Pattaya Covid Hospitalization

[TyJames]

Further to this topic of Covid Insurance

Pattaya Specific

Does anybody know the procedure for FALANGS  who suspect that they MAY have covid.

I am perfectly well but on asking my friends nobody knows anything.

I assume that the authorities would NOT want anybody to turn up to Banglamung or Pattaya City Hospitals, Queue up and wait for a Doctor, (How many could you infect this way)

Where is the Covid facility for the Pattaya Area? 

Perhaps the Naval Hospital??

 

If anybody actually knows please Post    Thank You  Jamez    Pls move to the Pattaya Forum if that is better 

[JoePai]

First is to go to a hospital and ask for a Covid test

[ukrules]

I would suggest calling them at the hospital of your choice and telling them you're coming for a COVID test, they will be prepared for when you arrive.

 

I'm sure they get many 'walk ins' each day anyway.

[Leaver]

If you have symptoms, ring the hospital first, even from out the front of the hospital.   Wear a mask when traveling there, and try to get there alone, not in a taxi or similar. 

 

They should meet you outside of the waiting room and test you. 

 

Bring your visa card.  ???? 

 

Then again, they may just not bother testing you.  ????

 

 

[scubascuba3]

The authorities here do seem relaxed about people just turning up at a hospital and potentially spreading it, wasn't an issue last time but maybe now with a bigger outbreak. 

 

Maybe @Sherylcan confirm the protocol as it's unclear

Edited January 5, 2021 by scubascuba3

[WuhanVagabond]

Was talking about this with someone yesterday. Also wondering whether you, in the case of having a fever, would be taken somewhere without having a say as to where. It's not like the world's population has magically stopped having regular colds and flu because of the Chinese virus; so I'd hate to show up with a cold and be thrown in with a bunch of people who are positive for the virus- something I can see happening here.

 

It's not really clear what they are treating people with now either. The most recent linked Thai govt information is from the spring and has Chloroquine as the treatment for most cases. There are now better treatments and also way different protocols in the US in terms of ventilators after they learned that aggressive ventilator treatment was actually killing people.

 

Better for all of us to know how things are actually being handled beforehand just in case we end up exposed and thrown into the system. Here's hoping Sheryl or someone else has some real world info to share in this thread...

Edited January 5, 2021 by WuhanVagabond

[TyJames]

4 minutes ago, WuhanVagabond said:

Was talking about this with someone yesterday. Also wondering whether you, in the case of having a fever, would be taken somewhere without having a say as to where. It's not like the world's population has magically stopped having regular colds and flu because of the Chinese virus; so I'd hate to show up with a cold and be thrown in with a bunch of people who are positive for the virus- something I can see happening here.

 

It's not really clear what they are treating people with now either. The most recent linked Thai govt information is from the spring and has Chloroquine as the treatment for most cases. There are now better treatments and also way different protocols in the US in terms of ventilators after they learned that aggressive ventilator treatment was actually killing people.

 

Better for all of us to know how things are actually being handled beforehand just in case we end up exposed and thrown into the system. Here's hoping Sheryl or someone else has some real world info to share in this thread...

 

[scubascuba3]

4 minutes ago, WuhanVagabond said:

It's not like the world's population has magically stopped having regular colds and flu because of the Chinese virus

The spread of colds and flu has drastically reduced, I for one have felt better the last 10 months than previous years, less things about. 

 

YouTube will show you different symptoms of cold, flu, Covid

[TyJames]

Excellent point, to be wary of, Thanks Vw.

 

If we get enough good input into this we just may get a protocol that we can all actually work to  BEFORE  any of us comes down with either a Bad cold or Covid , Initially we MAY present to the hospital with the same symptoms.

Luckily I could easily isolate myself within my house from the rest of the family who would still be able to feed me, others living alone may be less fortunate.

I am 70+ a relative youngster compared to some living here. 

[WuhanVagabond]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The spread of colds and flu has drastically reduced, I for one have felt better the last 10 months than previous years, less things about. 

 

YouTube will show you different symptoms of cold, flu, Covid

And the Mayo clinic and any other respected medical provider's website will stress that there is a lot of overlap and it's difficult to tell unless you have a tell tale symptom like loss of taste and smell. 

 

I always run a fever when I get sick. I've seen sick people sneezing and coughing throughout the year when there were no reported cases in Thailand. People still get sick from other things, regardless of what the powers that be want the people to believe/fear. Still, if you got a fever tomorrow with kinda normal cold symptoms, would you dilly or would you feel compelled to go get tested?

 

I'd be inclined to go get tested. But I certainly want to know beforehand what to expect when they do a temp scan and I already know it's above 37.5!

[Leaver]

15 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

The spread of colds and flu has drastically reduced, I for one have felt better the last 10 months than previous years, less things about. 

True.  The incidents of cold and flu have dramatically decreased with the implementation of social distancing, however, maybe you are breathing better because of the decrease in air pollution here.  

[Leaver]

7 minutes ago, WuhanVagabond said:

Still, if you got a fever tomorrow with kinda normal cold symptoms, would you dilly or would you feel compelled to go get tested?

 

This issue has come up before. 

 

As a foreigner, if you feel ill, and do the right thing by going to get tested, if you have it, you could end up with a huge bill at the end of 2 weeks in hospital, even if you do not progress to life threatening covid, needing ICU.

 

End result will probably be foreigners not seek medical treatment until they are extremely ill, possibly spreading the disease for the previous 10 days.  

[sapson]

– Emergency: COVID-19 affects different people in many different ways. If you or your loved ones are showing any of the main symptoms (fever, dry cough, fatigue, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, diarrhoea, etc.) do not go to places like a local Thai pharmacy or private hospital if you think you might have COVID-19. Instead you should immediately call the Thai COVID-19 Hotline on 1422 and wait for further instructions.

 

Source: https://www.tatnews.org/2021/01/how-to-protect-yourselves-and-others-from-covid-19-in-thailand/

 

 

The above in another thread may help the OP.

[scubascuba3]

42 minutes ago, WuhanVagabond said:

And the Mayo clinic and any other respected medical provider's website will stress that there is a lot of overlap and it's difficult to tell unless you have a tell tale symptom like loss of taste and smell. 

 

I always run a fever when I get sick. I've seen sick people sneezing and coughing throughout the year when there were no reported cases in Thailand. People still get sick from other things, regardless of what the powers that be want the people to believe/fear. Still, if you got a fever tomorrow with kinda normal cold symptoms, would you dilly or would you feel compelled to go get tested?

 

I'd be inclined to go get tested. But I certainly want to know beforehand what to expect when they do a temp scan and I already know it's above 37.5!

Personally I'd self isolate if I thought I had covid, if symptoms got severe I'd go to hospital. I don't think sneezing is a symptom, I've not seen it mentioned anyway. I do wonder why people are fanatical about a test

[WuhanVagabond]

41 minutes ago, Leaver said:

 

This issue has come up before. 

 

As a foreigner, if you feel ill, and do the right thing by going to get tested, if you have it, you could end up with a huge bill at the end of 2 weeks in hospital, even if you do not progress to life threatening covid, needing ICU.

 

End result will probably be foreigners not seek medical treatment until they are extremely ill, possibly spreading the disease for the previous 10 days.  

Yeah, agree. That's also the case for Thais as well (not seeking treatment unless actually sick), except for the cost dynamic.

 

I could manage to incur the cost, but I know many here who could not- and that's an obvious issue. Also, many of us live in small spaces and often with a gf/significant other, so self isolation is a bit difficult to pull off in any meaningful way if one is looking at it realistically. 

 

Obviously every case is different and costs, as such, will vary greatly. That said, do we have any data points, in terms of total cost incurred,  of foreigners who were hospitalized before? I imagine even a perfectly well positive test gets the full nine yards for 14 days or something similar...

[JeffersLos]

2 hours ago, Leaver said:

they may just not bother testing you. 

 

In which case the win motorbike taxi guys outside can prescribe you a course of antibiotics. 

[Wongkitlo]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The spread of colds and flu has drastically reduced, I for one have felt better the last 10 months than previous years, less things about. 

 

YouTube will show you different symptoms of cold, flu, Covid

I had a bad cold/flu in October. I don't think was covid. Cleared up with antibiotics but took 3 weeks plus. 

[Sheryl]

3 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

The authorities here do seem relaxed about people just turning up at a hospital and potentially spreading it, wasn't an issue last time but maybe now with a bigger outbreak. 

 

Maybe @Sherylcan confirm the protocol as it's unclear

 

There is no special testing site, you just go to a hospital. Wear a mask, obviously but then that is required anyhow.

 

It is indeed true that you will be forcibly hospitalized if you test positive and at considerable expense. You will not be allowed to leave the hospital until you test negative, regardless of presence or absence of symptoms.

[Wongkitlo]

2 hours ago, Leaver said:

 

This issue has come up before. 

 

As a foreigner, if you feel ill, and do the right thing by going to get tested, if you have it, you could end up with a huge bill at the end of 2 weeks in hospital, even if you do not progress to life threatening covid, needing ICU.

 

End result will probably be foreigners not seek medical treatment until they are extremely ill, possibly spreading the disease for the previous 10 days.  

I was sick a couple of months back. Was afraid of going to the doctor because I thought the first thing they would do would be do an expensive covid test not covered by my insurance. I could not even go to the shops because was worried would set off the high temperature alarm and they would call the police.

[Sheryl]

2 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

I was sick a couple of months back. Was afraid of going to the doctor because I thought the first thing they would do would be do an expensive covid test not covered by my insurance. I could not even go to the shops because was worried would set off the high temperature alarm and they would call the police.

 A few months back they would definitely NOT have done a COVID test unless there was a clear history of contact with a know case or recent travel from a high risk area.

 

Now, and if residing in a "red zone", might be different.

[Leaver]

21 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

I was sick a couple of months back. Was afraid of going to the doctor because I thought the first thing they would do would be do an expensive covid test not covered by my insurance. I could not even go to the shops because was worried would set off the high temperature alarm and they would call the police.

 

Government policy has clearly failed in this regard.  Testing, and if positive, quarantining from the population, is vital to stopping the spread, and saving lives.  

[Leaver]

42 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

A few months back they would definitely NOT have done a COVID test unless there was a clear history of contact with a know case or recent travel from a high risk area.

 

How ridiculous.  

 

They should test a presenting individual who is displaying symptoms.  Not assess their condition based on where they have been and who they have been with.  

 

Edited January 5, 2021 by Leaver

[Wongkitlo]

31 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 A few months back they would definitely NOT have done a COVID test unless there was a clear history of contact with a know case or recent travel from a high risk area.

 

Now, and if residing in a "red zone", might be different.

If that was the case what is the point of having temperature checks  and tracing everywhere. I agree with Leaver. Their policies are ridiculous.  I  checked at the time and heard it was around 8000b I can't afford for a test.

[Sheryl]

23 minutes ago, Wongkitlo said:

If that was the case what is the point of having temperature checks  and tracing everywhere. I agree with Leaver. Their policies are ridiculous.  I  checked at the time and heard it was around 8000b I can't afford for a test.

 

At the pricest international hospitals in Bangkok it is about 6,000.

 

At government facilities about 3,500.

[Sheryl]

34 minutes ago, Leaver said:

 

How ridiculous.  

 

They should test a presenting individual who is displaying symptoms.  Not assess their condition based on where they have been and who they have been with.  

 

 

If someone had strong clinical indications of COVID no doubt they would test.

 

But it is hardly practical to test every single person in the country with symptoms of a respiratory infection especially in areas of low COVID prevalence. Ditto every person with a fever and diarrhea - which COVID can present with.

[thedemon]

51 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

There is no special testing site, you just go to a hospital. Wear a mask, obviously but then that is required anyhow.

 

It is indeed true that you will be forcibly hospitalized if you test positive and at considerable expense. You will not be allowed to leave the hospital until you test negative, regardless of presence or absence of symptoms.

 

It is for this reason that I have never installed that contact tracing app or provided legible contact details whenever forced to provide them manually. I decided very early on that if I ever suspected that I had contracted Covid-19, a hospital would be the last place to go especially considering the risk of me actually dying from the virus was likely on a par with the risk incurred during the car trip to the hospital.

 

If I had multiple comorbidities or didn't have the ability to self-isolate myself from others it might be different.

[Leaver]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

If someone had strong clinical indications of COVID no doubt they would test.

 

But it is hardly practical to test every single person in the country with symptoms of a respiratory infection especially in areas of low COVID prevalence. Ditto every person with a fever and diarrhea - which COVID can present with.

 

So turn potentially infected individuals away, sending them back into the community.  Only test those on deaths door.  Great policy.

 

Testing and tracing is vital to suppressing the virus. 

 

Thailand was lucky the first time around.  Maybe not this time.    

[Sheryl]

2 minutes ago, Leaver said:

 

So turn potentially infected individuals away, sending them back into the community.  Only test those on deaths door.  Great policy.

 

Testing and tracing is vital to suppressing the virus. 

 

Thailand was lucky the first time around.  Maybe not this time.    

 

That is most definitely not the policy. Re-read my post.

 

There are doing testing and tracing, quite aggressively.  But it is done in a targeted manner.

 

What they are ntot doing -- here or pretty much anywhere -- is testing everyone in the entire country who has a sort throat, or fever, or diarrhea, for COVID irrespective of any other risk factor and in areas where recent COVID  cases are few or none. That would be ridiculous and a waste of resources. .

 

[Leaver]

7 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

That is most definitely not the policy. Re-read my post.

 

There are doing testing and tracing, quite aggressively.  But it is done in a targeted manner.

 

What they are ntot doing -- here or pretty much anywhere -- is testing everyone in the entire country who has a sort throat, or fever, or diarrhea, for COVID irrespective of any other risk factor and in areas where recent COVID  cases are few or none. That would be ridiculous and a waste of resources. .

 

 

That's not true, Cheryl.  Many countries are doing mass testing.  

 

Here's a random article that's 5 days old.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-54872039

 

Here's an article showing it's free in the UK, if you have symptoms.  Once again, mass testing.

 

https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

 

It appears to me, Thailand either doesn't want to pay for mass testing, or doesn't have the resources for mass testing, or both.  

 

The below is unacceptable, and if that's their testing policy, it's a disgrace.

 

 

[scubascuba3]

6 hours ago, Leaver said:

 

That's not true, Cheryl.  Many countries are doing mass testing.  

 

Here's a random article that's 5 days old.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/explainers-54872039

 

Here's an article showing it's free in the UK, if you have symptoms.  Once again, mass testing.

 

https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test

 

It appears to me, Thailand either doesn't want to pay for mass testing, or doesn't have the resources for mass testing, or both.  

 

The below is unacceptable, and if that's their testing policy, it's a disgrace.

 

 

The problem is you get all the hypochondriacs turning up thinking they have covid. It's got to be based on location and symptoms. I recall South Korea, you paid for a test but got refunded if tested positive