Higher, faster, deadlier: Third wave of COVID triggers growing fear in Thailand

[drenddy]

Thailand was good in containing the virus by closing the country and enforce quarantine, which helped alot.

But, now, we can see, that Thailand, once there is community infection, is actually poor in managing the virus : very few hospital beds and peope cannot get tested.It's like Europe last year in March/April.

 

What have they done more than one year?

 

For God's sake, I rant about Denmark evrey time I get the chance, but here I can get tested every day, if I want, at no cost.I have two test centers for antigen Covid within 2 minutes walking and 2-3 PCR places within 15 minutes.

 

 

[Brierley]

22 minutes ago, drenddy said:

Thailand was good in containing the virus by closing the country and enforce quarantine, which helped alot.

But, now, we can see, that Thailand, once there is community infection, is actually poor in managing the virus : very few hospital beds and peope cannot get tested.It's like Europe last year in March/April.

 

What have they done more than one year?

 

For God's sake, I rant about Denmark evrey time I get the chance, but here I can get tested every day, if I want, at no cost.I have two test centers for antigen Covid within 2 minutes walking and 2-3 PCR places within 15 minutes.

 

 

The statistics don't support your argument. Thailand is seeing around 2,000 new cases per day and a fatality rate that seems to have peaked at around 15 per day. Compare that to the exponential growth rate of cases and deaths in any of the Western countries and the argument that Thailand is poor at managing transmission, doesn't hold water. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data?country=BEL~FRA~DEU~DNK~GBR

[drenddy]

5 minutes ago, Brierley said:

The statistics don't support your argument. Thailand is seeing around 2,000 new cases per day and a fatality rate that seems to have peaked at around 15 per day. Compare that to the exponential growth rate of cases and deaths in any of the Western countries and the argument that Thailand is poor at managing transmission, doesn't hold water. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data?country=BEL~FRA~DEU~DNK~GBR

 

Perhaps I used the wrong word, ''managing''.

 

Anyways, after more than 1 year into this pandemic, thais cannot get tested and hospitals are lacking beds.And very poorl vaccine roll-out.This is what I wanted to make a point about.

What would the situation have been, if Thailand didn't close the borders and enforced quarantine?

Many european countries had free travel and, from time to time, they enforced travel ban, but Europe has most of the time been open.

 

Edited April 28, 2021 by drenddy

[Brierley]

2 minutes ago, drenddy said:

 

Perhaps I used the wrong word, ''managing''.

 

Anyways, after more than 1 year into this pandemic, thais cannot get tested and hospitals are lacking beds.And very poorl vaccine roll-out.This is what I wanted to make a point about.

What would the situation have been, if Thailand didn't close the borders and enforced quarantine?

Many european countries had free travel and, from time to time, they enforced travel ban, but Europe has most of the time been open.

 

I don't know how true it is that there people can't get tested and that there's an overall shortage of beds. I'm aware of several places here in Chiang Mai where I could walk in and get tested, on demand, I know people who have done that for different reasons. I also know for certain that there are several locations around the city that have been adapted to house asymptomatic cases and none of these are full. I'm sure the media has hyped the opposite in various places around Thailand and that in at least one case it may well be true. But as a general rule, I don't believe it is.

[Jeffr2]

1 hour ago, drenddy said:

 

Perhaps I used the wrong word, ''managing''.

 

Anyways, after more than 1 year into this pandemic, thais cannot get tested and hospitals are lacking beds.And very poorl vaccine roll-out.This is what I wanted to make a point about.

What would the situation have been, if Thailand didn't close the borders and enforced quarantine?

Many european countries had free travel and, from time to time, they enforced travel ban, but Europe has most of the time been open.

 

Most of Europe is back on lockdowns.  So much for your theory.  If Thailand didn't lock down, you'd see tens of thousands of deaths.  Just like in Brazil or India.  Not the small amount we have now.

 

You need to research the history of lockdowns in Europe.  There have been many...and still are today.

[Kenneth White]

16 hours ago, RobMuir said:

This B1.1.7 UK strain is a different beast. It isn't only Thailand copping it.

44% of new US cases are the B1.1.7 now. 

The figure in Thailand of the UK strain is 98%. Without it it would be pretty much normal here like the second half of last year.

44% of new US cases are the B1.1.7 now. Hum...The US just announced the relaxing of mask wearing. If you are out and about and not in a crowd masks are not required.

[ThailandRyan]

7 minutes ago, Kenneth White said:

44% of new US cases are the B1.1.7 now. Hum...The US just announced the relaxing of mask wearing. If you are out and about and not in a crowd masks are not required.

That's only if you have been vaccinated that Mask wearing has been reduced, well at least in California that is. I just had this conversation with my sister and mother.  They still need to wear them into stores as there is no way to tell who has been vaccinated, but wearing them outside and around town is now not required, as long as your vaccinated. 

[Jeffr2]

The more deadly Indian variant is now in at least 20 countries.  Scary.

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Brierley said:

The statistics don't support your argument. Thailand is seeing around 2,000 new cases per day and a fatality rate that seems to have peaked at around 15 per day. Compare that to the exponential growth rate of cases and deaths in any of the Western countries and the argument that Thailand is poor at managing transmission, doesn't hold water. https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus-data?country=BEL~FRA~DEU~DNK~GBR

You are making the assumption the data we are getting is accurate. Given what I see happening in my GF's village, which is only one of thousands in Thailand, permit me to doubt that it is.

Listing a comorbidity such as a heart attack, brought on by being unable to breathe, is one way of concealing the true situation. Remember Thailand's road toll is minimized artificially by only recording deaths occurring at the scene of an accident.

[Brierley]

1 minute ago, Lacessit said:

You are making the assumption the data we are getting is accurate. Given what I see happening in my GF's village, which is only one of thousands in Thailand, permit me to doubt that it is.

Listing a comorbidity such as a heart attack, brought on by being unable to breathe, is one way of concealing the true situation. Remember Thailand's road toll is minimized artificially by only recording deaths occurring at the scene of an accident.

Yes, possible so. Anecdotally however, the crematoria in our village has seen no more and no less activity than it always has in the past, others seem to report similar observations.  

[Lacessit]

6 minutes ago, Brierley said:

Yes, possible so. Anecdotally however, the crematoria in our village has seen no more and no less activity than it always has in the past, others seem to report similar observations.  

Do you really think any health authority in Thailand will sanction bringing back a body where the cause of death is COVID-related to the village where it occurred?

[Brierley]

11 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Do you really think any health authority in Thailand will sanction bringing back a body where the cause of death is COVID-related to the village where it occurred?

Ah ha, the conspiracy theory deepens! Now, central and local government are involved in the cover up plot! How about the relatives, are they paid off not to complain on social media that their dearly departed loved ones body was disposed of quietly at night, without a funeral or rites? I'm pretty certain social media will confirm there are people in the North of Thailand who know within 30 minutes that a person in the South has passed gas! They will certainly know when large numbers of funerals haven't been allowed and bodies not returned.

Edited April 29, 2021 by Brierley

[rcuthbert]

Pass a bill that finances the vaccination of the entire population. Provide data on the safety of the vaccine to the public. Start mandatory vaccinations.

[RobMuir]

7 hours ago, daveAustin said:

No it wouldn’t because you’d also have the Indian and SA strains. 

No Indian strain detected yet in Thailand. 

Unfortunately we have the UK strain which is the most highly contagious.

It is a real killer.

[DerbyDan]

The COVID-19 pandemic is a fertile breeding ground for conspiracy theories. When people suffer a loss of control or feel threatened, they become more vulnerable to believing conspiracies. For example, the Black Death in the 14th century inspired anti-Semitic hysteria and when cholera broke out in Russia in 1892, blame fell on doctors and crowds hunted down anybody in a white coat.

 

Conspiracy theories provide people with a false sense of empowerment. By offering hidden explanations, they give the believer a feeling of control in a situation that seems frightening.

Edited April 29, 2021 by DerbyDan

[metisdead]

Some Covid misinformation posts and replies have been removed. 

[Jeffr2]

12 minutes ago, RobMuir said:

No Indian strain detected yet in Thailand. 

Unfortunately we have the UK strain which is the most highly contagious.

It is a real killer.

https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/indias-double-mutant-covid-19-variant-has-spread-in-at-least-17-countries-says-who/articleshow/82289783.cms

 

India's double mutant COVID-19 variant has spread in 'at least 17 countries', says WHO

[Pauliewall]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

The more deadly Indian variant is now in at least 20 countries.  Scary.

 

There's no evidence that the Indian strain is more deadly thus far.  

[gunderhill]

Sounds a  bit  like the Six  Million Dollar  Man, better, faster, stronger, except they don't have the technology or in this  case the   vaccine.

[Jeffr2]

4 minutes ago, Pauliewall said:

 

There's no evidence that the Indian strain is more deadly thus far.  

It's starting to look like it will be more deadly.  But yes, more research is needed.  Interesting read.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-triple-mutant-in-india-could-be-much-more-deadly-2021-4

 

"In other words, you may not be safe from this variant even if you were previously infected by another strain, or even if you have been vaccinated," Chinnaswamy said.

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/19/is-a-double-mutant-covid-variant-behind-indias-record-surge

 

“This is a variant of interest we are following,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s technical lead officer on Covid, told reporters Friday. “Having two of these mutations, which have been seen in other variants around the world, are concerning,” she said, adding that there was a similarity with mutations that increase transmission as well as reduce neutralization, possibly stunting the ability of vaccines to curb them.

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, Jeffr2 said:

Most of Europe is back on lockdowns.  So much for your theory.  If Thailand didn't lock down, you'd see tens of thousands of deaths.  Just like in Brazil or India.  Not the small amount we have now.

 

You need to research the history of lockdowns in Europe.  There have been many...and still are today.

I thought Thailand hadn't locked down, and that is all the lockdown advocates are unhappy about?  

[ThailandRyan]

3 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I thought Thailand hadn't locked down, and that is all the lockdown advocates are unhappy about?  

How did you miss Thailand's Pseudo lockdowns and pseudo curfews that are currently in effect as well as quarantines if you travel interprovincially, No alcohol in restaurants, and hours decreased.  All entertainment venues, parks, amusement parks, children's playgrounds and all massage shops etc...are closed as well as gyms and pools in many areas. More to come after todays CCSA meeting.

[Jeffr2]

12 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I thought Thailand hadn't locked down, and that is all the lockdown advocates are unhappy about?  

We're in our third lockdown.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockdown

A lockdown is a restriction policy for people or community to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks to themselves or to others if they can move and interact freely.

[brewsterbudgen]

17 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

How did you miss Thailand's Pseudo lockdowns and pseudo curfews that are currently in effect as well as quarantines if you travel interprovincially, No alcohol in restaurants, and hours decreased.  All entertainment venues, parks, amusement parks, children's playgrounds and all massage shops etc...are closed as well as gyms and pools in many areas. More to come after todays CCSA meeting.

I didn't miss them (I live here) - I just thought the Thai government were not classing them as a "lockdown" (just restrictions) and the many TV members who are pushing for a "proper lockdown" don't think they go far enough.

[brewsterbudgen]

10 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

We're in our third lockdown.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockdown

A lockdown is a restriction policy for people or community to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks to themselves or to others if they can move and interact freely.

 

Well here in Bangkok most people (including me) are still going to work every day, the shopping malls are open and public transport, especially during the rush hour, as busy as usual.  It certainly doesn't feel like a lockdown here in Bangkok.

[Nismooo]

4 hours ago, Lacessit said:

According to the World Obesity Foundation, one is ten times more likely to die from a COVID-19 infection if one is obese. Vietnam has one of the lowest death rates of this pandemic, and also the lowest level of obesity.

Come to think of it, when I was in Vietnam on holiday a few years ago, McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut were conspicuous by their absence.

Vietnam have a low death rate because a low infection rate. Low infection rate is because they closed the borders very early and dont let in any freedom loving covid deniers. 

 

But i do think that asian countries have less obesity and it could be one of many reasons why the death rates is lower. 

[Jeffr2]

1 minute ago, brewsterbudgen said:

 

Well here in Bangkok most people (including me) are still going to work every day, the shopping malls are open and public transport, especially during the rush hour, as busy as usual.  It certainly doesn't feel like a lockdown here in Bangkok.

There are varying degrees of lockdowns.  I'm sure you understand that.  Thank goodness we don't have to go through a lockdown like they did in Wuhan. 

 

All in all, Thailand has done a pretty good job with regards to controlling the virus.  And not a very good job with regards to getting jabs to it's people.

[brewsterbudgen]

5 minutes ago, Jeffr2 said:

There are varying degrees of lockdowns.  I'm sure you understand that.  Thank goodness we don't have to go through a lockdown like they did in Wuhan. 

 

All in all, Thailand has done a pretty good job with regards to controlling the virus.  And not a very good job with regards to getting jabs to it's people.

Something we can agree on! 

[anchadian]

Thai News Reports

 

@ThaiNewsReports

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4m

 

 

BREAKING: 1,871 new cases and 10 deaths today bringing the total to 63,570 patients & 188 deaths.

 

23 Apr 2,070 - 4 dead

 

24 Apr 2,839 - 8 dead

 

25 Apr 2,438 - 11 dead

 

26 Apr 2,048 - 8 dead

 

27 Apr 2,179 - 15 dead

 

28 Apr 2,012 - 15 dead

 

29 Apr 1,871 - 10 dead

[eeworldwide]

They're doing a grand job of manipulating these falling figures, arent they?

Good grief - "Thailand expereinces SHORTEST 3rd wave of covid in the ENTIRE WORLD.

 

Even with the deadlier UK variant, somehowe, Thailand managed to contain the third wave with infection rates not even reaching 3000 per week."

Oh  how I long for transparency and for real testing! I guess we will never truly know the extent of Covid's presence here.