Increased COVID-19 testing of factory workers in Bang Khun Thian district after 28 people infected

[webfact]

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has stepped up proactive testing of factory workers in Bang Khun Thian district, after 28 people, mostly migrant workers, tested positive for COVID-19.

 

Deputy Permanent Secretary of City Administration, Chawin Sirinark, said that health officials immediately launched an investigation after two workers, who were admitted for treatment to Ratchaphiphat Hospital, tested positive.

 

Health officials went to a factory, in the Rama 2 area of Bang Khun Thian, where the two are employed, and identified 37 workers as being at high risk, 28 of whom tested positive without symptoms.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/increased-covid-19-testing-of-factory-workers-in-bang-khun-thian-district-after-28-people-infected/

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-03-22

 

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[Bkk Brian]

Fire fighting sporadic outbreaks again without looking at the underlying cause of why they are popping up everywhere.

 

This can only continue to occur until its too late to nip it now while its still possible

[brewsterbudgen]

4 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Fire fighting sporadic outbreaks again without looking at the underlying cause of why they are popping up everywhere.

 

This can only continue to occur until its too late to nip it now while its still possible

How would you propose to "nip it in the bud"?   Covid is not going to disappear and there will always be sporadic outbreaks.  Seeing as the vast majority of infected people are either asymptomatic or just have mild symptoms, taking draconian measures to try and prevent it "popping up" are likely to do more harm than good.

[Bkk Brian]

24 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

How would you propose to "nip it in the bud"?   Covid is not going to disappear and there will always be sporadic outbreaks.  Seeing as the vast majority of infected people are either asymptomatic or just have mild symptoms, taking draconian measures to try and prevent it "popping up" are likely to do more harm than good.

Its not my call but since Thailand has always taken the strategy of eliminating covid at all costs despite the economic losses through border closures and lockdowns then either this policy has failed or has changed because they are more confident in handling new cases, which is it? I have no idea. 

 

If they have deliberately changed their policy then lets see how far they will let outbreaks spread before more severe lockdowns return.

 

The vaccine solution is a long way off still in Thailand.

 

What would I do? Well the first thing would be to mass test all factories, every single one in Bangkok and see just how widespread it is first, then do the same in other provinces. Make decisions from there.

 

 

Edited March 22, 2021 by Bkk Brian

[RichardColeman]

55 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

How would you propose to "nip it in the bud"?

Thailand is currently in 3rd world territory with tests per million - 131st place on worldometer. Now less than Libya, Kyrgystan and Namibia. Just 104,000,000 tests less than the UK of similar population.

 

So they would not need to nip it in the bud if they bothered testing better maybe

 

 

[brewsterbudgen]

2 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Thailand is currently in 3rd world territory with tests per million - 131st place on worldometer. Now less than Libya, Kyrgystan and Namibia. Just 104,000,000 tests less than the UK of similar population.

 

So they would not need to nip it in the bud if they bothered testing better maybe

 

 

So Thailand should be testing like the UK?   I don't deny that the number of infections in Thailand is under-reported, but hospitals don't seem to be affected and death rates are low.  What purpose would increased testing serve?  It won't eliminate the disease.

[Bkk Brian]

29 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

So Thailand should be testing like the UK?   I don't deny that the number of infections in Thailand is under-reported, but hospitals don't seem to be affected and death rates are low.  What purpose would increased testing serve?  It won't eliminate the disease.

Wouldn't increased testing discover just how widespread it is? If found to be less than expected then that would vindicate their current approach. If found to be widespread then Thailand could be on the cusp of another larger wave. Without knowing which then we are all in the dark including the CCSA.

 

Field hospitals have been serving as makeshift accommodation, dozens of them to stop the local hospitals getting overwhelmed. I suspect this is because the majority of those infected in this wave have been migrants, would Thai's have also been put in field hospitals? Experiments in locking migrants up together to get herd immunity have also been publicly stated by officials.

 

I agree death rates are low, this may be down to the luck of those infected being younger and of working age migrants.

[Cake Monster]

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

Its not my call but since Thailand has always taken the strategy of eliminating covid at all costs despite the economic losses through border closures and lockdowns then either this policy has failed or has changed because they are more confident in handling new cases, which is it? I have no idea. 

 

If they have deliberately changed their policy then lets see how far they will let outbreaks spread before more severe lockdowns return.

 

The vaccine solution is a long way off still in Thailand.

 

What would I do? Well the first thing would be to mass test all factories, every single one in Bangkok and see just how widespread it is first, then do the same in other provinces. Make decisions from there.

 

 

Without obtaining some kind of knowledge as to the severity of these spurious outbreaks, how is it at all possible to hatch a plan of containment.

As many keep saying " test and you will find ", but with what appears to be a policy of testing Migrants only in the initial stages of any outbreak, the Virus is progressing throughout the Country unabated.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Health officials went to a factory, in the Rama 2 area of Bang Khun Thian, where the two are employed, and identified 37 workers as being at high risk, 28 of whom tested positive without symptoms.

Spreading the love... but hey, great to know the inoculation programme is on track.

That'll stop it.

[unblocktheplanet]

Honestly, I don't know why several posters here keep harping about death rates. With Covid, they're sort of immaterial. Do any of us want to end up like the governor of Samut Sakhon province, 82 days in hospital, 42 of them on a ventilator. I'll say it out loud: I don't think he'll ever be quite the same!

 

The main issue is that it's the luck of the draw. For others, maybe they'd prefer to die! Not all of us foreigners on TV are fogeys but I think we're a big percentage. And many of us live in the capital.

 

Govt is irresponsible not to be testing widely. And criminal for encouraging all to Songkran travel.

[Partenavia]

Last September in the UK 2nd wave transmitions were just picking up, it took another 4 months for it to peak. What if it is now the start of the 2nd wave, and not the end??