Health workers sit inside a field hospital recently set up to fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as the country deals with a fresh wave of infections after tackling earlier outbreaks, in Bangkok, Thailand, April 10, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand plans to install 10,000 field-hospital beds in Bangkok, a health official said on Saturday, as the country strains to cope with a third wave of COVID-19 infections.

 

At least a dozen hospitals in the capital said they had stopped testing for the coronavirus as of Friday due to a lack of kits or capacity. Hospitals are reluctant to test because they must admit people if they test positive, authorities say.

 

"We aim to increase (field) hospital beds to 10,000 in no time, which should give the public confidence that we can still contain this round of outbreak," Suksan Kittisupakorn, director-general of Thailand's Medical Service Department, told reporters.

The current surge appeared to be the country's worst yet, he said.

 

Thailand reported 789 new cases and one death on Saturday, taking the total number of infections to 31,658, with 97 deaths.

So far this month, Thailand has reported 2,697 new domestic infections, including 1,058 cases in Bangkok, the epicentre of an outbreak that has seen cases climb from a few dozen to several hundred a day.

 

 

The outbreak, which includes the highly transmissible B.1.1.7 variant first identified in Britain, has rapidly spread to 62 of Thailand's 77 provinces, Opas Karnkawinpong of the Department of Disease Control told a briefing.

 

Thailand's third wave comes ahead of major national holidays next week and as the country seeks to reopen to foreign tourists.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha asked people to limit the spread. "I'm very worried. If anyone does not need to travel, please stay home," he said in a podcast on Saturday.

 

Thailand is aiming to start mass immunisation from June. It has vaccinated more than 530,000 health workers and people deemed vulnerable.

 

Thailand, which received 1 million doses of vaccine from China's Sinovac vaccine on Saturday, is to get another 500,000 doses this month, said deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Traisoranakul.

 

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Juarawee Kittisilpa; Additional reporting by Satawasin; Staporncharnchai and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by William Mallard)

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-04-11

 

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

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

8 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha asked people to limit the spread. "I'm very worried. If anyone does not need to travel, please stay home,"

..........And with that ever present Thai smile on their faces, they all said "YES Loong Too, Khup Phoom!" ????

24 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha asked people to limit the spread. "I'm very worried. If anyone does not need to travel, please stay home,"

Looks like he's regretting his decision to promote travel just a few days ago..........too late mate, the damage is done and its on your shoulders now.

 

29 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

"We aim to increase (field) hospital beds to 10,000 in no time, which should give the public confidence that we can still contain this round of outbreak," Suksan Kittisupakorn, director-general of Thailand's Medical Service Department,

I'm sure 10,000 infected people will be falling over themselves with happiness and confidence at the prospect of spending 2 weeks cooped up in converted wharehouses and halls, no air con, no division between beds basically like a prison. 

2 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

I'm sure 10,000 infected people will be falling over themselves with happiness and confidence at the prospect of spending 2 weeks cooped up in converted wharehouses and halls, no air con, no division between beds basically like a prison. 

 

Loss of sense of smell and taste a plus.

 

Think these are for the plebs.

 

People who can afford it are offered an ASQ option, on testing positive.

 

 

China and S.Korea set up quarantine centers, where positives were sent to be around other positives for the duration of their infection. These places were like summer camps where room and board and recreational facilities were provided. If a person took a turn for the worse, then they were sent to a hospital for medical supervision. Why doesn't Thailand follow this model?

field hospitals are for those with light symptoms. Those 10k beds are being arranged, but it will take time, probably weeks, before functional. It's not only beds, but some hospital equipment, like oxygen, as well as trained and properly equipped (ppe, masks).

 

Just the positives go to quarantine facilities, but space there, and the whole system, is overrun on holiday mode, some doctors do advice quarantine at home.

Quarantine for flying from abroad are at designated hotels, but quarantine for infected locally are basic, overcrowded. I don't think a foreigner in thailand can go strait to asq, as they have to be booked in advance and cost a minimum 2k/day.

 

as I can see the health system is shutting now for holidays, that's why tests are not offered. In some hospitals they already run out of tests. They will start working from friday 16.4, but they will be properly staffed from monday 19.4. 

 

so the coming weeks will be very rough for patients and for the health service.

Oh man those are gonna be hot! In April. Good luck coming out of a tent alive

6 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

I'm sure 10,000 infected people will be falling over themselves with happiness and confidence at the prospect of spending 2 weeks cooped up in converted wharehouses and halls, no air con, no division between beds basically like a prison. 

Considering many would have caught it from partying in such places it would seem a kind of poetic justice to me.

7 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Thailand plans to install 10,000 field-hospital beds in Bangkok, a health official said on Saturday, as the country strains to cope with a third wave of COVID-19 infections.

Ready for the surge that it keeps denying is going to happen?

6 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Ready for the surge that it keeps denying is going to happen?

Be fair, we in the UK built or converted two ruddy great Nightingale hospitals at a cost of £220 million to the taxpayer for the surge that we never appeared to use. Least Thailand's cost is just soldier labour moving beds.

1 hour ago, hotchilli said:

Ready for the surge that it keeps denying is going to happen?

Not sure that they denied it. They said we'd have over 1k cases per day soon. Only some punters here suggested there was no impeding third wave.

 

Doesn't look good.

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Be fair, we in the UK built or converted two ruddy great Nightingale hospitals at a cost of £220 million to the taxpayer for the surge that we never appeared to use. Least Thailand's cost is just soldier labour moving beds.

Agreed. But there's a Complex story behind that. They tried to do the right thing. But didn't work out. And in the end, totally botched the initial response to covid.

9 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Looks like he's regretting his decision to promote travel just a few days ago..........too late mate, the damage is done and its on your shoulders now.

 

I'm sure 10,000 infected people will be falling over themselves with happiness and confidence at the prospect of spending 2 weeks cooped up in converted wharehouses and halls, no air con, no division between beds basically like a prison. 

With Covid free to roam wherever it wants too inside the " Wards "

9 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Thailand, which received 1 million doses of vaccine from China's Sinovac vaccine on Saturday, is to get another 500,000 doses this month, said deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Traisoranakul.

That's actually 750,000 doses since you need two shots.

 

 

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Be fair, we in the UK built or converted two ruddy great Nightingale hospitals at a cost of £220 million to the taxpayer for the surge that we never appeared to use. Least Thailand's cost is just soldier labour moving beds.

The Brazil variants haven't overrun the UK yet. Good to have Nightingales just in case.

3 hours ago, Taco said:

Oh man those are gonna be hot! In April. Good luck coming out of a tent alive

field hospitals can be in any building, necessary with electricity, water, also with air con.

Can be hotel, sports hall, stadium, exhibition hall. In samut songran there were in empty factory warehouses. 

The most of thai can easily stay in any temperature. High temperature kills virus.

 

it doesn't mean tents on the rural fields. They are not war, emergency hospitals

26 minutes ago, placnx said:

The Brazil variants haven't overrun the UK yet. Good to have Nightingales just in case.

Didn't say it would not be good to have them as back up, just they have never been used - though I think they stole all the equipment for other hospitals.

 

As for the future, I severely doubt they will ever be used now that we have vaccines. Brazil variant may raise it's ugly head by hopefully by then we will be able to control hospital admissions and tweek vaccines if needs be.

This field hospital idea is reminiscent of the 'Nightingale' hospitals that were set up in the UK - large temporary covid hospitals that stood more or less empty. There weren't enough staff to man them, nor were there enough patients to fill them - existing hospitals provided sufficient critical care, crowded through they were, as in a severe winter flu season. The Nightingale hospital in Birmingham, for example, was stood down without admitting any patients. 

3 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

This field hospital idea is reminiscent of the 'Nightingale' hospitals that were set up in the UK - large temporary covid hospitals that stood more or less empty. There weren't enough staff to man them, nor were there enough patients to fill them - existing hospitals provided sufficient critical care, crowded through they were, as in a severe winter flu season. The Nightingale hospital in Birmingham, for example, was stood down without admitting any patients. 

It's much more complicated than you portay it.

7 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

It's much more complicated than you portay it.

This is a news group, not a dissertation. Fact is, the Nightingale hospitals weren't needed, and were closed down or repurposed.

2 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Agreed. But there's a Complex story behind that. They tried to do the right thing. But didn't work out. And in the end, totally botched the initial response to covid.

Nonsense. The Nightingale hospitals weren't necessary. They were another example of gross government overreaction and panic that has been the hallmark of this covid pandemic.

7 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Nonsense. The Nightingale hospitals weren't necessary. They were another example of gross government overreaction and panic that has been the hallmark of this covid pandemic.

Yea insurance is never necessary is it

13 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Nonsense. The Nightingale hospitals weren't necessary. They were another example of gross government overreaction and panic that has been the hallmark of this covid pandemic.

Shame they didn't make use of them by putting all the old folk in them instead of sending them back into care homes to kill 10's of 1000's of otherwise healthy residents.

11 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha asked people to limit the spread. "I'm very worried. If anyone does not need to travel, please stay home,"

....and people needed to travel for Songkran?

3 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Shame they didn't make use of them by putting all the old folk in them instead of sending them back into care homes to kill 10's of 1000's of otherwise health residents.

Very true. UK Government emergency strategy through the years, and as recently as 2018, was that a respiratory virus was inevitable and that the most vulnerable should be protected. They totally screwed up, panicked, and a lot of elderly folk died as a result. Lockdown of the general population was a Chinese idea, and was never considered. 

28 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

This is a news group, not a dissertation. Fact is, the Nightingale hospitals weren't needed, and were closed down or repurposed.

Yeah. Hardly anyone died in the UK from Covid. Definitely not needed.  LOL

Just now, Jeffr2 said:

Yeah. Hardly anyone died in the UK from Covid. Definitely not needed.  LOL

Stay on topic, which is field hospitals, and their usefulness. 

26 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

Nonsense. The Nightingale hospitals weren't necessary. They were another example of gross government overreaction and panic that has been the hallmark of this covid pandemic.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/21/nurse-shortage-causes-nightingale-hospital-to-turn-away-patients

 

Nurse shortage causes Nightingale hospital to turn away patients

2 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

Yeah. Hardly anyone died in the UK from Covid. Definitely not needed.  LOL

And rather than mocking please make an intelligent contribution or rebuttal to the point I made, if you are capable of doing so.

35 minutes ago, dbrenn said:

This is a news group, not a dissertation. Fact is, the Nightingale hospitals weren't needed, and were closed down or repurposed.

However, you can not compare the UK to here in Thailand, as all patients with a covid related positive test are hospitalized or placed into a field hospital here, which the UK did not and does not do.