A healthcare worker takes a nasal swab sample from a person for a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test, at a temple near Klong Toey slum community in Bangkok, Thailand, May 3, 2021. REUTERS/Juarawee Kittisilpa

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand on Tuesday reported 1,763 new coronavirus cases and 27 deaths, as the country grapples with a third wave of infections.

 

The country has recorded 72,788 cases and 303 fatalities since the pandemic began last year.

 

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Ed Davies)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-05-04

 

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Hard to believe numbers coming from these guys.

Despite a new and alarming outbreak in Bangkok’s Khlong Toei slums area, new COVID cases and deaths in Thailand declined somewhat on Tuesday from a record deaths number and three consecutive days of case increases reported the day before.

 

The government reported 1,763 new COVID cases and 27 new fatalities on Tuesday, with the fatality figure being the second highest ever after the 31 deaths reported Monday. The new cases figure dropped from 2,041 the day before and was the lowest in the past four days.

 

Total reported COVID cases in Thailand since early 2020 have now reached 72,788 while total deaths hit 303.

 

Tuesday’s better new cases report came as the government was scrambling to establish a temporary field hospital and launch an emergency vaccinations campaign to deal with the outbreak in the crowded, low-income Khlong Toei area, which has reported several hundred new cases in recent days.

 

The government on Tuesday also was expected to open its first new makeshift field hospital with beds specifically designed to treat critically ill COVID patients, the number of which has spiraled to nearly 1,000 in Thailand in recent days, straining resources in traditional hospitals.

 

As of Tuesday, the country had a pandemic record 1,009 COVID patients hospitalized in critical condition, including 311 of those requiring ventilators in order to breathe. That number has almost doubled over the past nine days and has been climbing higher almost every day.

 

Tuesday's report also saw Thailand for the first time pass 30,000 COVID positive patients (30,011) hospitalized in various facilities (hospitals, field hospitals and hotel-hospitals) under a government policy that requires them to be quarantined until recovering.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/ThaiEnquirer/photos/a.127117418775800/312211

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/ThaiPBSWorld/posts/4373163476062282

 

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

I remember every day Thailand news boasted they were 166 in the world for cases...sadly now #99 ????

Bangkok to open its first ICU equipped field hospital on Tuesday

 

Thailand’s first field hospital equipped with intensive care unit facilities will be officially opened ... (Tuesday), to receive COVID patients with severe symptoms.

 

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said in his Facebook post today that the hospital, operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), is located at the Chalerm Phrakiat stadium in Thung Khru and has a 432 patient capacity.

...

The governor explained that the number of severe cases has been increasing lately, accounting for 14% of all the infections, hence the need for more hospital beds to meet the demand.

 

(more)

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bangkok-to-open-its-first-icu-equipped-field-hospital-on-tuesday/

 

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

7 minutes ago, pegman said:

Hard to believe numbers coming from these guys.

These numbers are consistent with today’s Chonburi numbers.

6 minutes ago, aussiexpat said:

I remember every day Thailand news boasted they were 166 in the world for cases...sadly now #99 ????

March Thailand was 177 if I remember correctly. Tests per million still very low at 116,158. Numbers of infections are surely higher. 

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by dinsdale

CCSA orders urgent vaccination for Klong Toei residents

...

“Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who chaired the CCSA meeting on Monday, ordered the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to start the vaccination on Tuesday at two locations in Klong Toei: Tesco Lotus Rama IV and Klong Toei Witthaya School from 1pm,” said Aswin.

 

“We expect to vaccinate 1,000 people on the first day, and about 2,000-3,000 in the following days.”Aswin added that the BMA would also launch active testing in Klong Toei areas at up to 1,000 people per day until May 19.

 

“We expect to test up to 20,000 people living in Klong Toei from the estimated total of 90,000 people in the areas.”

 

(more)

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000502

 

The famous Koh Lan in Chonburi will be closed to tourists from May 5 to 20 in a bid to curb the spread of Covid-19, the Koh Lan community announced on Monday.

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000513

 

AND

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/richardbarrowthailand/posts/324969962322607

 

 

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

17 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Bangkok to open its first ICU equipped field hospital on Tuesday

 

Thailand’s first field hospital equipped with intensive care unit facilities will be officially opened ... (Tuesday), to receive COVID patients with severe symptoms.

 

Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said in his Facebook post today that the hospital, operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), is located at the Chalerm Phrakiat stadium in Thung Khru and has a 432 patient capacity.

...

The governor explained that the number of severe cases has been increasing lately, accounting for 14% of all the infections, hence the need for more hospital beds to meet the demand.

 

(more)

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bangkok-to-open-its-first-icu-equipped-field-hospital-on-tuesday/

 

"Intense" is certainly appropriate.

Chonburi down to 91 with 18 reported in Pattaya.

The virus has been raging for like 16 months (give or take)......

 

lots of talk.

 

maybe 1% vaccinated.  

 

I do think Thailand has done better than some countries, but now is the time to do a national vaccine roll-out.  every clinic in the country.  every pharmacy.  

 

we've all seen those slums.  sorry for those people living there, as all problems just get compounded.   

 

well, Bill Gates got a divorce....so maybe they are happier there than Bill.  maybe.  

 

 

 

 

 

33 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

March Thailand was 177 if I remember correctly. Tests per million still very low at 116,158. Numbers of infections are surely higher. 

Isaan accounts for 30% of the Thai population but the numbers being reported by some of the large populated Issan Provinces is relatively low. This is either due to a shortage of test kits or the numbers are being finagled, after all "Face" means everything here in Thailand. 

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by Forza2002

1 minute ago, Forza2002 said:

Isaan accounts for 30% of the Thai population but the numbers being reported by some of the largely populated Issan Provinces is relatively low. This is either due to a shortage of test kits or the numbers are being finagled, after all "Face" means everything here in Thailand. 

 

This was yesterday's report for that area:

 

 

25 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

March Thailand was 177 if I remember correctly. Tests per million still very low at 116,158. Numbers of infections are surely higher. 

Cases here in Thailand were very low, so the new situation is a bit of a shock to the system , but comparing to other countries , Thailand still does does very well .  For instance Greece , where I have friends and family , is only 11 million people, and they have close to thee thousand cases a day, and they are not panicking, instead they are opening up to vaccinated people soon. Thailand is 77 million people , they have one third the covid cases , and they are in a panic. Wife and me .We are seating here in our ASQ doing our seven day quarantine, we are both fully vaccinated, and we are treated like we are the plague.  After all the tests , and vaccinations we had, we are probaby the safest people in Thailand LOL  

Phuket airport starts testing on arrival and, surprise, discovers positive cases which otherwise (along with others they may have infected) would have gone un-detected and therefore not reported. Personally believe that the increasing number of reported serious cases can only be indicative of higher infection levels overall. Numbers that, for whatever reason are not being represented.

3 minutes ago, Forza2002 said:

Isaan accounts for 30% of the Thai population but the numbers being reported by some of the large populated Issan Provinces is relatively low. This is either due to a shortage of test kits or the numbers are being finagled, after all "Face" means everything here in Thailand. 

Isan is low on the governments ranking of importance  so health support will be minimal. However what they forget is is that prior to the illegal importation of Cambodian/Burmese ultra cheap labour since around 1998 ish, the Isan area accounted for the vast majority of the labour workforce that worked on the development of Bangkok since the 1960's.  It must gall the Elite and other snobbish persons as they drive around in their chauffeured cars to their VIP parking lots that if it was not for the Isan workers most of what you see now in Bangkok would not have been built without their help, and that includes most of the hospitals there that are currently in the middle of the covid battle. People really have a lot to thank that 30% for, but of course they won't.

Steady as she goes...stable new infections; getting towards the end of the Songkran window spike in infection deaths.

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by Pattaya Spotter

14 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

This was yesterday's report for that area:

 

 

What's the source...do they have numbers for the South?

2 minutes ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Steady as she goes...stable new infections; getting towards the end of the Songkran window spike in infection deaths.

The 'songkran spike' has spread. The nature of this beast is to spread rapidlly. It's in the news. Maybe you just read the posts. "Steady as she goes..." means >600 people will die from covid this month.

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by dinsdale

Just now, Pattaya Spotter said:

What's the source...do they have numbers for the South?

 

From the Ministry of Public Health via EN translation by NBTWorld, every day posted here, usually early afternoon.

 

https://www.facebook.com/nbtworld/photos

 

This was from yesterday:

 

 

 

10 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Cases here in Thailand were very low, so the new situation is a bit of a shock to the system , but comparing to other countries , Thailand still does does very well .  For instance Greece , where I have friends and family , is only 11 million people, and they have close to thee thousand cases a day, and they are not panicking, instead they are opening up to vaccinated people soon. Thailand is 77 million people , they have one third the covid cases , and they are in a panic. Wife and me .We are seating here in our ASQ doing our seven day quarantine, we are both fully vaccinated, and we are treated like we are the plague.  After all the tests , and vaccinations we had, we are probably the safest people in Thailand LOL  

Greece is testing 788,941 per 1 million population ( over 75% ) whereas Thailand is only testing 116,158  per 1 million that is 1/7th of Greece which coincidently has a population of 1/7th of Thailands and also both countries have tested the same number of people to date more or less. However the median age for Greeks is 45.6 years whereas in Thailand it is 39.5.  This may explain that as half the Greeks are older than the oldest half the Thai population they would be more susceptible to infection perhaps, based on current knowledge.

 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/

22 minutes ago, sirineou said:

Cases here in Thailand were very low, so the new situation is a bit of a shock to the system , but comparing to other countries , Thailand still does does very well .  For instance Greece , where I have friends and family , is only 11 million people, and they have close to thee thousand cases a day, and they are not panicking, instead they are opening up to vaccinated people soon. Thailand is 77 million people , they have one third the covid cases , and they are in a panic. Wife and me .We are seating here in our ASQ doing our seven day quarantine, we are both fully vaccinated, and we are treated like we are the plague.  After all the tests , and vaccinations we had, we are probaby the safest people in Thailand LOL  

 

Why didn't you go to Greece instead?

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

From the Ministry of Public Health via EN translation by NBTWorld, every day posted here, usually early afternoon.

 

https://www.facebook.com/nbtworld/photos

 

This was from yesterday:

 

 

 

Thanks...I've looked around some Phuket government websites and FB pages but everything seems to be in Thai. Much appreciated. 

You can't control the virus this way without crushing the economy. Tougher restrictions, the numbers go down but it still lingers with hundreds of cases per day at least and you cannot prevent them without the herd immunity. Then the numbers go up after a while of more relaxed restrictions. With this approach it would take years and years while other economies are already opening up.  

 

Brazil and India are doing the wild fire approach because they know the economy with lockdowns would collapse the society. Hundreds of millions of people live by selling food or other stuff every day. Even few weeks of lockdowns would be catastrophic for them. 

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27101/opinion-the-rich-sin-and-the-poor-die/

 

Opinion:  The rich sin and the poor die

 

ByCod Satrusayang

May 4, 2021

 

 

The men were covered head to toe in bright yellow protective gear. Wrapped around their feet and their torsos were white plastic bags to offer an added degree of protection. The body was also wrapped in a white bag and the men struggled in their attire to carry it to the waiting car.

 

Scenes like these played out multiple times over the last few days in the Khlong Toey slums where a new Covid-19 outbreak has threatened the thousands of lives that live there. Crowded, densely packed, and with poor sanitation, the authorities worry that an outbreak here could be the straw that breaks the back of Thai healthcare system.

 

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by anchadian
formatting

A post providing a statistic without any source or attribution has been removed, along with several replies.

 

And just a reminder, this forum is for commenting on the topic at hand, and NOT for commenting on your fellow forum members.

 

There is only one solution to this without perpetual lockdowns and economic devastation and that is mass vaccinations. Not reactionary jabs meant for show only. All possible vaccine manufacturers should be engaged, not headline making insincere discussions, but requests for help without putting profit and pride first. The only thing standing in the way of this obvious solution are the fools running the show.

 

That said I consider my risk of catching the Rona very, very low because I basically stay on my block and hang out only with my wife now (though I think I have already caught it at least once). The thing that might kill me first is boredom. But at least food and housing are cheap.

Edited May 4, 20215 yr by wasabi