Do you have a Covid action plan before going to Thailand?

[wn78]

Considering going soon on a TR or STV visa.  But seeing Covid spike in Thailand, makes me think I don’t have a good action plan on what may be coming.

If the situation starts getting out of control, how do you catch that in advance, before hospitals start running out of beds, so you have a chance to pack your bags and go home.  What are the numbers of new cases or total cases to watch out for in Bangkok?  Is there any way to monitor hospital capacity, other than relying on news articles?  

If you start getting Covid symptoms, then what?  Self-isolate I assume.  Then, how and where do you get tested as a visitor?  And if you start feeling really crappy, are there particular hospitals in Bangkok (assuming that’s where you’d be) that are better equipped to deal with Covid than others?  And if you need to go there, getting in a taxi seems like a bad idea since you would be infecting the driver, so what’s the plan there?

Too many questions, I know, but I’m realizing I have no clue on what a good strategy should be.
 

[Whale]

Maybe stay at home? The stress of planning may kill you first.

[roquefort]

No plan survives contact with the enemy (especially in Thailand).

 

Field Marshall von Moltke

[Kiujunn]

The obvious plan is: the more cases there are,  the more avoid contact with other people. Especially with people who themselves have contact with many people,  e.g. bargirls.

Avoid close contact, keep a distance of 2m from everybody. 

Avoid closed rooms, e.g. gogo bars, discos, short time hotels, BTS, taxis.

Avoid crowds, as in BTS or shopping centers. 

 

If symptoms, go to any of the international hospitals. Better,  if you have your own transport. 

 

Don't plan on flying home - other people might have the same idea, it may be difficult to book a seat. 

 

 

[natway09]

If you are not settled here already I strongly suggest stay away at present unless there is a very pressing need. Keep abreast of develops, keep your powder dry, loaded but not cocked.

Cheers

[geisha]

I think wn78 has a very important question. I asked myself the same questions when the virus took off in Thailand. You don’t hear much information at all about where to get testing , and the amount of hospital beds for Covid and ventilators . Then, even with a 100 000$ Covid insurance cover , will that suffice if you get the full blown infection ???  We all know what a prolonged stay at a private Thai hospital costs . I preferred to leave Thailand and go home where I know I am 100% medically covered with the best care given. 

[roquefort]

12 minutes ago, geisha said:

I think wn78 has a very important question. I asked myself the same questions when the virus took off in Thailand. You don’t hear much information at all about where to get testing , and the amount of hospital beds for Covid and ventilators . Then, even with a 100 000$ Covid insurance cover , will that suffice if you get the full blown infection ???  We all know what a prolonged stay at a private Thai hospital costs . I preferred to leave Thailand and go home where I know I am 100% medically covered with the best care given. 

It really depends where home is.

 

If you're from the UK and counting on getting into an NHS hospital, your chances don't look too good right now.

[alex8912]

20 minutes ago, geisha said:

I think wn78 has a very important question. I asked myself the same questions when the virus took off in Thailand. You don’t hear much information at all about where to get testing , and the amount of hospital beds for Covid and ventilators . Then, even with a 100 000$ Covid insurance cover , will that suffice if you get the full blown infection ???  We all know what a prolonged stay at a private Thai hospital costs . I preferred to leave Thailand and go home where I know I am 100% medically covered with the best care given. 

So why give whale a sad icon when he suggests the op stay home? It’s great advice. He is NOT here now. 

[wn78]

Staying home, or taking basic distancing precautions are obvious things to consider. 

 

I think I made it clear my questions go beyond that. 

 

I'm looking for advice from people who are better informed than the rest of us on the very basic questions:  how to monitor the situation, and what to do if you get sick.

 

Whether you stay home now or don't, the answers to these questions will stay relevant well into the future.  

 

  

[Elkski]

Good topic.  Many things to consider. 

How soon may you get the vaccination in your home country? 

 

In US I have not clue yet. 

Look at rising case numbers in Thailand.   And the Lockdown.  What does this mean for ASQ in BKK but wanting to travel?  Will there be beds left in Thailand when you need em.  Will there be beds left in your ???? country?  Where will foreigners stand in the que?  Surely behind all the connected Thai people.  

Will other countries impose a travel ban on Thailand if it gets real bad? 

The recent spike in cases in Thailand and many countries sure go be me pause.  I was hoping the trend would be downward but we need to watch the facts.  

[sirineou]

It is a difficult proposition because none of us has a crystal ball , an the situation  is unprecedented,

Last winter we were in the US and we were getting ready to come back to Thailand, when Covid hit, and we had exactly the same questions and concerns you have now, so we decided to stay in the US for a few more months and see how things played out, I though for sure by spring early summer they would have found a cure, no way the country's economy can stay shut for too long. It is now almost a year, we are still in the US, afraid to go out , while you guys in Thailand were running around as if nothing had happened. 

Sp who the bleep knows? The vaccine can make everything better in a few months, or a new strain is resistant to this vaccine and we are back in square one. 

Edited January 5, 2021 by sirineou

[Kiujunn]

10 hours ago, wn78 said:

Staying home, or taking basic distancing precautions are obvious things to consider. 

 

I think I made it clear my questions go beyond that. 

 

I'm looking for advice from people who are better informed than the rest of us on the very basic questions:  how to monitor the situation, and what to do if you get sick.

 

Whether you stay home now or don't, the answers to these questions will stay relevant well into the future.  

 

  

Monitor situation:

Follow daily CCSA briefing on YouTube,  60 min in Thai,  10 min in English

Follow one of several apps and websites showing location of found infections, also available in English

Follow sanuk.com

Ask Thai people in your neighborhood about the local situation.  Thai people care about this.

Ask doctors or nurses who work in ICU or similar hospital jobs. 

 

Where to go if sick: 

Any international hospital. They may have to send you to a government appointed place of care,  in that case, you don't have any choice. 

 

If you are in a decent country now,  I strongly recommend to stay put. 

Decent countries are not the US, UK, most of continental Europe.

[wn78]

1 hour ago, Kiujunn said:

Monitor situation:

Follow daily CCSA briefing on YouTube,  60 min in Thai,  10 min in English

Follow one of several apps and websites showing location of found infections, also available in English

Follow sanuk.com

Ask Thai people in your neighborhood about the local situation.  Thai people care about this.

Ask doctors or nurses who work in ICU or similar hospital jobs. 

 

Where to go if sick: 

Any international hospital. They may have to send you to a government appointed place of care,  in that case, you don't have any choice. 

 

If you are in a decent country now,  I strongly recommend to stay put. 

Decent countries are not the US, UK, most of continental Europe.

Thanks this is actually helpful.

 

Did you mean sanook.com?

 

And what is a government appointed place of care?? is that something specific for foreigners?

[Kiujunn]

sanook.com

 

government appointed place of care: this changes. 

 

2 examples:

In spring,  in the beginning every covid patient regardless of nationality had to be transferred to certain  government hospitals, they couldn't stay in the private hospitals. Later this changed. 

In Samut Sakhorn in December,  the foreigners were fenced in with barbed wire around their accommodation,  infected ones together with not yet infected ones. 

They were taken care of, the government didn't just let them starve to death (and they were not culled like the minks in Denmark), sick ones were brought to a hospital and thus received a higher level of care than in their homecountry Myanmar or, let's say,  in the UK.

 

 

[Elkski]

8 hours ago, Kiujunn said:

sanook.com

 

government appointed place of care: this changes. 

 

2 examples:

In spring,  in the beginning every covid patient regardless of nationality had to be transferred to certain  government hospitals, they couldn't stay in the private hospitals. Later this changed. 

In Samut Sakhorn in December,  the foreigners were fenced in with barbed wire around their accommodation,  infected ones together with not yet infected ones. 

They were taken care of, the government didn't just let them starve to death (and they were not culled like the minks in Denmark), sick ones were brought to a hospital and thus received a higher level of care than in their homecountry Myanmar or, let's say,  in the UK.

 

 

I didn't read about this? If they weren't sick why were they fenced in?

[Kiujunn]

14 hours ago, Elkski said:

I didn't read about this? If they weren't sick why were they fenced in?

Because they might have had contact with infected persons in their crowded living quarters. You could test every single one of them,  put them in quarantine,  test again after a good week.  This is what Thailand does with foreigners from rich countries (ASQ). Foreigners from poor countries are treated the way Singapore did it: detain them all together,  they will infect each other,  after several months the virus will have run its course in the detained population,  but the virus won't get out.

[Elkski]

My little state of 3 mil has 2500 cases a day.  Thailand could easily creep up to that % in 4-6 months. So with 20+ times the population that would be 50,000 cases a day at what point before that do the hospitals stop taking anyone?   I commend Thailand in it's contact tracing but I  can't imagine it isn't getting overwhelmed about now.  And the expense of travel and accommodations for all those workers.