Anyone had experience infected by Covid in Thailand ?

[KHY0307]

I lived in a small village in the north where they had this 100+ ppl got infected over the past 5days (mostly kid, the school there kept opening during the whole summer even when the second wave came to thailand)

I was luckly to have a chance to get out of the village a few days before that,

yet, i had fever 2days ago and recovered in 1 night, with some coughing still remain, I went to the pharmacy and bought that quick test kit (245B) and the result was negative.

 

Does anyone had experience on getting covid in thailand? How did it feel like? As foreigner, where did they send u to and did they charge hugely for that?
Must say i am in many worries right now... 

[thaitom]

I also live in a rural village and I am surrounded in my neighborhood by covid infected people ( families) , I was surprised recently when the people came in their spacesuits across the street , the whole family tested positive from teenagers, two others with HIV (one with a very low CD4 count) ,  to the old lady, they were not taken anywhere just told to stay home. And not one of them are vaccinated.  What gets me is that none of them feel any symptoms !  if it were me who tested positive they would have taken me away somewhere.

[KHY0307]

29 minutes ago, thaitom said:

I also live in a rural village and I am surrounded in my neighborhood by covid infected people ( families) , I was surprised recently when the people came in their spacesuits across the street , the whole family tested positive from teenagers, two others with HIV (one with a very low CD4 count) ,  to the old lady, they were not taken anywhere just told to stay home. And not one of them are vaccinated.  What gets me is that none of them feel any symptoms !  if it were me who tested positive they would have taken me away somewhere.

Hello Tom,

thanks for reply!
 

You have pointed out the most confusing issue to me.
" they would have taken me away somewhere", while i am right now recovered from the fever and making chicken soup for my wife (she got fever today after me..), I have this feeling being sent to somewhere like group quarantine would only makes thing worse since there will be unknown ppl with unknown symptoms!

By the way, have u had any sick symptoms since covid situation started out in your village? and hav u got vaccinated?

[thaitom]

1 minute ago, KHY0307 said:

Hello Tom,

thanks for reply!
 

You have pointed out the most confusing issue to me.
" they would have taken me away somewhere", while i am right now recovered from the fever and making chicken soup for my wife (she got fever today after me..), I have this feeling being sent to somewhere like group quarantine would only makes thing worse since there will be unknown ppl with unknown symptoms!

By the way, have u had any sick symptoms since covid situation started out in your village? and hav u got vaccinated?

Actually this last year I have been feeling quite well, i didn't get the Flu for the first time. I only got Chikungunya  when I first got home in Jan 2020. I have just stayed home going nowhere for fun, just to immigration or Makcro .  I was vaccinated last June

[KhunLA]

As a foreigner, I believe you would be taken to a 'private hospital', not public or field hosp if available, whether symptomatic or not needing treatment.  One reason I haven't returned to Phuket, since they require a test to enter if not vax'd.

 

NO THANKS ... don't need 2 ish weeks expensive accommodations just for a pos test.

Edited October 8, 2021 by KhunLA

[internationalism]

atk tests are not much reliable. In recent experience on 1000 population in south of thailand, out of 180 positives half turned out false.

Probably as many negatives turned out false (that figure was not given publicly).

So almost as 20% results might be false.

If you do have any symptoms you should continue testing every few days.

I have now infection symptoms for almost 2 weeks and got the second test after 5th days, than after 4th days, than after 3rd days. All negative, but if you are not skilled in doing those tests they become even less reliable. Maybe just only 50/50.

For example you need to turn swab in nose 5 times. And you have to turn 3 times in the kit, after pouring drops of developer.

Tomorrow I will test again. And every 3 days, until my symptoms go away.

If positive, I would think the best would be hospital visit and pcr.

That way you enrol into system, just in case things turn bad.

Self isolate, most foreigners are able to do so (not so easy for poor thai living in a very large multi generation households).

Most probably you have health or covid insurance, so even if hospitel it's not drama. Certainly much safer for you and your family, than staying home. Treat it as a holiday from your daily life. 

[thaitom]

12 hours ago, internationalism said:

atk tests are not much reliable. In recent experience on 1000 population in south of thailand, out of 180 positives half turned out false.

Probably as many negatives turned out false (that figure was not given publicly).

So almost as 20% results might be false.

If you do have any symptoms you should continue testing every few days.

I have now infection symptoms for almost 2 weeks and got the second test after 5th days, than after 4th days, than after 3rd days. All negative, but if you are not skilled in doing those tests they become even less reliable. Maybe just only 50/50.

For example you need to turn swab in nose 5 times. And you have to turn 3 times in the kit, after pouring drops of developer.

Tomorrow I will test again. And every 3 days, until my symptoms go away.

If positive, I would think the best would be hospital visit and pcr.

That way you enrol into system, just in case things turn bad.

Self isolate, most foreigners are able to do so (not so easy for poor thai living in a very large multi generation households).

Most probably you have health or covid insurance, so even if hospitel it's not drama. Certainly much safer for you and your family, than staying home. Treat it as a holiday from your daily life. 

may i ask how far in the nose are you suppose to stick the swab ?

[internationalism]

in an instruction they say 3cm.

Some reported they had it done at thai hospitals and it felt very uncomfortable, painful. Some of them had swab done in hospital in the USA and it wasn't uncomfortable at all.

When my wife did my first swab for me it felt very uncomfortable. She refused to do next ones, so I do myself, you can feel how far you can go.

At the same time I blow air through my nose, so to move mucus onto the swab.

Probably more to be learned. There are some videos on youtube how to do it properly.

 

As to how often to do - some 2x per week, if mixing with people (that what they do in europe at schools, factories). With symptoms I will do the same, even if living alone or small household.

I have bought bulk Lepu tests 1975b for 25 box, so 80b per piece. Same or similar bought as single go for 235-350b.

I am going to do regular, at least 1 per week, tests even without any symptoms. I have little interaction with people, but my wife has more. I have a largish insurance to claim just on testing positive, so for me those tests are a form of investment. I have half year left for that insurance to expire.

Tests have expiry date 1 year, suppose to be kept below 30C. I will use all of my within 3 months. 

 

Edited October 9, 2021 by internationalism

[HarrySeaman]

I had COVID-19 in August, which I caught helping a sick friend here in Pattaya.  He called me for help saying he had pneumonia. I knew he usually got that about once a year so I went to help.  He was very sick but refused to go to a hospital because of the cost.  I suspected that he had C-19 but did what I could for him that day. 

 

He wasn't eating so the next day I returned with Jok (pork/chicken flavored rice gruel) and Ensure (powered food supplement drink mix), and got a C-19 test kit.  My friend tested positive.  I called every hospital in Pattaya but none of them had any beds available for C-19 patients.  The next day there were still no beds available.  That afternoon my friend fell in the bathroom and was only semi conscious.  I finally managed to get the Emergency Rescue Crew there and they got Pattaya City Hospital to send an ambulance that took him to the hospital.  I got two nose swab C-19 test kits from my local drug store on the way home from the hospital after seeing that my friend was going to be as well taken care of as possible in his condition. 

 

I had been masked and I washed my hands frequently while with him.  I tested negative the day after and 4 days later. 

 

The fifth morning I woke up with a high fever, no appetite, no energy, and no stamina.  This lasted for 5 days.  I forced myself to fix food and eat and only took paracetamol when the fever exceeded 38.1ºC/100.6ºF.  I had a friend bring a spit C-10 test kit to me on day 6 when I started feeling better - the results were positive.  On days 6-8, more and more my fever was lower and lasted shorter and shorter times, then disappeared on day 9.  I was cured after 8 days of active infection.  I self isolated for another 2 weeks.

 

I stayed at home and didn't go to a hospital for several reasons.  I had no pulmonary problems, I could control my fever with paracetamol, and none of the hospitals in Pattaya had rooms for C-19 patients.

 

Frankly I was one of the lucky ones who was very sick yet was able to stay home until I recovered.  I credit an overactive immune system (I take medication to moderate it because I have rheumatoid arthritis), I didn't treat the fever unless it became high enough to become dangerous (a fever is part of the way your body fights infections), and I was able to force myself to cook and eat.  I still lost over a kilo of weight in 8 days but have regained that since.

[superal]

22 minutes ago, HarrySeaman said:

I had COVID-19 in August, which I caught helping a sick friend here in Pattaya.  He called me for help saying he had pneumonia. I knew he usually got that about once a year so I went to help.  He was very sick but refused to go to a hospital because of the cost.  I suspected that he had C-19 but did what I could for him that day. 

 

He wasn't eating so the next day I returned with Jok (pork/chicken flavored rice gruel) and Ensure (powered food supplement drink mix), and got a C-19 test kit.  My friend tested positive.  I called every hospital in Pattaya but none of them had any beds available for C-19 patients.  The next day there were still no beds available.  That afternoon my friend fell in the bathroom and was only semi conscious.  I finally managed to get the Emergency Rescue Crew there and they got Pattaya City Hospital to send an ambulance that took him to the hospital.  I got two nose swab C-19 test kits from my local drug store on the way home from the hospital after seeing that my friend was going to be as well taken care of as possible in his condition. 

 

I had been masked and I washed my hands frequently while with him.  I tested negative the day after and 4 days later. 

 

The fifth morning I woke up with a high fever, no appetite, no energy, and no stamina.  This lasted for 5 days.  I forced myself to fix food and eat and only took paracetamol when the fever exceeded 38.1ºC/100.6ºF.  I had a friend bring a spit C-10 test kit to me on day 6 when I started feeling better - the results were positive.  On days 6-8, more and more my fever was lower and lasted shorter and shorter times, then disappeared on day 9.  I was cured after 8 days of active infection.  I self isolated for another 2 weeks.

 

I stayed at home and didn't go to a hospital for several reasons.  I had no pulmonary problems, I could control my fever with paracetamol, and none of the hospitals in Pattaya had rooms for C-19 patients.

 

Frankly I was one of the lucky ones who was very sick yet was able to stay home until I recovered.  I credit an overactive immune system (I take medication to moderate it because I have rheumatoid arthritis), I didn't treat the fever unless it became high enough to become dangerous (a fever is part of the way your body fights infections), and I was able to force myself to cook and eat.  I still lost over a kilo of weight in 8 days but have regained that since.

had / have you been vaccinated ( sorry if I missed that )

[internationalism]

what medicine are you taking for arthritis?

is it chloroquine?

Edited October 9, 2021 by internationalism

[Alidiver]

Had symptoms March 2020, similar to bad flu, sick, diarrhoea, weak, lethargy and shivering in hot shower.

I thought it was flu but for the dry cough that followed like nothing I had before.

I stayed in and sweated it out.

Eight months later, back in the UK, my blood donation team were asking from anyone who had covid, I went along buy my antibodies were so low they didn't take any.

Don't worry, at the peak in the UK, deaths were at 3% of those who tested positive.

Get jabbed at earliest opportunity.

Good luck to your wife.

As a side note, my case your case and your wife's will not be included in the Thai stats, I wonder how many others just sweat it out without reporting.

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[HarrySeaman]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:07 AM, superal said:

had / have you been vaccinated ( sorry if I missed that )

Vaccination became available for foreigners for the first time in Pattaya while I was running a high fever while sick with COVID-19.  Vaccinations became available again about 3-4 weeks after I recovered.

 

In the form you fill out before getting the vaccination they ask if you have had COVID-19 in the three months before.  I figured that the vaccination would be like a booster so I said no, assuming that if I said yes I would not get the vaccination.  I get the second vaccination in Dec.

[HarrySeaman]

On 10/9/2021 at 9:20 AM, internationalism said:

what medicine are you taking for arthritis?

is it chloroquine?

Initially I took chloroquine daily but I developed very dry itchy skin on my legs after some time.  I was switched to Plaquenil, which is hydroxychloroquine, because it has fewer side effects.  Plaquenil is more expensive and doesn't work any better as far as I can see but I have taken Plaquenil for over 10 years without any noticeable side effects. 

 

I have learned to judge how frequently I should take the medication by how my hips feel.  Typically it is every other day but if my hips start to hurt then for a couple of weeks I switch to two days in a row before skipping a day.  If I have a more severe flair up of arthritis I take a tablet a day until I get over the flair up, but that has happened only a couple of times in the last 10 years.

 

Because the former idiot in the White House touted Plaquinel as a COVID-19 medication, which turned out to be untrue like most of what he said and still says, it is in limited supply.  Here in Thailand I can only buy it in a hospital, which means it is about two to three times more costly than before COVID-19 when I could buy it over the counter in a drug store.