Thailand Pass declared fit for purpose - 58,870 arrivals and just 74 with Covid

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Daily News reported yesterday that 214,251 people had registered to come to Thailand with the Thailand Pass. 

 

Thai Rath quoted the DES minister as saying that all problems associated with the system had now been ironed out and Thailand could expect a million visitors from March.

 

The stats for arrivals since the November 1st reopening of the country stand at 58,870 of which just 74 have tested positive for Covid-19.

 

Picture: Daily News

 

Thanee Saengrat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that out of the 214,251 that had registered 167,415 had so far received approval.

 

86,719 of these received immediate electronic approval.

 

Arrivals at Bangkok's two main international airports - Suvannabhumi and Don Muang - totalled 38,584 with 42 having Covid.

 

In Phuket the number was 18,421 with 32 infected. 

 

No Covid cases were detected at either Samui, 1,259 arrivals, or Chiang Mai, with 210 arrivals.

 

Daily News said that a drop down menu list had improved the Thailand Pass. This was to do with connections between hotels and hospitals. 

 

Signage at airports was also improving the speed at which arrivals were handled getting them ready to show passports, Thailand Pass QR Codes, Test results, air tickets and TM 6 cards.

 

In the Thai Rath article it was reported that Digital Economy and Society minister Chaiwut Thanakhamanusorn paid an inspection visit to Suvarnabhumi airport declaring that the Thailand Pass was now 100% fit for purpose following the earlier teething problems.

 

Assessments from the tourism ministry that one million people would be visiting Thailand by March 2022 would be met, he said. 

 

Visa-compliant insurance plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m

 

 

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[Enzian]

Therefore we are to conclude that every single problem that applicants are experiencing with the TP system is due to their own selves. Thanks.

[Gsxrnz]

100% fit for purpose assumes the potential options are not binary. Either something is fit for purpose, or it is not.

 

I don't see too many advertisements for parachutes that are 99% fit for purpose.

[ChrisY1]

The number of "positive" visitors to Phuket, IMO, seem unusually high compared to the BKK arrivals. 

Is the Sandbox scam starting to raise it's head again?

[bokningar]

And no one knows how many of the 74, that were false positives?

[CRUNCHER]

Nearly 59,000 sounds a lot, but...

 

38,584 in Bangkok's 2 main airports is about 2,300 per day.  About 8 plane loads between 2 airports.  Hardly a stampede. 

 

Further, how are the figures broken down? How many are returning Thais and long term expats relieving a pent up demand?  How many are normal businessmen?  How many are short/long term tourists, which is what Thailand desperately needs?

 

It is far too early  to say Thailand Pass is fit for purpose and then we will need more meaningful statistics.

[John Drake]

Just remember that this is a military government. And what do you need when you want to enter or leave a military base? A pass. So, yes, the Thailand Pass is "fit for purpose," its purpose being turning the country into one giant military base.

[pjmorton]

Statistically speaking, how many false positives and how many false negatives would we expect to see in 59K tests? 

[gearbox]

5 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

100% fit for purpose assumes the potential options are not binary. Either something is fit for purpose, or it is not.

 

I don't see too many advertisements for parachutes that are 99% fit for purpose.

Thailand Pass is 95% useless, as the airlines don't use it and want the same documentation presented (the one used for TP), same is valid at many places at the Thai airports.

They are just checking how much pain the tourists are prepared to bear, and adjusting the measures on the fly when the tourists are not coming. Sooner or later the TP and PCR on arrival will be gone, but the high season will be gone too....May 2022 is coming and they'll need to compete with the Mediterranean destinations again.

[ukrules]

4 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

The number of "positive" visitors to Phuket, IMO, seem unusually high compared to the BKK arrivals. 

Is the Sandbox scam starting to raise it's head again?

I doubt it's any kind of scam.

COVID numbers are beginning to go through the roof in countries where tourists come from.

 

All of europe will likely be locked down again or under severe restrictions by or before early December because many more will be infected - it will happen very quickly, arguably 'winter measures' are already here in many places.

 

They started this opening up at the worst possible time - COVID season has started.

 

 

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai Rath quoted the DES minister as saying that all problems associated with the system had now been ironed out and Thailand could expect a million visitors from March.

If it's been sorted why March, do they not want to come sooner?

[bdenner]

So how many of the 74 have made successful claims on their compulsory insurance?

I'm betting they are jumping through any number of hoops.

[hotchilli]

Most stuff I buy on Lazada is advertised as fit for purpose... however reality is when it's delivered it rarely is.

Thailand Pass is another reality.

[jacko45k]

21 hours ago, bokningar said:

And no one knows how many of the 74, that were false positives?

Perhaps as many as there were false negatives?

I know 0.13% sounds very low, but considering the pre-flight requirements of full vaccination and a 72 hour test before flying, it is not insignificant. 74 infected people running around the bars of Phuket or Bangkok is of some concern. 

[Deepair]

I would be interested to know how many of the 0.13% of people flying into Thailand that tested positive for Covid were fully vaccinated. 

 

[jacko45k]

2 minutes ago, Deepair said:

I would be interested to know how many of the 0.13% of people flying into Thailand that tested positive for Covid were fully vaccinated. 

 

I was believing this was the group who are fully vaccinated... or at least have evidence of it.

[Adelphi]

If you tested everyone getting off a Thai train how many would test positive?  Almost certainly many more than 0.13% as many of the passengers would be unvaccinated and none of them had to show a negative PCR test to board.  Such testing will never happen for the obvious reasons.  Covid is now endemic. We need to learn to live with it and just get on with our lives once we are fully vaccinated. Time to dial down the histeria with international travel.  

Edited November 19, 2021 by Adelphi

[thaiman]

How many people forced into quarantine because they were sitting around those 74 infected persons?

10 people per one infected? 10x74=740 people forced into quarantine?  Are there any stats regarding this?

[GeorgeCross]

Quote

The stats for arrivals since the November 1st reopening of the country stand at 58,870 of which just 74 have tested positive for Covid-19

so using a little math thats 1,257 cases per million arrivals?

 

seems high, here's europe:

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 19, 2021 by GeorgeCross

[DavisH]

On 11/18/2021 at 10:40 AM, bokningar said:

And no one knows how many of the 74, that were false positives?

The chance of a false positive with atk followed by false positive with a PCR test are extrememly low. Of course, testing ppsitive does not mean one is infectious. 

[DavisH]

5 minutes ago, GeorgeCross said:

so using a little math thats 1,270 per million arrivals?

 

seems high, here's europe:

 

 

 

 

 

The numbers are not comparable. ALL arrivals are tested. Is the entire population of those countries tested? NO. Real infection rates are much higher. 

[jacko45k]

On 11/19/2021 at 1:42 PM, Adelphi said:

We need to learn to live with it and just get on with our lives once we are fully vaccinated. Time to dial down the histeria with international travel.  

Not wrong.... but we are not quite there yet. 

[mtls2005]

I assume these sorts of press accounts are meant for the thai public which remains concerned about foreigners bringing in COVID-19?

 

The current screening process seems sufficient.

 

That said, there was a patient zero for Alpha and Delta here.

 

Follow protocols, continue the vaccination/booster efforts and hope for the best. And an amulet or three wouldn't hurt.

 

I don't follow the situation closely but the surge in Europe seems concerning. Not sure if this is a precursor for other regions?