UPDATE - CCSA expresses concern that Thai health system may be overwhelmed as daily new COVID-19 infections rise to 4,528

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

Maybe in Bangkok...de minimus cases here in Phuket (3 yesterday).

Phuket has much higher percentage of vaccinated people than the rest of Thailand.  Same for Samui,  it is now covid free, no new cases and no people in the hospitals.

[Donga]

She'll be right mate. Look at the numbers, compared to Malaysia next door, with less than half of the Thai population.

Per capita, Thailand is still one of the best performing countries, which so many people blithely ignore... https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

Not perfect, but their processes and community are up to the task. I was contacted this morning for my details (passport, vaccination cert and quarantine papers) by the local health volunteer as we're visiting partner's village. How many countries have that system when people visit a village?

It's a pity Thailand got caught out with this wave but they will manage it just as they did the previous outbreaks, even if this one takes a little longer to sort the prisons and factories. At least most of the provinces are already under control.

Edited May 31, 2021 by Donga

[ThailandRyan]

30 minutes ago, gearbox said:

It is not falling apart...it is just the stupid rule to hospitalize all covid cases, including the asymptomatic. If UK was hospitalizing them, the health care would certainly fall apart there.

If they did not hospitalize them here, the folks who were positive but asymptomatic would fail to self quarantine and isolate at home, many of whom can not because they are crammed 6 to a 25 SqM box, and that would ensure the numbers of cases would rise just like they did where you are comparing it to....

[ThailandRyan]

22 minutes ago, gearbox said:

Phuket has much higher percentage of vaccinated people than the rest of Thailand.  Same for Samui,  it is now covid free, no new cases and no people in the hospitals.

Partially vaccinated and not fully vaccinated.  There is a difference you are aware of that right? Vaccines will not make you Covid free either, they will just reduce the symptoms and chances of becoming seriously ill.

[gearbox]

1 minute ago, ThailandRyan said:

Partially vaccinated and not fully vaccinated.  There is a difference you are aware of that right? Vaccines will not make you Covid free either, they will just reduce the symptoms and chances of becoming seriously ill.

25-30% in Samui are fully vaccinated, with 2 jabs and 2 weeks after the second jab. And the vaccines do reduce transmission, not completely but there would be an impact.

[ourmanflint]

8 hours ago, ukrules said:

Looks like it's still only just getting started, in the 'foothold' / 'ramp up' stage as far as I'm concerned.

 

 

Absolutely spot on! Said as much after the experts called the last peak at beginning of May. Thailands experts had no idea where they were on the infection curve

[unblocktheplanet]

8 hours ago, smedly said:

no shortage of cardboard boxes with unlimited expansion possibilities 

 

I wouldn't quite go as far calling them a medical facility 

The cardboard boxes are called 'coffins'

[RichardColeman]

55 minutes ago, gearbox said:

It is not falling apart...it is just the stupid rule to hospitalize all covid cases, including the asymptomatic. If UK was hospitalizing them, the health care would certainly fall apart there.

UK would not be so stupid

[brewsterbudgen]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

Don't need to define it at all, look it up in the dictionary. But just in case you are yet another denier todays figures released are a new high of 5484 and still low testing across the nation so that may indicate what a catastrophe we are already enduring, and no doubt will continue to  do so given the love of money over peoples lives in this country.

I guess I didn't make my point very well.  For me a "catastrophe" would be the numbers of deaths experienced in places like the UK, USA, Brazil and Italy.  I don't think Thailand has reached anywhere near that level of "catastrophe" (yet), and hopefully never will.  People getting infected with Covid are mostly asymptomatic, so, in a global pandemic, high numbers of infections is presumably normal, but, for me, not catastrophic.

Edited May 31, 2021 by brewsterbudgen

[jacko45k]

2 hours ago, Saltire said:

Lots of advantages being rural, but quick vaccination is not one if them it would seem.

Perhaps it depends on where or how rural... my Mrs sister + family, quite rural in Tak, all got done some time ago.

[placeholder]

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

I find it hard to believe that Thailand can try to push itself as a hub of health care when it falls apart with less than say 3% of UK infections and 1% of UK deaths

Because the push to be a hub is about private health care for foreigners.

Edited May 31, 2021 by placeholder

[RichardColeman]

4 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Because the push to be a hub is about private health care.

Yes , like the push of a posh hotel in a Sowetto ghetto 

[Excel]

2 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

I guess I didn't make my point very well.  For me a "catastrophe" would be the numbers of deaths experienced in places like the UK, USA, Brazil and Italy.  I don't think Thailand has reached anywhere near that level of "catastrophe" (yet), and hopefully never will.  People getting infected with Covid are mostly asymptomatic, so, in a global pandemic, high numbers of infections is presumably normal, but, for me, not catastrophic.

Clearly your moral level is so much different to mine.  I see it as 1 single death attributable to Covid is a catastrophe to the friends and family. Of course those that condone an inadequate testing program and health care response primarily due to a corrupt government system and culture driving that system  which is being played out currently in Thailand will not admit it as a catastrophe for normal people. But of course if you are part of the top 1% or condone what the top 1% are inflicting on the Thai people then of course it is not a catastrophe in your eyes rather just collateral damage on the way to further even more wealth. 

[papa al]

Would Ivermectin help.?

[daveAustin]

1 hour ago, gearbox said:

It is not falling apart...it is just the stupid rule to hospitalize all covid cases, including the asymptomatic. If UK was hospitalizing them, the health care would certainly fall apart there.

Hardly. Cases are low in the UK. If Thailand did hospitalise ALL cases, you would truly be fkd, but since - as with China where it would have gone parabolic - you will never know the full extent. x10 at least. 

[overherebc]

5 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Most new infections seem to be within work-places, either factories, construction sights or open markets.. not quite sure what she expects people to do.. stop breathing for 14 days?

That 14 day thing might be a good idea for some. ????????

[daveAustin]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

Don't need to define it at all, look it up in the dictionary. But just in case you are yet another denier todays figures released are a new high of 5484 and still low testing across the nation so that may indicate what a catastrophe we are already enduring, and no doubt will continue to  do so given the love of money over peoples lives in this country.

I’d save your breath. Trying to convince gone-tropo expats that Thailand’s figures are woefully inaccurate is akin to explaining to a numpty that the earth is not flat. ????

[gearbox]

5 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Hardly. Cases are low in the UK. If Thailand did hospitalise ALL cases, you would truly be fkd, but since - as with China where it would have gone parabolic - you will never know the full extent. x10 at least. 

Cases are low now, but in January they were 50k and more per day.

 

50k per day with average hospitalization of 2 weeks is 700k hospital beds required. UK has 170k hospital beds.

[Wiggy]

1 hour ago, Cake Monster said:

There is at this moment in time, a Rural Doctors Society who are making a big noise about the lack of vaccines ( B.P. this AM ), accusing the government of covering up the facts..

They are saying the Government has had to purchase 500,000 Doses of AZ from S. Korea to make up a short fall in promised Doses from SB, at a premium price.

These Doctors are also saying that the Gov,t has instructed that all vails of vaccine, which are designated a 10 Dose Vail, are now to give 12 shots per vial, thus reducing costs by 20 %, and presumably efficacy also by 20 %.

 

I did see that article and now expect a ‘fake news’ rebuttal followed by complete denial from those in charge.  

[Boomer6969]

7 hours ago, skorp13 said:

Can't see why they are overwhelmed, they've only had a year to prepare for getting hit like many other countries. They also have plenty of successful models and science to follow but refuse to do so. 

They have one good excuse for their abysmal failure to do so. The utter arrogance, inherent to "Thainess". 

[Danderman123]

4 hours ago, possum1931 said:

I am completely puzzled here, one particular statistic in yesterdays Newsletter says there are no people with the Chinese virus in my province in Central Thailand, but my wife says completely different, she starts going on about the people in the next town and adjoining villages of people she has heard of who do have the virus. I do believe what my wife says, who is responsible for all the lies about my province and others in Thailand which says there is nobody with the Virus?

Plenty of rumors about Covid-19 in your province, but not many Covid patients at the hospital. 

 

If you go to the next village and ask about Covid patients, they will say they are in the next village. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Danderman123

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

Clearly your moral level is so much different to mine.  I see it as 1 single death attributable to Covid is a catastrophe to the friends and family. Of course those that condone an inadequate testing program and health care response primarily due to a corrupt government system and culture driving that system  which is being played out currently in Thailand will not admit it as a catastrophe for normal people. But of course if you are part of the top 1% or condone what the top 1% are inflicting on the Thai people then of course it is not a catastrophe in your eyes rather just collateral damage on the way to further even more wealth. 

Clearly your understanding of what catastrophe means differs from what is commonly understood and used:

 

a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction:

They were warned of the ecological catastrophe to come.

 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/catastrophe

a sudden and widespread disaster:the catastrophe of war.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/catastrophe

 

A catastrophe is an unexpected event that causes great suffering or damage.

From all points of view, war would be a catastrophe.

...the economic and environmental catastrophe that the oil leak has caused. 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/catastrophe

 

Feel free at any time to dismount from your moral high horse.

[placeholder]

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Hardly. Cases are low in the UK. If Thailand did hospitalise ALL cases, you would truly be fkd, but since - as with China where it would have gone parabolic - you will never know the full extent. x10 at least. 

ICU units have not yet been overwhelmed. Only under stress in a few places. If it were the case otherwise, there would be no way to conceal it in Thailand. Thailand is not North Korea.

[Danderman123]

It seem that today’s spike was caused by the identification of 4 new, large hotspots. Let’s hope that they caught all the infected in those hotspots, so infections tomorrow drop back down to the normal range.

[Jai Dee]

A troll post and a reply have been removed.

[placeholder]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Yes , like the push of a posh hotel in a Sowetto ghetto 

Uutterly irrelevant comment. My reply was to someone who apparently doesn't understand the difference betweena  public health system and private health care.

"I find it hard to believe that Thailand can try to push itself as a hub of health care when it falls apart with less than say 3% of UK infections and 1% of UK deaths"

[brewsterbudgen]

2 hours ago, Excel said:

Clearly your moral level is so much different to mine.  I see it as 1 single death attributable to Covid is a catastrophe to the friends and family. Of course those that condone an inadequate testing program and health care response primarily due to a corrupt government system and culture driving that system  which is being played out currently in Thailand will not admit it as a catastrophe for normal people. But of course if you are part of the top 1% or condone what the top 1% are inflicting on the Thai people then of course it is not a catastrophe in your eyes rather just collateral damage on the way to further even more wealth. 

I don't really see your point.  Surely any death from whatever cause is a catastrophe to the friends and family, and any death caused by government inaction or incompetence is equally catastrophic and immoral.  My point is that when compared to the catastrophe of Covid elsewhere in the world, Thailand hasn't reached the same level, although of course it could still happen.   If you call the current situation in Thailand "catastrophic" (like the article did) what adjective will you use if the situation gets much worse and tens of thousands are dying?

Edited May 31, 2021 by brewsterbudgen

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, gearbox said:

Cases are low now, but in January they were 50k and more per day.

 

50k per day with average hospitalization of 2 weeks is 700k hospital beds required. UK has 170k hospital beds.

 

The vast majority of them don't need to go to hospital, they recover at home - like 99% of them require no treatment at all.

 

Well a treatment would be nice but there isn't one that has been proven to work for a mild case, a mild case being one where you feel like you're dying but in reality you're not, you're just ill for a week.

 

[placeholder]

15 minutes ago, ukrules said:

 

The vast majority of them don't need to go to hospital, they recover at home - like 99% of them require no treatment at all.

 

Well a treatment would be nice but there isn't one that has been proven to work for a mild case, a mild case being one where you feel like you're dying but in reality you're not, you're just ill for a week.

 

As opposed to a serious case where you feel like you're dying and really are?

[Excel]

44 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Clearly your understanding of what catastrophe means differs from what is commonly understood and used:

 

a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction:

They were warned of the ecological catastrophe to come.

 

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/catastrophe

a sudden and widespread disaster:the catastrophe of war.

https://www.dictionary.com/browse/catastrophe

 

A catastrophe is an unexpected event that causes great suffering or damage.

From all points of view, war would be a catastrophe.

...the economic and environmental catastrophe that the oil leak has caused. 

https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/catastrophe

 

Feel free at any time to dismount from your moral high horse.

And as I said, death of family or friends is a catastrophe by your definition or any moral definition. This sudden upward trend in covid infections  and deaths indeed an impending catastrophe to the Thai people.