Bangkok to convert disused train carriages into COVID-19 ward

[webfact]

Train seats are seen as Thai government plan to convert 15 disused railway carriages into a 240-bed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) isolation ward for patients with less severe symptoms in Bangkok, Thailand July 27, 2021. BANGKOK METROPOLITAN ADMINISTRATION/Handout via REUTERS

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Authorities in Thailand's capital Bangkok plan to convert 15 disused railway carriages into a 240-bed COVID-19 isolation ward for patients with less severe symptoms, the city's governing body said on Tuesday.

 

Thailand has been battling its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began. The Southeast Asian country reported 14,150 new cases and 118 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total number of reported cases to 526,828 and 4,264 deaths so far.

 

"Some modifications are still to be done such as removing the top bunk beds, installing window nets, as well as water and electricity systems," the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said in a statement. "More toilets and bathrooms will be built outside the carriages."

 

Bangkok plans to create 240 beds for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms by turning train carriages into an isolation center, governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on Tuesday (July 27).

 

The surge in cases in Bangkok has put pressure on the city's medical system, said the statement, which added that the BMA was seeking to increase the overall number of hospital beds available to COVID-19 patients in the city.

 

The makeshift train ward will serve as an isolation centre for patients on hospital waiting lists and will be ready for use by July 30, the BMA said.

 

Authorities have faced public criticism over the pace of Thailand's vaccination rollout, which has fallen behind some neighbours.

 

Thailand aims to inoculate 50 million people by the end of the year, but so far only 5.6% of its more than 66 million population are fully inoculated, while 18.9% have received at least one dose.

 

(Reporting by Juarawee Kittisilpa and Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Writing by James Pearson, Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-07-28

 

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[harada]

Next stop ICU Station. ????

 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Authorities in Thailand's capital Bangkok plan to convert 15 disused railway carriages into a 240-bed COVID-19 isolation ward for patients with less severe symptoms, the city's governing body said on Tuesday.

Now you know we're in the mire.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, harada said:

Next stop ICU Station. ????

 

platform 9 3/4

[Tropicalevo]

Crikey! Someone in the government had a good idea for once.

I would think that these are better than sleeping in a disused warehouse on cardboard boxes.

[MrJ2U]

Very cramped.  They'd all have to share one bathroom.

 

Wouldn't it be smarter to convert empty hotels and reimburse the owners.

 

There doing something similar for asymptomatic and mild cases.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 28, 2021 by MrJ2U

[Burma Bill]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Crikey! Someone in the government had a good idea for once.

With respect, not a Thai idea as such. Photo below, taken in April 2021,  shows such carriages being used by the Indian Government but without oxygen support:-

 

 

https://www.dnaindia.com/india/photo-gallery-indian-railways-converts-over-5000-coaches-as-covid-care-centre-photos-here-2887992/isolation-coaches-not-equipped-with-oxygen-support-2887997

 

Back in June 2020:-

 

These railway coaches can be used for very mild cases that can be clinically assigned to the COVID care centres, health ministry said.

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/covid-19-treatment-indian-railways-coaches-are-now-used-for-treating-coronavirus-patients-11592907307991.html

 

[Owiee]

I suppose it’s better than nothing but with daily cases now at 16k they will need a lot of trains and l would suggest  the numbers being reported are very lose. 

[trainman34014]

Hope they de-bug them first as every train i've travelled on in Thailand is crawling with Cockroaches; especially the Sleepers !

[internationalism]

train carriage is a metal box - good for travelling overnight, but not designed for living there.

It gets incredibly hot and needs a lot of air conditioning.

Removing top bank bed decreases capacity by 2. If carriage is already designed with top bed, there is no reason at all to remove it.  

There are tens of thousands empty hotels. Pay 200b per bed and owners will be more than happy. With patients getting proper conditions for treatment.

Edited July 28, 2021 by internationalism

[Captor]

11 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

Very cramped.  They'd all have to share one bathroom.

 

Wouldn't it be smarter to convert empty hotels and reimburse the owners.

 

There doing something similar for asymptomatic and mild cases.

 

 

 

 

Or why not forcing all the private hospitals to take covid patients. Which they should have offered by themself if they would be a little empathetic and not only focus on money for once but actual helping people.

[MrJ2U]

9 minutes ago, Captor said:

Or why not forcing all the private hospitals to take covid patients. Which they should have offered by themself if they would be a little empathetic and not only focus on money for once but actual helping people.

That would be thoughtful.

However you need some private hospitals with room for patients that need hospitalization for other things other than COVID-19. 

 

Broken legs, car accidents, heart atracks, etc.

 

Its a balancing act.

[MrJ2U]

9 hours ago, trainman34014 said:

Hope they de-bug them first as every train i've travelled on in Thailand is crawling with Cockroaches; especially the Sleepers !

Yuck.

 

[EricTh]

How about converting the airports into hospitals since they are not used anyway.

[JupiterRising]

Again.

Thailand Aims to inoculate 50 million people by the end of this year.

more future promises that cannot be kept.

As we speak the current vaccine stockpile today 28th July 2021 is 10,000.

This is in ASEAN REPORTS AND POSTS TODAY.

100 million doses to fully vaccinated 50 million people is not possible, and not even achievable in any country today. Even Germany, France, UK, cannot purchase 100 million doses.

so this is a fallacy and a complete false. I go far beyond to call it a lie. But I do believe it is a target non achievable.

 

 

 

 

[it is what it is]

14 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

Very cramped.  They'd all have to share one bathroom.

 

Wouldn't it be smarter to convert empty hotels and reimburse the owners.

 

There doing something similar for asymptomatic and mild cases.

 

 

 

 

agree, keeping the carriages hygenically clean is going to be difficult

[Captor]

5 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

That would be thoughtful.

However you need some private hospitals with room for patients that need hospitalization for other things other than COVID-19. 

 

Broken legs, car accidents, heart atracks, etc.

 

Its a balancing act.

Sure, but there are probably a lot of beds anyway. The thing is that they don´t want this dirty desease there in their "fine" hiso hospitals at all.