Covid-19 strain in Myanmar spreads 20% faster, says Mahidol University dean

[snoop1130]

Covid-19 strain in Myanmar spreads 20% faster, says Mahidol University dean

 

 

Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, said on Tuesday that Covid-19 has spread a lot faster in Myanmar because there are no effective measures in place to track people and the virus strain is different.

 

He said the virus has spread 200-times faster across the country because the movement of less than 50 per cent of people travelling from affected areas has been tracked.

 

He also said the strain of the virus present in Myanmar is very different from the D614 strain from Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus was first detected. The G614 strain, which is infecting people in the West, has also been spreading in Myanmar since the first case was detected in the country on March 23. This strain can multiply 20 per cent faster than the original one.

 

“Thais returning from Myanmar and refusing to enter mandatory controls or concealing their information is dangerous not just to themselves, but also their families, society and medical personnel. This shows that one weak point can have a huge impact on the country and a negative effect on society. Hence, I’m calling for people to cooperate and be on guard. We can boost our immunity against the virus by wearing a mask, keeping our hands clean and maintaining distance,” he said.

 

Prasit said cooler weather, a rise in the number of infections in neighbouring countries like Myanmar and Malaysia as well as public gatherings are causes of concern and hospitals should prepare for an increase in infections.

 

Thailand has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca for the purchase of 26 million doses as well as support for local production. The AstraZeneca vaccine, which has so far proved to be 90 per cent effective, needs to be tested three times by the Thai Food and Drug Administration which will take about one month. Then it will take another four months to produce the vaccines, which means the first vaccination can be expected after May next year.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30399287?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

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[RotBenz8888]

8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The G614 strain, which is infecting people in the West, has also been spreading in Myanmar since the first case was detected in the country on March 23

So it's the "West" virus? 

[timendres]

11 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

We can boost our immunity against the virus by wearing a mask, keeping our hands clean and maintaining distance,” he said.

 

None of these things has any impact on immunity.

[3MagicBeers]

So is the virus in Myanmar spreading 200 times faster than elsewhere...or 20% faster than elsewhere. And if he claims the 'the virus strain is different' (ie it has mutated) does he has laboratory prove to back up his claims?

[Ventenio]

20% is significant, while farangs are probably more like 80000% percent.  

 

dirty farangs in CM, 10 billion percent.

 

Farangs with no money, 1 zillion percent.

 

Farangs with billions of dollars, 20.1% percent.

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

However, The good professor pointed out that the Buddhist Amulets, Prayers, and the Magic barrier that is protecting the center of the Universe called Thailand will not allow the Virus to spread here at all.  Thailand will be safe, just as Anutin has said Covid is under control and there is no reason to worry.

[lkv]

20 minutes ago, RotBenz8888 said:

So it's the "West" virus? 

Yes, the European strain has infected the people in Myanmar, which in turn infect the Thais.

 

So it's the Western people's fault, the virus escaping from China initially could be handled with vitamin D and sun.

 

[/ end of sarcasm]

[BangkokReady]

But the only threat comes from foreigners...

[Natai Beach]

50 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine

This thread will be fun. 
 

We can take the advice from a professor and an expert in the field of Medicine.

 

Or the TVF experts with zero medical training who would have disagreed with whatever he said. 

[ThailandRyan]

2 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

This thread will be fun. 
 

We can take the advice from a professor and an expert in the field of Medicine.

 

Or the TVF experts with zero medical training who would have disagreed with whatever he said. 

Yet the Minister of Health, says it is basically a non event.  Who to believe is the real question.  If it is as Viral as the good professor says and is waging a new wave across Myanmar, what is keeping those who have illegally crossed into Thailand with the virus from spreading it before they were located or turned themselves in.  What about those that returned and are still hidden in the woodwork?  Yet all the contacts of those wonderful women, except for 2 people so far, a male and a lady on a flight have tested positive.  I am probably wrong with the domestic cases but then only time will tell as we are going into a long weekend and we have just reached the incubation  period of 5 days.  I want to believe the good Professor, but my money is on Thailand's magical numbers.  Yes a post dripping with sarcasm. 

[Sametboy2019]

it spreads 20 percent faster? How is that calculated? Id imagine most people give it to themselves by touching a infected surface and touching their face.

Science  has said it takes around 15 minutes in the company of a infected person to catch it.  My cousins wife had it and they sleep together and have a child and nobody else got it. 20 percent more is something like 12 mins. Obviously if somebody coughs or sneezes in your face then its different but how many times has that happened to you in your life?

 

[Flying Saucage]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand has signed an agreement with AstraZeneca for the purchase of 26 million doses as well as support for local production. The AstraZeneca vaccine, which has so far proved to be 90 per cent effective, needs to be tested three times by the Thai Food and Drug Administration which will take about one month. Then it will take another four months to produce the vaccines, which means the first vaccination can be expected after May next year.

 

Why do they claim that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 90% effective, while in other countries its effectivity is stated to be only 70%???

 

And why does he say that "it will take another four months to produce the vaccines, which means the first vaccination can be expected after May next year" only, while AstraZeneca has been starting to produce the vaccine in Europe quite a while ago already in order to be able to start vaccinations in a big scale immediately after the approval? 

 

Does that mean that Thailand will only use vaccine which is produced in Thailand, and the stated purchase of the 26 million doses is somehow fishy? If so, why exactly? Is someone keen to have the creation of value made in Thailand? Or are there other reasons why a delay is appreciated for some people, maybe due to political reasons?

 

Rhetorical questions, of course, as other countries will be able to start vaccination in January, and the UK even today already.

 

[ukrules]

1 hour ago, Flying Saucage said:

And why does he say that "it will take another four months to produce the vaccines, which means the first vaccination can be expected after May next year" only, while AstraZeneca has been starting to produce the vaccine in Europe quite a while ago already in order to be able to start vaccinations in a big scale immediately after the approval? 

 

Does that mean that Thailand will only use vaccine which is produced in Thailand, and the stated purchase of the 26 million doses is somehow fishy? If so, why exactly? Is someone keen to have the creation of value made in Thailand? Or are there other reasons why a delay is appreciated for some people, maybe due to political reasons?

I believe they will have to wait for manufacture in Europe for those initial doses.

 

Based on what I read back when the plan was announced they're going to manufacture the vaccine in Thailand for future distribution to the rest of Asia, working with GSK.

 

[Enoon]

4 hours ago, Flying Saucage said:

 

Why do they claim that the AstraZeneca vaccine is 90% effective, while in other countries its effectivity is stated to be only 70%???

 

 

 

 

 

Because there were 2 sets of results from the trials.

 

The results from the trials being carried out as they were directed showed 62% effectiveness.

 

A smaller group of results from trials that were carried out incorrectly (one of the 2 doses mistakenly being administered as a half dose) revealed 90% effectiveness.

 

One of those happy "accidents" of research.

 

It appears to have been followed up and confirmed.

 

Approx 18.00 UK time 8/12/20:

 

"Trial data published in The Lancet has reaffirmed that the jab is 90 per cent efficacious if administered at a half dose and then at a full dose, or 62 per cent effective if administered in two full doses."

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/covid-vaccine-oxford-coronavirus-b1768043.html

 

 

[Salerno]

7 hours ago, timendres said:

None of these things has any impact on immunity.

 

True, but it's also true that things tend to get lost in translation so why do people constantly use that fact to try and mock when it's patently obvious what was meant?

[Emdog]

I'm waiting for A Nut In to announce virus will be gone by Easter... er, Chinese New Year.

[Benmart]

12 hours ago, 3MagicBeers said:

So is the virus in Myanmar spreading 200 times faster than elsewhere...or 20% faster than elsewhere. And if he claims the 'the virus strain is different' (ie it has mutated) does he has laboratory prove to back up his claims?

Anyone can say anything, anytime and anywhere, unless it concerning certain protected species. I too am curious as to the research behind this latest "news".

[mtls2005]

Dr. Prasit would be well-advised to

 

cite studies when referring to facts and situations

 

focus on Thailand

 

The reference to strains is confusing to the public when not explained, and is probably meant to stir up the locals. Perhaps to scare them into complying with the border rules, for those few hundred going back and forth?

 

In general, a useless article.

 

 

 

 

[bradiston]

5 hours ago, Salerno said:

 

True, but it's also true that things tend to get lost in translation so why do people constantly use that fact to try and mock when it's patently obvious what was meant?

Quite agree. People seem to wait and watch for small mistakes to then denigrate the whole article. Do they read, speak or write Thai? Do they know how difficult it is to translate accurately often technical data? But to take great delight in pointing out grammatical errors or whatever, what's the point? Most syntax errors come from native English speakers, "of" for "have", "your" for "you're", apostrophes before an "s" in plurals etc etc.

[lovethai123]

He was holding a speed gun, and checked the speed of the virus. As it's was running faster than the thai strain, it's bad. 

[rabas]

1 hour ago, Benmart said:

Anyone can say anything, anytime and anywhere, unless it concerning certain protected species. I too am curious as to the research behind this latest "news".

The dean of Mahidol's School of Medicine would certainly know what strain of virus it is. He probably read this Burmese paper stating the faster spreading  614G strain caused the rapid spread in Burma in September. 614G spreads up to 10x faster than the older 614D.

Surge of Severe SARS-2 Infections Linked to Single Introduction of a Virus Strain in Myanmar, 2020

 

Total cases Myanmar

I'll repeat, the Thai were the first to genetically sequence SARS2 outside of China and did so before China announced the sequence to the would. They can sequence the cases from Chiang Rai.

 

So it's here. Mask-up!

 

 

 

[Smiles]

13 hours ago, Natai Beach said:

This thread will be fun. 
 

We can take the advice from a professor and an expert in the field of Medicine.

 

Or the TVF experts with zero medical training who would have disagreed with whatever he said. 

 

So very true. Those 'Key Board' quack doctors are everywhere here !

[mtls2005]

20 minutes ago, rabas said:

The dean of Mahidol's School of Medicine would certainly know what strain of virus it is. He probably read this Burmese paper stating the faster spreading  614G strain caused the rapid spread in Burma in September. 614G spreads up to 10x faster than the older 614D.

 

So why not raise concerns in October, when this paper was published?

 

Not shutting down the border then almost seems criminal if they knew this severe strain, GH (Lineage B.1.36), was prevalent there?

 

Again, asking experts to cite data when making claims does not seem unreasonable.

 

20 minutes ago, rabas said:

614G spreads up to 10x faster than the older 614D.

 

 

Would appreciate any detail on this claim, honestly.

 

Claiming something is more, or less, contagious is one thing. Claiming it "spreads 10 faster" (headline says 20% faster), while sounding like some cleaning powder advert, points to many aspects other than just the strain, surely?

 

 

And if it is 10X more contagious then surely a 14 day country-wide lockdown is called for?

 

Is it 10X more "deadly"?

 

 

 

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

We can boost our immunity against the virus by wearing a mask, keeping our hands clean and maintaining distance,” he said.

And not indulge in conversation with notti girls.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, lovethai123 said:

He was holding a speed gun, and checked the speed of the virus. As it's was running faster than the thai strain, it's bad. 

Checked the speed of the girls coming through a "leaky" border.

[lovethai123]

28 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Checked the speed of the girls coming through a "leaky" border.

Build the wall. The great wall of Thailand. To keep those dirty poor smelly burmese away. 

[GroveHillWanderer]

8 hours ago, Salerno said:

 

True, but it's also true that things tend to get lost in translation so why do people constantly use that fact to try and mock when it's patently obvious what was meant?

This. Change "immunity" to "protection" (which is almost certainly what was meant) and it's a perfectly reasonable statement to make.

[Cake Monster]

If this mutation of the Covid 19 Virus really does spread 20% faster than the original Whu-Flu, then the Thai Authorities have to be at least 30% faster with their Game to stay ahead of it.

7 Days before asking people on Flights alongside infected people to self Isolate, really now seems even more Amateurish. 

[timendres]

17 hours ago, Salerno said:

True, but it's also true that things tend to get lost in translation so why do people constantly use that fact to try and mock when it's patently obvious what was meant?

 

Ordinarily, I would agree with you.

But in this particular case, the impact of translation is a little more significant.

[gregk0543]

Well I live in Yangon Myanmar. We were doing well just like Thailand until this strain came to us from illegal entries from bangladesh and it spread in rakhine undetected and made its way to yangon. So it is true its a very fast spreading strain and we have over 1000 cases a day in Yangon and around 25 deaths a day.

 

https://www.mmtimes.com/news/myanmar-warns-10-times-more-infectious-coronavirus-strain-second-wave-covid-19.html

 

Its not a joke. Its serious and you dont want it in thailand. We have been locked down here for a couple of months now with no end in sight.