Caution voiced over premature reopening of Thailand to international visitors

[shackleton]

Looking forward to seeing Phuket International airport packed with Tourists in July 

Will be interesting to see what nationalities they are ????

[spidermike007]

OH, please. Get on the same page guys. This self created circus is ridiculous. Dr. Nithipat is a coward. The incoming tourists who are fully vaccinated with real vaccines (as opposed to the Sinojunk they are using here), and tested regularly, are far less risk to the nation, than the local population. They are taking more of a risk by coming here, than the locals are taking by having them. And they are jumping over all kinds of hoops to come. And Thailand needs them. So, stop with the whining, and the timidity. The nation needs to move on.

 

In reality, it will not be much of an issue. Only a few thousand will come, as you have made it too difficult, and have eliminated the appeal. After all, what are they coming back to? Samui and Phuket are devastated. How much fun will it be to visit an island where 80-90% of the businesses are closed. 

 

Images from two recent trips to Samui. One last September, and one a month ago. The first five images were taken on the Lamai and Chaweng beach road, last month. It looks far worse at night. A bit of a post apocalyptic feeling to it. 

 

I just watching a video last night posted by Thailand Tony on Phuket. Kata and Karon Beach area. Looks even worse.

 

 

Edited June 21, 2021 by spidermike007

[kennw]

2 hours ago, the green light said:

there are rumors that sinovac can't protect you against the delta virus. look at the news coming from Indonesia.

Dubai reinject people who got sinovac with Pfizer..

there is still doubt about sinovac.  

 

See also Singapore data

[DefaultName]

We keep coming back to the same thing; whether or not you agree with it, re-opening won't happen until a lot of the population, native or otherwise, is fully vaccinated.  But the vaccines aren't here to do that.  They aren't anywhere, we're waiting on future production, most of which has already been bought and paid for by other countries or institutions. 

 

Those getting vaccinated now are being given second jab dates in September.   So, 2 weeks after that, they're presumed safe.  That's October.  First dose in July, second in November, etc.
 

October 1st?  No, I doubt it unfortunately.  I just want to sit in an outdoor with a beer in my hand again, watching the world go by while chatting with mates, I miss that so much.  December is more likely IMO.  I hope I'm wrong.

[Tony125]

Even the USA with almost 70% vaccinated worrry about  Delta variant

 

Virus Expert Issues Disturbing COVID Warning

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/virus-expert-issues-disturbing-covid-warning/ss-AALf1IH?li=BBnb7Kz#image=1

[smedly]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Associate Professor Dr. Nithipat Jiankul, chief of the respiratory disease and tuberculosis department, said that, besides the mass vaccination operation, the decision to open the country must also take into consideration the domestic health system, the national economy and security. If new daily infections are still at about 3,000, or more than 300 people are in need of ventilators with more than a dozen fatalities each day, he said that it is better for the country to remain closed. 

 

got admire him for speaking up, the guy has a huge pair

[smedly]

4 hours ago, MasterBaker said:

what this guy possibly knows about virus? he's not even a general!

I vote that up as joke of the year

 

LMAO

[smedly]

3 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Yesterday +44,178 cases....second highest in the world!

Brazil on this morning's news due to protests against the lack of measures and high infection and deaths. 

and Chilly are pretty much seeing the same - their primary vaccine - sinovac

[Cake Monster]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

One dose... hope the rest of the world is watching and taking note.

Safe trusted Thailand... 

And there could be a high chance that the One Dose given is not the correct Dosage.

Taking 12 shots from a vial that is designed to hold 10 shots means that the Dosage is severely reduced.

Reduced by 20 % in fact, which I am sure the Vaccine makers have not done any trials on the efficacy of the reduced Dosage.

Yep ! You can trust Thailand.

[Magenta408]

Everyone wants to be on records as having said something and being called a "guru" when I suspect, they hardly know what's a stake. Tunnel vision. 

[skorp13]

Keep the country closed to vaccinated people and open to unvaccinated people, sounds like a plan!! 555

[GroveHillWanderer]

3 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

What I wonder is if vaccine makers are actually tweaking their vaccines to adapt, or is that only coming at some later stage through booster shots?

The answer to both of those is yes.

 

All the major vaccine manufacturers are working on updated vaccines for new variants and these will mostly be offered as booster shots.

 

Here are some links to info on this relating to Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca.

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01222-5

 

https://investors.modernatx.com/news-releases/news-release-details/moderna-announces-it-has-shipped-variant-specific-vaccine

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/feb/11/astrazeneca-says-vaccine-against-new-covid-variant-may-take-six-months

 

That last link is from February, by the way.

[talahtnut]

4 minutes ago, skorp13 said:

Keep the country closed to vaccinated people and open to unvaccinated people, sounds like a plan!! 555

Who knows the future, your plan might be the reality. Some are waiting

to see the results of this questionable experiment.

[fleccer]

It's incredible as soon as you whisper to reopen immediately these killjoy pop up out from nowhere spreading their anathemas. But it's obvious that they have whole interest in this emergency to last indefinitely, because thanks to it, they have become like as the rock stars. Therefore if this emergency would ends, they'll have to go back to work, assuming they have ever worked before

[mr_lob]

why are they so scared about opening? They have so many hoops to jump through to get in the country through being doubled vaxxed and multiple tests...so it sounds like they have no faith in the science?

[AnnieSeek]

4 hours ago, hioctane said:

Why is there no mention of whether the opening in October is to vaccinated only or all foreign tourists? I think it makes a huge difference.

 

It will be to vaccinated tourists. 

[AMFWolfie]

9 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

The man is pretty much spot on.  So even if Phuket gets 70% of its population vaccinated, the returning workers from Issan won't be vaccinated.  A little short sighted this government is 

I think the issue with foreigners tourists coming into the county with Covid after both vaccinations and a proper Covid test if far less of a risk then Thai, Cambodian and Myanmar workers, most illegals,  that wont be vaccinated. Just watched a South East Asia report on Sky News a few minutes ago saying how Phuket is taking its first tentative steps in re-opening Thailand and hope to have 70% of the population vaccinated by July. Find this a little surprising considering they were promising 100% vaccinated by July for Phuket population!!!

[tifino]

23 minutes ago, mr_lob said:

why are they so scared about opening? They have so many hoops to jump through to get in the country through being doubled vaxxed and multiple tests...so it sounds like they have no faith in the science?

 and W.H.O. knows were they got 'that' (lost faith) from... 

[Moonlover]

6 hours ago, itsari said:

Sinovac restores Brazilian city  back to normality.

Your statement is far from the facts.

 

5 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Judging by the flat daily deaths and rising new infections and the second highest total deaths,  is that normality in Brazil?

Itsari is actually quite right, but he is not talking about Brazil per se, he is referring to an experiment carried out in one small town called Serrana, where CoronaVac virtually eliminated the disease.

 

It's reported here in the BBC and here in Sciencemag

[Caspersfriend]

4 hours ago, thailand49 said:

Since day one it has been the dirty foreigner today it still comes back to the dirty foreigner when the fact is the problem has always been themselves and the border surrounding Thailand.????

 

Ironically it is those "dirty foreigners" they are desperate to get back into the country! Only the very rich slightly-grubby foreigners of course. Those who will spend tens of thousands of Baht every day. That's of course on top of the tens of thousands of Baht they need to spend to get into Thailand, plus more maybe to get back into their own country after their holiday [sic]. With almost everywhere closed, where are they supposed to spend all those Baht?

[Mavideol]

5 hours ago, itsari said:

Read the most recent facts. Things are changing quickly with the vaccination programs around the world.

changing so fast that Brazil citizens are asking for the president to be impeached/removed due to his non existing plan /lack of action to fight the virus and over the past couple days the sky rocket increase in deaths and infections

Edited June 21, 2021 by Mavideol

[jacko45k]

17 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Itsari is actually quite right, but he is not talking about Brazil per se, he is referring to an experiment carried out in one small town called Serrana, where CoronaVac virtually eliminated the disease.

 

It's reported here in the BBC and here in Sciencemag

It is hardly surprising that Covid deaths can be reduced by a double vaccination of all the population, of a small City of...45,000 people.....

The country needs to vaccinate 75% of 211,000,000, spread far and wide.

 

But it is a good case study ....

Edited June 21, 2021 by jacko45k

[Thalueng]

6 hours ago, kaneko86 said:

He first should refuse his monthly salary and give it to unemployed hotel workers until Thailand isn't reopened... Than maybe he can come back and talk again.

Like all the Western politicians do, you mean?

[Bkk Brian]

11 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Itsari is actually quite right, but he is not talking about Brazil per se, he is referring to an experiment carried out in one small town called Serrana, where CoronaVac virtually eliminated the disease.

 

It's reported here in the BBC and here in Sciencemag

I've read about that experiment before in those links but neither of them say which variant of Covid was in the town. We know that Sinovac has not been tested with either Alpha or Delta strains so this particular study while interesting is not reflective of the situation here in Thailand.

 

It also mentions that it was not only due to the vaccines but also immunity from previous infections, we know that Brazil was heavily infected with covid:

 

"The researchers suggest the vaccination campaign, combined with the population’s previous infections, may have gotten the town to “herd immunity,” the point at which the coronavirus has difficulty finding new people to infect because so many are already immune."

[khunPer]

To be honest, I fully understand professor Dr. Nithipat Jiankul's concern, but I don't think that he need to be that concerned, because even if the country reopens during the last quater, it might not be flooded with tourists before sometime next year, or even not before the following year, i.e. 2023...????

[peter48]

A double dose of Pfizer gives 97% protection against death and so Americans, Brits and Germans etc could easily come. If Thailand wants to solve its problem quickly & get Tourists, travellers, business or family members back to Thailand. Pfizer, Moderna or AZ will also do the job quickly for its own citizens. 

 

So its happening now in Israel, UK and USA - normal life with masks, sitting in bars, restaurants, metro, buses, shopping, coffee bars and so on. Yes of course some restraint - no night clubs yet in UK- but were almost there. Thailand has to use these highly effective vaccines quickly. 

Edited June 21, 2021 by peter48

[billd766]

6 hours ago, itsari said:

Sinovac restores Brazilian city  back to normality.

Your statement is far from the facts.

Which Brazilian city would that be and do you have any links to it? 

 

Not that far from the facts according to the BBC News website today.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57541794

 

The number of deaths related to Covid-19 has passed 500,000 in Brazil, the second-highest in the world, as experts say the outbreak could worsen amid slow vaccination and the start of winter.

The virus continues to spread as President Jair Bolsonaro refuses to back measures like social distancing.

The health institute Fiocruz says the situation is "critical". Only 11% of adults are fully vaccinated.

Tens of thousands of Brazilians joined anti-government protests on Saturday.

 

And there is more if you follow the link.

 

[Moonlover]

23 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It is hardly surprising that Covid deaths can be reduced by a double vaccination of all the population, of a small City of...45,000 people.....

The country needs to vaccinate 75% of 211,000,000, spread far and wide.

It was an experiment and reported as such.

[Moonlover]

7 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Which Brazilian city would that be and do you have any links to it? 

Here's the link.

 

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/06/brazilian-town-experiment-shows-mass-vaccination-can-wipe-out-covid-19

[Robbie63]

Please stop the madness. They can not re-open until Thailand had at least 50% of the country vaccinated. All you have to do is look at America they are at these levels and now everything is opening to full crowds "Baseball Games" are now at 100% capacity. This is unbelievable compare to last year. The Chief Idiot Trump wanted to open last year while people were dropping dead everywhere. The Sinovac is effective but not on the variant. It is possible for vaccinated people to become infected with Covid a vaccine breakthrough it is called. I am over sixty and overweight if I get it would be very serious for me. I think I am going to lay low hope for the best and maybe wait for the Pfizer Shot. Also on a sad note there are millions of doses of the J&J vaccine in America going to waste. There is no demand at all and they are just going to waste can someone maybe call America? Stay Safe All