by Dr. Thanarak is incredibly rude and insulting.

 

He is correct. I am not afraid of Covid-19 and I do want it to return, if that is what is going to happen. This lockdown and reaction of the past few months is totally unacceptable. Saving human lives at the cost of losing that which makes us human is an unacceptable tradeoff. We need to accept this virus as a part of the new normal - a feature of the natural landscape.

 

I encourage the very privileged doctor to come to his senses instead, as his attitude is unrealistic.  We can not defeat this through lockdowns and artificial changes to lifestyle.  The human race will continue to thrive through this virus, just as we have done with others. But only by embracing our humanity and letting nature take its course.

 

The human race will overcome this with no help from the Doctor. He should concentrate his efforts on treating those who will become sick, and educating us how to best take care of ourselves if we do find ourselves afflicted. He has no business trying to force his personal value choices onto the rest of us and demanding anyone who doesn't agree with him "come to their senses".

 

 

No doctor can help patients when there are NO ventilators. This is the issue. A low number of cases over a long period of time is acceptable as hospitals can deal with the case load.. Why is happening in the US is utterly unacceptable. 

[DavisH]

9 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

A country with 58 dead and 3200 infections doesn't need masks and social distancing.

The USA had those numbers at one time. Most countries did. 

[mommysboy]

2 hours ago, Stadtler said:

If you want to catch it, in Thailand, where would you go?

The good doctor cites stores and shops that are lax on face masks.  Give it a whirl and report back! 

 

 

[tribalfusion001]

1 minute ago, DavisH said:

The USA had those numbers at one time. Most countries did. 

This is over 6 months of covid-19 in Thailand, it's not necessary. You don't need a mask to walk along the street or sit on a beach.

[tribalfusion001]

Just now, mommysboy said:

The good doctor cites stores and shops that are lax on face masks.  Give it a whirl and report back! 

 

 

I've walked around shops in BKK at the height of the pandemic and here in the UK with no mask, guess what I've haven't caught it.

[Monomial]

7 minutes ago, DavisH said:

No doctor can help patients when there are NO ventilators. This is the issue. A low number of cases over a long period of time is acceptable as hospitals can deal with the case load.. Why is happening in the US is utterly unacceptable. 

 

Then Dr. Thanarak should be campaigning for getting more ventilators. We've had 4 months so far. How many have been acquired?  Have any new manufacturing lines been established in Thailand? There are many, genuinely good things the doctor could be doing. Rudely telling everyone else to "come to our senses" though, is not a helpful response.

 

Edited July 7, 2020 by Monomial

[mommysboy]

1 minute ago, tribalfusion001 said:

I've walked around shops in BKK at the height of the pandemic and here in the UK with no mask, guess what I've haven't caught it.

 

Yes I know. But it's kind of worrying when Thai health professionals talk of risks.  What is one to believe?

 

The official figures seem to stress that Thailand is covid free, whereas expert after expert warns of the dangers of shops, stores, bars, kids, etc.  I assume they know their stuff, eg, you can only catch a virus if it is present.

[holy cow cm]

Even if have masks and some more prevention amongst thai and us who are here, bottom line is unless there is some sort of a vaccine, this virus is going to wreak havoc here sooner or later after they open up the borders for tourists. 

[tribalfusion001]

5 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

 

Yes I know. But it's kind of worrying when Thai health professionals talk of risks.  What is one to believe?

 

The official figures seem to stress that Thailand is covid free, whereas expert after expert warns of the dangers of shops, stores, bars, kids, etc.  I assume they know their stuff, eg, you can only catch a virus if it is present.

10 to 15 minutes with an infected person is accepted as the transmission time. The only places I would be in contact with someone for that amount of time is in a bar or public transport. On public transport I wear a mask, shops no and bars no, that is my own risk in a bar with friends and I think that risk is quite small. It all depends if there is a high amount of covid-19 in the place you live and that is down to testing/data available to check.

Edited July 7, 2020 by tribalfusion001

[ThailandRyan]

16 minutes ago, tribalfusion001 said:

I've walked around shops in BKK at the height of the pandemic and here in the UK with no mask, guess what I've haven't caught it.

Have you been tested, can you say with 100% certainty you never had it, were not asymptomatic, and possibly without knowing it spread it to others.  Time to be less cynical and look inwards like we all need to.  The anti masker brigade needs a reality check.

[tribalfusion001]

Just now, ThailandRyan said:

Have you been tested, can you say with 100% certainty you never had it, were not asymptomatic, and possibly without knowing it spread it to others.  Time to be less cynical and look inwards like we all need to.  The anti masker brigade needs a reality check.

I'm not anti masks, but they not necessary in most cases unless you are with someone for at least 10 to 15 minutes. Where I live in the UK there has always been low amounts of covid-19, most people I know don't even know anyone who has been tested positive and it was the same in BKK. I see no reason to walk around with a mask on.