FILE PHOTO: People queue at the Central Vaccination Center as Thailand opens walk-in for first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccination scheme for elders, people with a minimum weight of 100 kilograms and pregnant women amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand, July 26, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand could see coronavirus cases double to 45,000 per day by early next month, even with current lockdown measures in place, its COVID-19 taskforce said on Friday, as authorities urged people to stay home to reduce infection risks.

 

Thailand has been struggling with its worst outbreak so far, with a daily average of 20,000 new infections and 180 deaths in the past week, compared to 70 new cases and single-digit daily fatalities less than five months ago.

 

Current travel restrictions and containment measures in place over the past month have yet to make an impact, the taskforce said.

 

A record 23,418 new cases were announced on Friday, taking overall cases to 863,189, with 7,126 deaths.

 

"The lockdown has been 20% effective but the infections continue to rise, projected to reach about 45,000 cases per day by the start of or mid September," spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a news conference.

 

Citing health ministry projections, he said that if the lockdown could be 5% more effective and target groups vaccinated faster, there might still be 20,000 cases per day in two months.

 

Thailand successfully contained the coronavirus for most of last year but the latest wave, fueled by highly contagious Alpha and Delta variants, has hit the country badly, at a time when the vaccination rate remains low.

 

The contagion has piled pressure on health services in the capital Bangkok, which saw a record 5,140 new infections on Friday. Some 129,000 patients have been sent back to their provinces since July to try to ease the burden on Bangkok beds, Taweesin said.

 

The prime minister will meet the taskforce on Monday and could adjust measures to fight the virus, he added.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-08-13

 

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"Adjust measures"

If it means adding more , good luck to us all

 

What a nightmare

9 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The prime minister will meet the taskforce on Monday and could adjust measures to fight the virus, he added

The adjusted measures won't work either.

Vaccinate, vaccinate and vaccinate is the only way forward now.

 

And even then the daily recorded figures will continue to rise.

 

COVID-19 is here to stay. The daily infection numbers will never be zero again. Even after 70 % of the population has been vaccinated.

The number of deaths is and has always been the only real important figure.

The only way we can get back to some sort of normality is to get as many people immune as possible.

And that's the real challenge  because in Thailand corruption is and has always been the only true winner.

 

 

 

 

 

an earlier projection was 400-500 for the second part of September.

I would think, that those figures would be higher, as situation progresses in the wrong direction

An impossible task and we all know it. 

 

Where will all the extra med staff come from (we only see an average of 200,000 doses administered on Sat and Sun), and again, are we going to see overcrowding like say at Bang Sue station, a super spreader?

 

The govt needs to administer 550,00 daily doses from today to year end to achieve their target of 100m doses.

 

Will never happen.

 

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The lockdown has been 20% effective but the infections continue to rise

How do they define that the lockdown has been "20% effective", when numbers continue to rise?

 

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

if the lockdown could be 5% more effective

What does that even mean?

And yet they may relax mall restrictions, really insane, just open up the damned parks. 

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

people with a minimum weight of 100 kilograms

I guess the people weighing 99 kg will be ordering the family buckets at KFC.????

 

Surely not many Thais weigh 100kg

 

 

1 hour ago, Thaiophil said:

I guess the people weighing 99 kg will be ordering the family buckets at KFC.????

 

Surely not many Thais weigh 100kg

 

 

Just ordered lots of pizza, some burgers, some deserts....  ????

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Some 129,000 patients have been sent back to their provinces since July to try to ease the burden on Bangkok beds

Some might say the decision to hospitalise ALL was inspired. The cynic might say it was a shrewd method to put people off getting tested, thus keeping official figures lower. Whatever one thinks about the intention—and though hands are forced now—shifting this amount of infected people around is not smart. Only conclusion I can draw is complete incompetence by those in power. They have failed the people of Thailand!

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

Some might say the decision to hospitalise ALL was inspired. The cynic might say it was a shrewd method to put people off getting tested, thus keeping official figures lower. Whatever one thinks about the intention—and though hands are forced now—shifting this amount of infected people around is not smart. Only conclusion I can draw is complete incompetence by those in power. They have failed the people of Thailand!

Yes, but those provinces have more people that vote for the wrong people... so they need to have more cases ????

3 hours ago, Thaiophil said:

I guess the people weighing 99 kg will be ordering the family buckets at KFC.????

 

Surely not many Thais weigh 100kg

 

 

Is it supposed to be 100 kg nett weight ?

in europe during the first wave patients were moved across borders to countries where they had spare beds.

Similarly thailand done now, when bangkok hospitals were overflowing, they send patients anywhere possible.

Generally, it were asymptomatic/mild cases, so they didn't have to be moved by ambulances.

Also those patients were forced to be moved. They were given an opportunity to go back to their family home,

where they had back up and could self-isolate. It's much more difficult to self-isolate in overcrowded bangkok, than in a village. 

6 hours ago, Thaiophil said:

 

Surely not many Thais weigh 100kg

 

 

Not been to the bars recently then ?

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand successfully contained the coronavirus for most of last year but the latest wave,

It’s not true. Last year the population wasn’t tested, so nobody knows how many people was been infected, immunized, asymptomatic or killed by Covid.

I admire the patience of Thai people!

1 hour ago, Tarteso said:

It’s not true. Last year the population wasn’t tested, so nobody knows how many people was been infected, immunized, asymptomatic or killed by Covid.

Going by the low numbers of hospitalizations for Covid-19, it was contained. And yes, the population was tested, when cases started to pop up. They had it contained, got complacent, thought they had all the time in the world for vaccinations, and then it got out of control

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

but the infections continue to rise, projected to reach about 45,000 cases per day by the start of or mid September," spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a news conference.

how ?, you're only testing 50k a day across the whole country

no deleted, really?

Seems these overrated face masks are infact rubbish.

I heard from the wife’s familly village the elders are being told the first jab when available will be Sinovac not AstraZeneca as quoted above. Is it one rule for Bangkok and another for the villages? Or is it just a misprint?

 

 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The prime minister will meet the taskforce on Monday and could adjust measures to fight the virus, he added.

No rush, take the weekend off, you're not one of those waiting for an ICU bed.

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"The lockdown has been 20% effective but the infections continue to rise, projected to reach about 45,000 cases per day by the start of or mid September," spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a news conference.

Another cat is freed from the bag.

 

Authority figures speaking truth to power, even in these dire and dreadful times, is at least one bright spot.

 

 

Vaccinations fell off in the most recent period, down to 219,840, from 570,865.

 

Feels like the wad has been shot for August.

 

Nothing to back-stop this except shelter-in-place.

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, DLock said:

How do they define that the lockdown has been "20% effective", when numbers continue to rise?

 

What does that even mean?

Mean wake up and smell the coffee to those who hasn't realize how statistics are prepared and presented in Thailand. 

When is someone going to tell those in charge that you can still get covid even after you have been vaccinated !! 
Are they thinking if they vaccinate everyone that covid will magically disappear ? 
Utterly farcical and as much point as looking for unicorn teeth !!

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand could see coronavirus cases double to 45,000 per day by early next month, even with current lockdown measures in place, its COVID-19 taskforce said on Friday, as authorities urged people to stay home to reduce infection risks.

Going to work is part of the problem, staying at home is another problem.

An ineffective government with hardly any vaccines is a bigger problem.

3 minutes ago, ronster said:

When is someone going to tell those in charge that you can still get covid even after you have been vaccinated !! 

Everyone understands that a vaccination does not prevent the contraction, and potential spread of the virus. It can and does lower the viral load, reducing the spread potential.

 

4 minutes ago, ronster said:

Are they thinking if they vaccinate everyone that covid will magically disappear ? 

No. No one thinks this.

 

5 minutes ago, ronster said:

Utterly farcical and as much point as looking for unicorn teeth !!

Three for three on the false equivalencies.

 

 

"Stan, tell our studio audience what the ronster has won..."

 

 

By the way, the money is in the 'horn' and not the teeth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"The lockdown has been 20% effective but the infections continue to rise, projected to reach about 45,000 cases per day by the start of or mid September," spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin told a news conference.

So the governments strategy has been 80% ineffective?

11 hours ago, Thaiophil said:

I guess the people weighing 99 kg will be ordering the family buckets at KFC.????

 

Surely not many Thais weigh 100kg

 

 

Not many weigh 40kg anymore... ????

No No No. that cant be right, the PM said it would be all over in 4 weeks, I'm confused.

????????????