Thailand reports daily record of over 2,000 COVID-19 cases, 4 new deaths

[webfact]

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand reported 2,070 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest number of daily cases since the pandemic started, as the country struggles with a third wave of infections, the most severe it has faced up to now.

 

Four new deaths were also reported, the health ministry said. The new cases took the total number of infections to 50,183, while 121 deaths have been recorded.

 

Thailand has managed to keep its caseload far lower than many other countries but the new outbreak, which include the highly-transmissible B.1.1.7 variant, has caused more than 20,000 domestic infections with 27 fatalities in just 23 days.

 

The outbreak began in the capital Bangkok and has spread across the country.

 

Schools, bars and massage parlours have been closed until next month and alcohol sales banned in restaurants in a bid to curb the epidemic.

 

The new spread, which accounts for more than a third of Thailand's cases so far, also comes as the country takes tentative steps to reopen to foreign visitors after a year of tightened border controls,

 

(Reporting by Orathai Sriring and Panarat Thepgumpanat; Editing by Ed Davies)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-04-23

 

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[robblok]

Highest number so far, the last couple of days were a lot lower. Lets see if this is an anomaly or the new normal. 

 

The goverment officials were stating they thought they were past the worst of it. This number shows that is untrue. Unless of course tomorrow and the days after that are much lower. 

 

I think a few guys just jumped the gun being so happy that it was lower as before and saw it as a way to justify things bring good news. 

 

It also shows that the goverment either does not communicate or does not willfully keeps the numbers down.

 

If they willfully kept the numbers down this tick up would not have happened. And if they communicated better the guys that jumped the gun would not have looked foolish. But that is all based upon the idea that this is not an anomaly. 

[PatOngo]

The Minister of Public Health has pointed out daily COVID-19 infection rates have begun to stagnate 

 

Oh really Minister, you seem to be as good at maths as you are at being the Health Minister! Not very! ???? 

[Henryford]

Obvious this was going to happen after Songhran. Have a party in Bangkok then travel all over Thailand duh !

[PatOngo]

10 minutes ago, robblok said:

It also shows that the goverment either does not communicate or does not willfully keeps the numbers down.

.............or has little or no idea!

[dcsw53]

10 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand has managed to keep its caseload far lower than many other countries but the new outbreak, which include the highly-transmissible B.1.1.7 variant, has caused more than 20,000 domestic infections with 27 fatalities in just 23 days.

Is this because the new strain is more infectious, or a sign that the current measures are not working ? If the numbers rise next week again, that cannot be blamed on Songkran travel and shows a deeper problem. With the government's inability to source and accredit vaccines ( unless you are a hiso ) the signs aren't good.

[anchadian]

Take a hint from your neighbor or ensure that Malls close at 9pm.  

_{Laos locks down capital over virus outbreak tied to Thailand}

 

https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-thailand-vientiane-laos-coronavirus-e9a78c64152f51a539045eaebf17777b

 

 

A restaurant clerk rests at a Chinese restaurant in Vientiane in Feb. 11, 2020. Laos locked down ...

BANGKOK (AP) — Laos locked down its capital and closed its international borders to most traffic Thursday after identifying a COVID-19 cluster connected to its bigger neighbor Thailand.

 

Residents of the capital Vientiane are barred from leaving the city and outsiders must get permission to enter. Its international borders were closed except to trucks carrying goods and in cases allowed by the nation’s COVID-19 taskforce, state news agency KPL reported.

 

[smedly]

5 minutes ago, dcsw53 said:

If the numbers rise next week again, that cannot be blamed on Songkran travel and shows a deeper problem.

really ?, do explain

[smiggley]

What did the govt expect. They vertially said to the virus go forth and multiply throughout the country during songkran.

[conimex]

10 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Obvious this was going to happen after Songhran. Have a party in Bangkok then travel all over Thailand duh !

Indeed ! I believe the figures they give are not correct, there are many more people infected, as long as the test rate is low, the official figures will stay low. 

[Aspaltso]

It also could be a backlog of cases that weren't reported until now. There's been all kinds of testing going on within the last few days, and some of those results could just be getting posted now.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

 

Even as Thai officials have talked hopefully about soon bringing the nation’s COVID outbreak under control, the pandemic showed even more signs of going in the opposite direction Friday as reported new daily cases reached a record 2,070, total cases surpassed 50,000 and the death toll kept rising.

 

And that wasn’t the only bad news for the day. In addition to four new COVID deaths reported bringing the country’s total to 121, the government also said a record 19,873 people were now hospitalized for testing positive for COVID. And of those, 352 were said to be in serious condition, a number that has more than tripled over the past six days.

 

Under the government’s policy, anyone testing positive for COVID is required to go into some kind of hospital-type facility, and the government has scrambled to create thousands of new temporary field hospital facilities to meet the need. But thus far, they’re not keeping up, as complaints of hospital beds being unavailable have mounted and hundreds have been kept waiting for days at home.

 

“Hospital beds is actually a work in progress, a management in progress, which we’re doing right now,” a government spokesman said, attributing the inability of many coronavirus-infected Thai citizens to find available hospital beds to the public health system straining to handle the processing crush, and not to a lack of actual beds.

 

Under current conditions, the government spokesman said that Bangkok has enough hospital beds to meet the demand for the coming three weeks, counting traditional hospital beds and the thousands of makeshift field hospital beds and so-called "hospitel" (hospital-hotel) beds that are being pressed into service.

 

Speaking of the COVID outbreak in the country, the government spokesman added, “The numbers are not that stable, so we have to be very, very careful.”  Earlier in the week, government officials had talked of hopefully bringing the new daily cases number down to near 1,000 in coming days. Instead, Friday’s record new daily case count of 2,070 marked the 10^th straight day of 1,000+ new cases reported in Thailand.

 

Of the cases reported in serious condition Friday, 91 were said to be on ventilators, a number that has more than doubled over the past five days.

 

In comments midday Friday, a government spokesman said one analysis of Thailand's prospects now suggests that daily new COVID case counts could remain in the 1,800 range through the end of the month. And to guard against the prospect of spiraling numbers of cases with serious medical problems, the spokesman said the Ministry of Public Health is preparing to expand its number of ICU (Intensive Care Unit) beds at government hospitals around the country, if needed.

 

Those plans, the spokesman said, will include creating ICU beds in temporary, field hospital type settings, something that Thailand has yet to do in the current COVID outbreak. One of the first hospitals slated to expand its ICU facilities will be Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, which is run by the Ministry of Public Health and has been one of the central facilities in dealing with the COVID outbreak.

 

""There is light at the end of the tunnel so to speak...hoping for the best," the spokesman said..

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/prbangkok/posts/34241215176874

 

 

[Excel]

42 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Take a hint from your neighbor:

_{Laos locks down capital over virus outbreak tied to Thailand}

 

https://apnews.com/article/asia-pacific-thailand-vientiane-laos-coronavirus-e9a78c64152f51a539045eaebf17777b

 

 

A restaurant clerk rests at a Chinese restaurant in Vientiane in Feb. 11, 2020. Laos locked down ...

BANGKOK (AP) — Laos locked down its capital and closed its international borders to most traffic Thursday after identifying a COVID-19 cluster connected to its bigger neighbor Thailand.

 

Residents of the capital Vientiane are barred from leaving the city and outsiders must get permission to enter. Its international borders were closed except to trucks carrying goods and in cases allowed by the nation’s COVID-19 taskforce, state news agency KPL reported.

 

Well from that report it looks like the dirty Thais have spread it to Laos.  Now I wonder how that could have happened, Government Ministers and high ranking army folk going to the Laos casino just across the border when no one was looking perhaps that includes a bit of "naughty" with the hostesses there as Thong Lor is out of bounds ?

[Denim]

2 minutes ago, smiggley said:

What did the govt expect. They vertially said to the virus go forth and multiply throughout the country during songkran.

 

And in so doing reaped the benefit of putting an effective end to protests trying to get the government to step down.

 

A bit like one of Baldricks cunning plans.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

"The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is planning to overhaul its 1669 Covid-19 hotline following complaints from people unable to reach the staff."

 

https://www.facebook.com/NationNews/posts/10157932055991937

 

[phills2k1]

I'm STUNNED there's nobody in here yet to say, "it's only 2,000, what's the big deal??"

[smedly]

18 minutes ago, anchadian said:

Residents of the capital Vientiane are barred from leaving the city and outsiders must get permission to enter

This is exactly what Thailand should have done nearly 3 weeks ago

[Excel]

Just now, phills2k1 said:

I'm STUNNED there's nobody in here yet to say, "it's only 2,000, what's the big deal??"

Perhaps they are holding back till Monday so they can say 5000 is not a big deal

[Amdesign]

8 of 2070, or only 0.39% of infections are from abroad. This means, risk from international arrivals is marginal, compared to domestic cases.

 

Why not open the country for business travellers, without quarantine? At this stage, all import/export/manufacturing businesses suffer from unability to travel (unless one is not a street noodle shop). I am not talking about tourism, I am taloking about all other buisinesses.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by Amdesign

[Marvin Hagler]

Who is to say these numbers haven’t resulted from less tests but a higher infection rate? I do really think the government have no real idea what the situation is or how to manage it. 

[dinsdale]

29 minutes ago, dcsw53 said:

Is this because the new strain is more infectious, or a sign that the current measures are not working ? If the numbers rise next week again, that cannot be blamed on Songkran travel and shows a deeper problem. With the government's inability to source and accredit vaccines ( unless you are a hiso ) the signs aren't good.

Why? People travel. Covid spreads. Songkran finishes. Covid stops spreading. This is not logical.

[Excel]

8 hours ago, Amdesign said:

8 of 2070, or only 0.39% of infections are from abroad. This means, risk from international arrivals is marginal, compared to domestic cases.

 

Why not open the country for business travellers, without quarantine? At this stage, all import/esport/manufacturing businesses suffer from unability to travel (unless one is not a street noodle shop). I am not talking about tourism, I am taloking about all other buisinesses.

 

 

 

So in your book a few of those high wealth Indian businessman coming here may be a good idea ? At least when they get tested here and found to have the Indian variant they will have adequate oxygen supplies. 

Edited April 23, 2021 by onthedarkside
personal comment removed

[ikke1959]

It is starting now... 6 days after Songkran .. 

[ParkerN]

Just now, robblok said:

Highest number so far, the last couple of days were a lot lower. Lets see if this is an anomaly or the new normal. 

 

The goverment officials were stating they thought they were past the worst of it. This number shows that is untrue. Unless of course tomorrow and the days after that are much lower. 

 

I think a few guys just jumped the gun being so happy that it was lower as before and saw it as a way to justify things bring good news. 

 

It also shows that the goverment either does not communicate or does not willfully keeps the numbers down.

 

If they willfully kept the numbers down this tick up would not have happened. And if they communicated better the guys that jumped the gun would not have looked foolish. But that is all based upon the idea that this is not an anomaly. 

 

I rarely agree with this poster, but in this case, I thinks he's about right on all counts. The best thing that Mr Prayuth and his  acolytes can do right now, is shut the hell up and get on with the job the Thai people pay them to do, only quietly.

 

The time for advertising the sub-standard job they're doing is long gone.

 

 

Edited April 23, 2021 by ParkerN

[dinsdale]

Let's open schools in three weeks. What a great idea. Even if the rate goes down over the coming weeks for one reason or another it's hard to see it dropping below 1000. Globally govts. realise the danger of schools being a transmission point.

[Amdesign]

8 hours ago, Excel said:

 So in your book a few of those high wealth Indian businessman coming here may be a good idea ? At least when they get tested here and found to have the Indian variant they will have adequate oxygen supplies. 

 

Accept vaccinated travellers with tests, without quarantine. Risk is marginal, as from the statistics above. Start from business travellers first.

 

All variants will be here anyway. Thailand is not a island. People cross the border in jungle, hundreds of them every day. Due to severe enty restrictions migrants enter illegally, thus out of any control. Reducing the restrctions would allow to regain the control, this is quite clear...

 

This virus with its variants will stay and will not go away for years. Economics is of not less importance than health concerns.

[thequietman]

55 minutes ago, robblok said:

It also shows that the goverment either does not communicate or does not willfully keeps the numbers down.

The province where I live shows 1 infection on the various sites, but in reality, there are 50 at last count. That should give you an idea of the actual numbers.

 

All were brought back from Bangkok during Songkran. Well done Thai Gov. ????

[ThailandRyan]

I do feel a little uneasy with not only the numbers going up and the deaths rising as they have, but also getting concerned with the new Indian variant being found in Belgium, the UK and hoping to hell it has not snuck in the back door here.  I do not feel confident with Anutin and his cronies at the helm.  They really do need to start listening to the doctors in regards to the way things really are.  With all of those hospitalized as well as on ventilators the medical community here will soon be taxed. I would like to see the viral pneumonia cases listed again so we can see just what kind of an uptick there may also be their as well.

 

Of the four that died one was a 29 year old that apparently had no previously disclosed medical problems.  That is also very concerning.

[metisdead]

A troll post using a trolling image has been removed.

 

A post using a video from an unapproved social media source has been removed, it was off topic anyway.