FILE PHOTO: People queue to be tested for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), as the country deals with a fresh wave of infections after tackling earlier outbreaks, in Bangkok, Thailand April 16, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand needs to add more intensive care unit (ICU) beds at hospitals to tackle an influx of COVID-19 patients, an official said on Friday, as the country struggles with a third wave of infections, the most severe it has faced up to now.

 

Based on a daily rate of 1,500 new cases, Thailand will only have enough ICU beds for around one more week in Bangkok and just under three weeks nationwide, said Taweesin Wisanuyothin, a spokesman for the government's COVID-19 task force.

 

"There will be impact. We don't know how it will end, but we're assessing the situation under the worst-case scenario," Taweesin told reporters.

 

"Having ICU beds to last one week is not enough. We must add more."

 

His warning came after Thailand reported 2,070 new coronavirus cases on Friday, the highest number of daily cases since the pandemic started.

 

Taweesin said the health ministry and Bangkok's local administration were working on adding more ICU beds, on top of around 1,000 already available.

 

Thailand has a policy of admitting into care anyone who tests positive for COVID-19, even those without symptoms.

 

In order to avoid filling up hospitals, authorities last week set up more than 20,000 beds at field hospitals and said hotels would partner with hospitals to admit asymptomatic patients.

 

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

 

The new outbreak, which began in a nightclub district of Bangkok, 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 outbreak, which accounts for more than a third of Thailand's 50,183 cases so far, also comes as the country takes tentative steps to reopen to foreign visitors after a year of tightened border controls.

 

Thailand has recorded 121 deaths due to the coronavirus.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-04-23

 

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They have had a year to learn but still managed to be completely wrongfooted, idiots the lot of em...

5 minutes ago, mark131v said:

They have had a year to learn but still managed to be completely wrongfooted, idiots the lot of em...

Complete buffoons.  Far too late now. Instead of spending the last year enlarging the trough they should have spent the money on increasing medical facilities. Still I guess it is a bit difficult salting away ICUs in offshore accounts.

But the health minister said that the Covid situation will normalize in 2-3 weeks, why the need to add more ICU beds?

 

13 minutes ago, jackdd said:

But the health minister said that the Covid situation will normalize in 2-3 weeks, why the need to add more ICU beds?

 

Oh look, Hear all, See All and Do Nothing 

Adding ICU beds does not help if there are not enough healthcare workers to support the beds.  This was the problem in other countries.

The situation cannot be contained until there is enough post infection immunity & vaccine protection to  slow spread. I don't think original Covid infection antibodies  will provide significant protection against new variants, so that leaves vaccine and basic precaution like social distancing, no large crowds and so on.

 

Unfortunately, Thailand seems to be following India model. It escape first hit and assume it would continue to escape, people get sloppy, little precaution. This virus mutates and adapts to be more infectious and more damaging, and now can have its way with the virgin Thailand. I think Thailand future will be more like India and less like UK with result. We are in for some months of heartbreaking tragedy and  Russia or China vaccine will not help.

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

Adding ICU beds does not help if there are not enough healthcare workers to support the beds.  This was the problem in other countries.

The situation cannot be contained until there is enough post infection immunity & vaccine protection to  slow spread. I don't think original Covid infection antibodies  will provide significant protection against new variants, so that leaves vaccine and basic precaution like social distancing, no large crowds and so on.

 

Unfortunately, Thailand seems to be following India model. It escape first hit and assume it would continue to escape, people get sloppy, little precaution. This virus mutates and adapts to be more infectious and more damaging, and now can have its way with the virgin Thailand. I think Thailand future will be more like India and less like UK with result. We are in for some months of heartbreaking tragedy and  Russia or China vaccine will not help.

Except that India set up vaccine production a long time ago.

 

However, I would expect the government to do a better job of organizing vaccinations in Thailand, once large quantities of vaccine are available.

 

On second thought: Thailand has already vaccinated 1,000,000 people, so why aren’t all health care workers vaccinated already?

Many of us said a year ago that the healthcare system would be quickly overwhelmed if infections increased rapidly.  Now we are nearly there and they have had a year to prepare but did nothing. 

8 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Except that India set up vaccine production a long time ago.

 

However, I would expect the government to do a better job of organizing vaccinations in Thailand, once large quantities of vaccine are available.

 

On second thought: Thailand has already vaccinated 1,000,000 people, so why aren’t all health care workers vaccinated already?

Because unfortunately, just like something else, scum floats to the top, and its them at the top who were given preference. 

i thought ban on alcohol sales in bars will take care of this problem

Unfortunately completely predictable and has always been sadly just a matter of time.

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand needs to add more intensive care unit (ICU) beds at hospitals to tackle an influx of COVID-19 patients, an official said on Friday, as the country struggles with a third wave of infections, the most severe it has faced up to now.

I thought Thailand was the medical hub of Asia...

cut the defense budget in half, get rid of 80% of the generals/commanders etc etc and support the health industry.

For some good news: The 90 day online reporting system appears to be working. Just checked a couple of minutes ago.

So they are just going to conjure up some ICU beds?

Where from?

 

They either have them and aren't using them (why not??) or they don't have them and are desperately trying to buy some. An ICU bed is not an ordinary bed with a sign saying 'ICU bed' on it.

If only they had had time to prepare. ????????

Allowing people to travel to provinces during Song Kran and the 3rd wave was the big mistake.

A few thousand infected from Bangkok and Phuket aria has most likely infected many 10th of thousand and this third wave will be devastating for Thailand and the Phuket "sandbox" will be put on hold for several months.

13 hours ago, mark131v said:

They have had a year to learn but still managed to be completely wrongfooted, idiots the lot of em...

Yes they have and so much could have been prevented. Don't let other countries into Thailand until they are vaccinated.

I also don't and never will understand what alcohol in restaurants have to do with the spread of Covid-19. It is ok that you can eat

and have other drinks with no mask on, but still you can't have alcohol. Is it the crazy irresponsible alcoholics at the restaurant that

will go and spew any germs they have when they have had too much?   

Bangkok, the hardest-hit province, has 331 intensive care (ICU) beds, with 262 currently occupied and 69 available.

 

Only 69 ICU beds left in Bangkok! That was yesterday, how many now?

 

The government was blind to the impact of this new variant, why is that? With evidence of its severity elsewhere in the world they ignored all the evidence and instead acted like they know best.

 

The consequence of their ignorance is now being felt by everyone here, the people are the ones that are now paying the price for their disastrous decisions.

 

Prayut said last night on TV that its because of the travel over Songkran, no <deleted> sherlock! So why did you allow it?

5 minutes ago, dogfish180 said:

Do you actually live in Thailand? 121 "Recorded" deaths! The clue is in the title. ????????????????

Totally agree, the numbers were purposely kept down hoping they could continue with tourism. They just didn't test people in order to say they were so good. Typical Thai culture to hide the truth from people because of money, that's all they care about. My Thai wife will tell you the government is ....... blang blang blang.

They need ICU beds for “cases” people who show no sickness or symptoms, and no one questions this logic?  AMAZING!

1 minute ago, Guitarzan said:

They need ICU beds for “cases” people who show no sickness or symptoms, and no one questions this logic?  AMAZING!

Get used to Thailand . Rationale and logic ain't a Thai Trait 

10 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Except that India set up vaccine production a long time ago.

 

However, I would expect the government to do a better job of organizing vaccinations in Thailand, once large quantities of vaccine are available.

 

On second thought: Thailand has already vaccinated 1,000,000 people, so why aren’t all health care workers vaccinated already?

Where do you get the million people from if it’s from the health minister I would suggest it was total BS my GF who has other medical issues has submitted 3 separate applications in Phuket and still nothing  

But we have new submarines in case we're ever attacked by Laos. 

 

The only people who should be in hospital are those that are suffering with breathing difficulties it is absolute madness to place people who have tested positive but are healthy into hospital they should be monitored at home fir the 14 days . Has this useless government learnt nothing in the last 15 months or are they still with the belief that the virus will blow away in the wind as one very senior minister once stated .

36 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

Where do you get the million people from if it’s from the health minister I would suggest it was total BS my GF who has other medical issues has submitted 3 separate applications in Phuket and still nothing  

The official numbers for vaccination are close to 1,000,000. How they managed to not vaccinate hospital staff is a mystery to me.

I am a little skeptical about how true this is. I know for a fact that in Ubon they have set up a field hospital outside the city to house only Covid patients.  I have to believe that other provinces have done the same thing.  That may be a little more difficult in Bangkok; but, I am sure they are doing the same thing.

15 hours ago, mark131v said:

They have had a year to learn but still managed to be completely wrongfooted, idiots the lot of em...

Don't worry one prominent politician stated it would all be in hand in 2 to 3 weeks. 

15 hours ago, mark131v said:

They have had a year to learn but still managed to be completely wrongfooted, idiots the lot of em...

thailand. done better than most  ,look death in USA,UK ,Italia ,borders closed in europe ,lock down in France ,maybe UK and Israel  ,so fare done the best to help there people. ,but this is here lot people dead and lot more people going die. ,its like Aids. ,its here now ,not going away ,people going to have to live with it. ,some die. with it , what you should ask ,where did come from ,so far only one country has made

money from the world suffering   CHINA 

 

49 minutes ago, Guitarzan said:

They need ICU beds for “cases” people who show no sickness or symptoms, and no one questions this logic?  AMAZING!

It's a blatant money grab. I believe it was Thaigernews that reported  that insurance companies even refuse people's coverage for the stay because they are "not sick."

Hospitals and medical professionals should be reserved for those that need medical attention...and not just served vitamins daily for a huge profit.


 

15 hours ago, mark131v said:

They have had a year to learn but still managed to be completely wrongfooted, idiots the lot of em...

Thailand has done very well thank you.  The USA hasn't learned with over half a million dead!