Outbreak in Samut Sakhon rises above 1,200 cases

By The Nation

 

 

Health authorities on Wednesday announced that more than 1,200 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon, after an outbreak in the seaside province last week.

 

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) said 1,202 infections had been confirmed in migrant workers and locals living around the Central Shrimp Market and other risk areas in the province since testing began last Thursday.

 

Almost one in five (19 per cent) of the total 6,314 samples taken had so far come back positive for Covid-19, said Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, director-general of the DDC’s Communicable Diseases Division.

 

Tests conducted on 2,052 people in a 2-kilometre radius around the Central Shrimp Market found 901 “positives” or an infection rate of 44 per cent. Of the 653 samples taken around the Talay Thai market, 137 came back positive (14 per cent).

 

Meanwhile of the 2,074 samples taken in the nearby Soi Setthakit 13 community, 134 came back positive (6.5 per cent). Two infections were confirmed from 491 tests around the Saphan Pla market (0.4 per cent) and 18 of 449 tests in the nearby Tha Chin community were positive (4 per cent).

 

Cases were divided into three groups: cases self-admitted to hospital, cases detected by community testing and now confined at local hospitals and quarantine facilities, and cases staying in dormitories overseen by health officials.

 

The Public Health Ministry and local officials are now seeking ways to prevent crowding in worker dormitories that risks further spread of the virus.

 

Samut Sakhon’s border is till open but checkpoints are being set up to provide temperature checks and other disease controls.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30400101

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-12-24

 

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38 minutes ago, webfact said:

Samut Sakhon’s border is till open but checkpoints are being set up to provide temperature checks and other disease controls.

I thought the borders were closed and the province was on lockdown to contain the spread.  Is it just me or is something just wrong about this. Plus why are these numbers not included in the total daily stats for Covid-19.  Playing games again i see.

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

I thought the borders were closed and the province was on lockdown to contain the spread.  Is it just me or is something just wrong about this. Plus why are these numbers not included in the total daily stats for Covid-19.  Playing games again i see.

They've been lying about their numbers from the start. Don't want to scare the potential tourists away... 

6 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

They've been lying about their numbers from the start. Don't want to scare the potential tourists away... 

Samut Sakhon is a big tourist hub?

18 minutes ago, Fex Bluse said:

They've been lying about their numbers from the start. Don't want to scare the potential tourists away... 

I thought that the requirements to get in the country coupled with a quarantine had done the trick...unless you are referring to local tourism which, in that case, is not a problem as the region is in lockdown. 

2 minutes ago, alyx said:

I thought that the requirements to get in the country coupled with a quarantine had done the trick...unless you are referring to local tourism which, in that case, is not a problem as the region is in lockdown. 

What i mean is that from the start, they knew that not testing and not reporting high numbers would potentially eventually benefit the tourism industry when people started travelling again. While dishonest, they are aware how damaging reporting high numbers would be to Thai tourism. 

Samut Sakhon’s border is till open but checkpoints are being set up to provide temperature checks and other disease controls.

 

Being till open has never been closed ????

1 hour ago, Fex Bluse said:

What i mean is that from the start, they knew that not testing and not reporting high numbers would potentially eventually benefit the tourism industry when people started travelling again. While dishonest, they are aware how damaging reporting high numbers would be to Thai tourism. 

If they have indeed been lying for the past several months, why have they suddenly decided to stop lying just as they’ve made it somewhat easier for at least some tourists to enter. Your theory doesn’t really make sense.

2 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

They've been lying about their numbers from the start. Don't want to scare the potential tourists away... 

What tourists? 

What do people recommend regarding traveling out of BKK for Xmas/countdown break.

Many (including us) were traveling away from bkk for couple of weeks. 

I assume/hope that returning won't be an issue.

It would not happen that there could be travel restrictions?

Any thoughts.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Tests conducted on 2,052 people in a 2-kilometre radius around the Central Shrimp Market found 901 “positives” or an infection rate of 44 per cent.

This is an alarming statistic. 

Had a couple return from Samut Sakhon to a village neighbouring my wifes family village.

 

Word quickly spread and 2 days ago a hazmat suited team from the local hospital went through the villages in the area testing and educating people of risks etc.

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I thought the borders were closed and the province was on lockdown to contain the spread.  Is it just me or is something just wrong about this. Plus why are these numbers not included in the total daily stats for Covid-19.  Playing games again i see.

Lockdown yes but borders not closed. Suggested people not leave that's all. As for numbers who knows but an infection rate of 44% is very high. They have previously said 10,000 tests so at this infection rate 4,400 infections. It's also spread out to other provinces so you would expect to see increases outside of Samut Sakhon. 1 case last Fiday now more than 1200 in 6 days in Samut Sakhon.

46 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

What do people recommend regarding traveling out of BKK for Xmas/countdown break.

Many (including us) were traveling away from bkk for couple of weeks. 

I assume/hope that returning won't be an issue.

It would not happen that there could be travel restrictions?

Any thoughts.

I've cancelled travel plans for exactly that reason. I'd say there's still a chance they can keep on top of this, but we won't know for a few days yet. As of now, you can't rule out the possibility that wherever you are going will be locked down by the time you want to come back.

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Plus why are these numbers not included in the total daily stats for Covid-19.

They are included. Scroll down and look at the graphs. Scary.....

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Amazing what happens when you proactively test the public. I’ve been saying this would happen for months. Randomly test neighborhoods in various parts of the country and you’re going to find this nasty thing.

I don't understand this. They were not testing people before and so found no case. Now they are testing people and finding cases. What changed to make them start doing more testing? The initial outbreak just fizzled out but why was then different from now? 

 

One possible explanation now is that viruses go dormant (like trees in winter) and now the weather is correct so the virus is activating. If Thais were infected previously and the virus was dormant then we would never know because there was no mass testing.

12 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Lockdown yes but borders not closed. Suggested people not leave that's all. As for numbers who knows but an infection rate of 44% is very high. They have previously said 10,000 tests so at this infection rate 4,400 infections. It's also spread out to other provinces so you would expect to see increases outside of Samut Sakhon. 1 case last Fiday now more than 1200 in 6 days in Samut Sakhon.

If there are 4000+ infections, then it’s widespread and they just haven’t found it yet because they haven’t been testing.

1 minute ago, NorthernRyland said:

I don't understand this. They were not testing people before and so found no case. Now they are testing people and finding cases. What changed to make them start doing more testing? The initial outbreak just fizzled out but why was then different from now? 

 

One possible explanation now is that viruses go dormant (like trees in winter) and now the weather is correct so the virus is activating. If Thais were infected previously and the virus was dormant then we would never know because there was no mass testing.

Now they have a scapegoat.

 

This is Thainess at its core. Thailand doesn’t have the virus because respectable Thais living in Thailand are responsible. The government is doing an amazing job, just look at the headlines. Thailand is right up there with North Korea and Cambodia.

 

Thais who live abroad are dirty, just like foreigners. Since they can’t really blame the spread on those who are in quarantine, they have to blame it on bar girls creeping across the border and those pesky Burmese who are all the way in about city.
 

Now they have scapegoats. Fingers can be pointed, hatred shared, and the belief that good Thais couldn’t possibly spread the virus is upheld.

 

Blame the Burmese, it’s so easy. 

The virus has been here the whole time but they were not testing for it around the country. The only people tested were those who went to the hospital. No tests, no virus. 

Thainess and xenophobia 101. 

3 hours ago, Fex Bluse said:

They've been lying about their numbers from the start. Don't want to scare the potential tourists away... 

Or rich international investors.

2 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Samut Sakhon’s border is till open but checkpoints are being set up to provide temperature checks and other disease controls.

 

Being till open has never been closed ????

What about asymptomatic cases that do not have a fever? They will pass through and spread the virus elsewhere. Also “other disease controls”. What the heck is that? If it’s not a Covid test, it’s pointless, if it is a Covid test, why bother with temp checks?

 

hope it’s just a translation thing, with the high positivity rates quoted, Samat sakhon needs a total lockdown imho.

 

meantime, the mini marathon i was going to run on 27th dec in Udon Thani has been cancelled. It’s a long way from samet sakhon but I guess better to be safe than sorry. A strategy samet sakhon should be following.

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Samut Sakhon is a big tourist hub?

Im considering setting up an All You can Eat Shrimp Buffet for the Elite Chinese.....(must sign covid waiver)

 

*please no sharing plates*    kids eat free(ID needed)

8 minutes ago, dcnx said:

Blame the Burmese, it’s so easy. 

Seems to have been working pretty good for the ones doing the finger pointing.....

1 hour ago, Farma said:

Had a couple return from Samut Sakhon to a village neighbouring my wifes family village.

 

Word quickly spread and 2 days ago a hazmat suited team from the local hospital went through the villages in the area testing and educating people of risks etc.

Yip, they love a grass.

3 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Samut Sakhon is a big tourist hub?

I had planned my two week vacation there this year.

 

A tour of the region's seafood markets followed by a fishing cruise on one of Thailand premier slaving vessels.

Reported post removed

1 hour ago, NorthernRyland said:

I don't understand this. They were not testing people before and so found no case. Now they are testing people and finding cases. What changed to make them start doing more testing? The initial outbreak just fizzled out but why was then different from now? 

 

One possible explanation now is that viruses go dormant (like trees in winter) and now the weather is correct so the virus is activating. If Thais were infected previously and the virus was dormant then we would never know because there was no mass testing.

People were turning up sick at hospitals with CV19.  So, they did some testing.  If you don't have people turning up sick at hospitals with CV19, why test so much?  Only some 20-30% of people with CV19 are asymptomatic.  The rest have the typical symptoms, which require a test at the hospital to see if it's CV.

4 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Samut Sakhon is a big tourist hub?

It's a huge hub for seafood and people from all over the country go there to stock up.  It's a huge market.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The Public Health Ministry and local officials are now seeking ways to prevent crowding in worker dormitories that risks further spread of the virus.

Living 10 to a room was okay before?

6 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

I thought the borders were closed and the province was on lockdown to contain the spread.  Is it just me or is something just wrong about this. Plus why are these numbers not included in the total daily stats for Covid-19.  Playing games again i see.

The province is on lock-down, just the same as the borders are safe.