Thailand went to war against a global pandemic in 2020 – and almost won

 

 

For Thailand, 2020 has been a year of fear and tears as the country wrestled with the worst pandemic in modern history. Just as hopes were rising with news that vaccines are on the way, the virus struck again this month to plunge us back into despair.

 

Strict control measures have returned in the run-up to the New Year, dampening the festive mood as well as Thailand’s economy. Thais’ natural optimism and resilience are being put to the test once again as the fresh outbreak of coronavirus disease brings a record surge in cases. Until this month, the country had been praised for snuffing out local transmission of Covid-19, with only a few cases found among quarantining returnees each day as the death rate stalled at 60.

 

But that impressive record was shattered last week when an outbreak in Samut Sakhon, 45 kilometres southwest of Bangkok, spawned more than 1,000cases of local transmission, mostly among migrant workers.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailand-went-to-war-against-a-global-pandemic-in-2020-and-almost-won/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2020-12-28

 

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

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand went to war against a global pandemic in 2020 – and almost won

 

Until they scored a crucial own goal.

 

Thailand’s porous border and corruption among immigration officials have been blamed for allowing the virus to spread from neighbouring Myanmar.

Edited December 28, 20205 yr by Thaiwrath

Stop all the NY related travel is a minimum requirement to attempt to stop this ... and shows the world that you are serious in your efforts.

Thailand - Covid 60000000 -1 still mean you lost the game.

Edited December 28, 20205 yr by Henk Langeweg

This is the first time I've heard that Thailand is it's way toward producing its own, 'home grown' vaccines. That's good news. Let's hope the trials go well.

 

From the full article:

 

''The only hope for Thailand at the end of 2020 is the pending arrival of effective COVID-19 vaccines. The government has ordered enough doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate 13 million Thais. Meanwhile, three homegrown vaccine research programmes have successfully passed the animal-testing phase and are preparing for human trials''.

6 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

This is the first time I've heard that Thailand is it's way toward producing its own, 'home grown' vaccines. That's good news. Let's hope the trials go well.

 

From the full article:

 

''The only hope for Thailand at the end of 2020 is the pending arrival of effective COVID-19 vaccines. The government has ordered enough doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate 13 million Thais. Meanwhile, three homegrown vaccine research programmes have successfully passed the animal-testing phase and are preparing for human trials''.

 

From animal testing to human testing. This is where the farangs come in.

their own vax they would be able to make at the end of 2021. And It would costs some 500b. In comparison other vax around the world are $2 to $60 per shot. Usually 2 shots are needed.

War would last for another several years, it was known from the beginning. This 2020 is just the first battle. Thailand has second wave. Other countries are already in their 3rd lockdowns. In the USA is even difficult to say how many waves were there, it's just constant battle. 

 

Not only more and better vax are needed, but also medicines, medical personel. Medics are leaving their profession, under work pressure, stress, as well as illness and death. So there would be hospitals full of equipment and patients, but understaffed, disorganised

Edited December 28, 20205 yr by internationalism

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand went to war against a global pandemic in 2020 – and almost won

 

and i almost took home a ladyboy last night. 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Thailand went to war against a global pandemic in 2020 – and almost won

by lying

Almost won? The fact of the matter is that globally the virus is winning and because of complacency, corruption and government self congratulation Thailand is plunging into the abyss. The government plans for vaccine purchase are totally inadequate in the number of doses ordered and deployment is many months behind that of similar third world countries like Costa Rica & Oman where vaccination has already commenced in 2020. This government shows no capability of ensuring the safety of the Thai population, rather it would prefer to spend funds on idiotic schemes like sending a craft to the moon! It seems to me that some people are consuming too much non-medical marijuana.

24 minutes ago, internationalism said:

their own vax they would be able to make at the end of 2021. And It would costs some 500b. In comparison other vax around the world are $2 to $60 per shot. Usually 2 shots are needed.

War would last for another several years, it was known from the beginning. This 2020 is just the first battle. Thailand has second wave. Other countries are already in their 3rd lockdowns. In the USA is even difficult to say how many waves were there, it's just constant battle. 

 

Not only more and better vax are needed, but also medicines, medical personel. Medics are leaving their profession, under work pressure, stress, as well as illness and death. So there would be hospitals full of equipment and patients, but understaffed, disorganised

Wow, what a cheerful soul you are!

You mean all those little chocolate medals given out to the heroic generals engaged in this terrible  war have been for nothing ? Say it aint true.. 

24 minutes ago, internationalism said:

War would last for another several years, it was known from the beginning. This 2020 is just the first battle.

yes, and this isn't even the bad one

 

wait for SARS-CoV-3 to come, which will inevitably be deadlier

The world is in the early stages of combating a new virus which has spread quickly, Thailand did well to manage it up until the recent outbreak in Samut Sakhon with the "Myanmar workers", that said, Covid did rear its head before that with the Thai girls who crossed the Myanmar border back into Thailand without quarantining, that's gone all quiet now with the focus being on these Myanmar workers in Samut Sakhon, could it be that they got infected by Thai ?

 

Shift blaming here seems to be ripe, but we will never know the truth, whether border crossings have been breached by someone slipping brown envelopes for access, just a thought, Thai's from my understanding are last to accept blame, no offence intended, just stating what I have heard, and that is coming from my Thai wife's mouth, "loss of face" or something like that, if you get my drift.  

7 minutes ago, brommers said:

This government shows no capability of ensuring the safety of the Thai population, rather it would prefer to spend funds on idiotic schemes like sending a craft to the moon!

 

But they are being proactive by asking Thai's to donate so that they can buy the rest of the vaccines for them, what else should we expect ????

 

2 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Thai girls who crossed the Myanmar border back into Thailand without quarantining, that's gone all quiet now with the focus being on these Myanmar workers in Samut Sakhon, could it be that they got infected by Thai ?

I very much doubt that. There were far too many positive cases in too short a time for the Samut Sakhon outbreak to have emanated from the incident up north. The fish market outbreak must have been building up, undetected for some time.

33 minutes ago, mr mr said:

 

and i almost took home a ladyboy last night. 

So payed for a taxi instead?

1 minute ago, Moonlover said:

I very much doubt that. There were far too many positive cases in too short a time for the Samut Sakhon outbreak to have emanated from the incident up north. The fish market outbreak must have been building up, undetected for some time.

Understand what your saying, however from what I have read in the past, one of the returnees who didn't quarantine took a flight or a bus to Bangkok, now that in itself would allow the virus to spread all the way from Bangkok to Pattaya, Samut Sakhon and anywhere else you would like, and the virus is only picked up when people feel sick enough to go to the hospital and get tested, most would stay home and fight is off as a flu or be asymptomatic.

 

I can't believe what my wife told me over breakfast this morning, i.e. a Thai woman posted on her Facebook page that she went to a hospital feeling ill, after first losing her sense of smell and taste, then a temperature and aches and pains, the hospital staff asked her if she had been in any of the affected areas, no she said, so they refused to test her, she later went to a private hospital and paid 8,000 baht and was tested positive with the virus, and the government now has to reimburse her. She was telling everyone where she was and at what times and telling people to get tested, now is this is true, and hospitals won't test people who haven't been in affected areas, but have the symptoms, then this is so wrong.

 

At first I thought that can't be right, then I though about it for a minute, the government is asking Thai's to donate money so they can buy the vaccines, after only ordering about a 1/3 for the Thai population, so skimping on testing makes sense, although absurd if true.  

46 minutes ago, cyril sneer said:

by lying

They aren't testing, so in essence, they aren't lying.  Hospital cases are the clue and we've not had any domestic hospital cases in months.  Until recently.  So no, they aren't lying.  Just reporting the data they have....without massive testing.

I am amazed how many people expect there  to  be  a limitless supply of vaccine available that Thailand  could have secured instant massive supply  simply by putting up the  cash. I am guessing the strategy was  to minimize urgent need which, despite all the blowhard comment about  massive deceptions etc , they were successful in achieving up until now. In countries  such as the US supplies are numbered in several hundreds of thousands rather than the millions desirable for an immediate impact in a  large population.

Thailand in in the queue  and has some promise of  additional alternatives while for the moment at least has a relatively  small number of  infections resulting in urgent hospitalizations.

The apparent low key response may be open to question but something must be working  given the potential disaster from  the  Mai Sai/Myanmar  seems to have been averted so  far. The larger  outbreak associated  with the  Seafood Market also shows some promise in containment on any exponential scale.

The  almost gleeful derision emanating from some over this outbreak  IMO is typically selfish and puerile at best !  ????

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand went to war against a global pandemic in 2020 – and almost won

 

Yes their strategy for Covid was amazing...... so much so that the WHO ,Trump and Boris were calling Prayut for the secret strategy.

 

Wear masks, use temp checks and lock downs, make a song and dance.... but only under extreme circumstances test anyone.

 

A population of 70 million and a warm welcome to the Chinese for years pre virus and a few months post covid and Thailand almost Covid free............... this projected ludicrous improbable fantasy scenario finally dissolves.

Edited December 28, 20205 yr by sapson

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand went to war against a global pandemic in 2020 – and almost won

my father used to say that "almost" doesn't count.... it's like a dead person, either you are dead or not dead,  but "almost" dead doesn't count. Thailand didn't won anything because of their greedy/corrupted mentality

1 hour ago, Moonlover said:

The government has ordered enough doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine to inoculate 13 million Thais.

60+ million Thai citizens and they ordered 13 million vaccines, meaning they don't give a rats ass about the other 47+ million not to mention us (expats)

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand went to war

No, Thailand didn't go to any war.

When will journalist stop using that word in the wrong context?

19 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

60+ million Thai citizens and they ordered 13 million vaccines, meaning they don't give a rats ass about the other 47+ million not to mention us (expats)

In due course I'm sure we will be able to purchase the vaccination of our choice at a private hospital, perhaps before next winter.

1 minute ago, ukrules said:

In due course I'm sure we will be able to purchase the vaccination of our choice at a private hospital, perhaps before next winter.

my worries are if there is none available to purchase, if they don't/didn't buy enough for their own people how do we fit in... waiting for their in house/country made one

15 hours ago, cyril sneer said:

by lying

They never went to war!

They cowered behind their borders and hoped it would go away.

15 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

They aren't testing, so in essence, they aren't lying.  Hospital cases are the clue and we've not had any domestic hospital cases in months.  Until recently.  So no, they aren't lying.  Just reporting the data they have....without massive testing.

That doesn't account for the fact that, having been given an aplmost free pass for 9 months, they are vSTILL woefiully unprepared for a major surge inside the borders.

16 hours ago, brommers said:

rather it would prefer to spend funds on idiotic schemes like sending a craft to the moon!

Submarine cost 11.25 Billion (each)

High speed railway 2.2 Trillion

Vaccine for 13 million people (20% of the population) 6 Billion

From this it is not difficult to see where the priorities lie.

 

12 minutes ago, saminoz said:

That doesn't account for the fact that, having been given an aplmost free pass for 9 months, they are vSTILL woefiully unprepared for a major surge inside the borders.

Yeah, they let this happen due to corruption.  No bribes at the border?  No sick migrants getting in.  No illegal casinos?  No sick gamblers all over the country.

 

They really shot themselves in the foot this time.  Hopefully, the public will deal with this when they vote.

17 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

 

Until they scored a crucial own goal.

 

Thailand’s porous border and corruption among immigration officials have been blamed for allowing the virus to spread from neighbouring Myanmar.

Went to war lol.... where were all the commanders when this blew up...