Fifth wave of COVID-19 already sweeping through Thailand – Medical Services chief

[raccos21]

I guess it will end with the fourth wave because the PCR tests to be scrapped on January 11th.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-covid-people-cabinet-jenny-harries-b1987207.html?amp

[Thunglom]

1 hour ago, JackGats said:

True but how much of that is owing to staff being sent home to isolate? This is another way in which Omicron is different from previous waves: it makes a mockery of quarantine policies.

The number of cases requiring treatment in hospital is rising. This is due to the huge number of cases.

Staff in NHS and other services are either quarantined or off sick, In the NHS it's bout 50 to 60 % above normal for the time of year. It would be totally insane to have people infected with Covid treating patients in a hospital. quarantine regulations have been reduced to the bear minimum to keep people at work. Imagine if hospital staff started infecting vulnerable patients in hospitals.

the other thing of course is that Brexit has sent thou=sands of workers out of the country, never to return.

although the numbers are lower in Thailand they have a less universal vaccine campaign which leaves them more vulnerable to serious forms of the disease. (worldwide 80% or so of deaths are unvaccinated). They also have a problem of foreign labour being kept out of the country. At least they can return at some point.

Edited January 6, 2022 by Thunglom

[rabas]

5 hours ago, thaiman said:

Isn't it the unhealthy and/or old ones who have been filling hospitals during this pandemic?

 

At which point in human history were hospitals filled with the young and healthy?

 

[Trip Hop]

48 minutes ago, raccos21 said:

I guess it will end with the fourth wave because the PCR tests to be scrapped on January 11th.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/boris-johnson-covid-people-cabinet-jenny-harries-b1987207.html?amp

Only just read this earlier on Google news just before I was about to book my day 2 PCR for my return? Luckily I didn’t bin the LFT that I had previously ordered for my return before they changed to PCR just before I left?

[simonok]

As

15 hours ago, webfact said:

asymptomatic

Asymptomatic respiratory disease?  When was this invented?  Is there any proof such a thing now exists?  Is there something written on my forehead?

[JackGats]

2 hours ago, simonok said:

As

Asymptomatic respiratory disease?  When was this invented?  Is there any proof such a thing now exists?  Is there something written on my forehead?

Well, there is such a thing as victimless crime already. Now they've invented illnessless disease.

[Boedog]

18 hours ago, RandiRona said:

5th? I thought it was 3rd...when did we miss 3rd and 4th?

The 3rd and 4th was when Grandmaster Prayut,s sandbox scam(scheme) was they had to stop testing otherwise the billions of baht from the the incoming tourists and the brown envelopes that was going to save the economy and businesses, oh wait they didn't come so the fifth wave is hear now soon to be the sixth and seventh 

[The Hammer2021]

Omicron  is thought to be peaking  and receding in South  Africa  and London. Hopefully  it will be the same  here.

[Mr Dome]

12 hours ago, goldenbrwn1 said:

Man flu is not the actual flu mate….just saying. I have had ‘actual flu’ . Bed ridden, night sweats, full body ache, and an extreme headache . Took two weeks to get over it. 

This isn't about "man flu", whatever that even is, apart from women describing men acting over dramatically in response to feeling unwell. Do stay on topic.

[Thunglom]

7 hours ago, rabas said:

 

At which point in human history were hospitals filled with the young and healthy?

 

I think he is referring to those with previous conditions and those young and healthy who have been affected by Covid.

[Thunglom]

3 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Omicron  is thought to be peaking  and receding in South  Africa  and London. Hopefully  it will be the same  here.

don't count your chickens ....

"The UK has reported a further 179,756 Covid cases, as the number of people infected with the Omicron variant continues to surge.

The latest figures – which reflect infections picked up by testing – bring the UK total for the past seven days to 1,272,131, up 29% on the week before. The true number of infections is estimated to be substantially higher as not all infections are captured by the testing programme." - Grauniad

London has had the highest hospital admissions.

The curve may have flattened, but with such a massive amount of infections, the chances of another variation are quite high

[kiwikeith]

22 hours ago, TooMuchTime said:

Time for everyone to stock up on tissues.

 

  

spooky

 

I’d say reassuring, what’s all the fuss about????????????????

[kiwikeith]

38 minutes ago, Thunglom said:

don't count your chickens ....

"The UK has reported a further 179,756 Covid cases, as the number of people infected with the Omicron variant continues to surge.

The latest figures – which reflect infections picked up by testing – bring the UK total for the past seven days to 1,272,131, up 29% on the week before. The true number of infections is estimated to be substantially higher as not all infections are captured by the testing programme." - Grauniad

London has had the highest hospital admissions.

The curve may have flattened, but with such a massive amount of infections, the chances of another variation are quite high

 Possible but most of the world’s leading virologists are saying no.

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

I’d say reassuring, what’s all the fuss about????????????????

Record child hospital admissions in the US is somehow reassuring?

 

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/588525-us-sees-record-covid-19-pediatric-hospital-admissions-on-wednesday

[ozimoron]

7 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

 Possible but most of the world’s leading virologists are saying no.

Where is your evidence that virologists are discounting new variations? The opposite is true.

 

"Greater COVID-19 spread can lead to more mutations, say doctors"

 

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/greater-spread-means-potentially-more-mutations/article38158767.ece

 

A new COVID-19 challenge: Mutations rise along with cases

 

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-mutations-rising-f471eca388965ee95cd1e324c4e239d8

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/24/scientists-warn-of-new-covid-variant-with-high-number-of-mutations

 

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-03552-w

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anjkxEm6ZIo

 

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by ozimoron

[Thunglom]

39 minutes ago, kiwikeith said:

 Possible but most of the world’s leading virologists are saying no.

Saying "no" to what?

UK epidemiologists say we're not out of the woods yet.

as for the rest of the world, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to surge. The UN health agency said (4th Jan) that it was crucial that more is done to help all countries receive lifesaving coronavirus jabs as quickly as possible.

 

as for variants - I think you are misinformed - any virus can mutate as often as it wants - the more transmissions of the disease the more it multiplies and the more is the chance of variation. Thy don't all have to be bad, they can go either way.

It appears that Omicron, for instance is suited to infecting higher up in the chest - that means it hs less chances of severity but is easier to transmit. Who knows which way the next variant will go?

 

Edited January 6, 2022 by Thunglom

[mbenson]

22 hours ago, Dialemco said:

Don't have to be an expert to realise Omicron is so infectous that it is almost certain everyone will catch it which hopefully will result in herd immunity. It is still very important to be vaccinated to reduce serious illness

They are saying the R value is between 3 and 5. This means that one person infects 3 to 5 people over the course of their illness. Then those people each infection another 3 to 5. You can see how that might get out of hand rather quickly.

 

[sandyf]

12 hours ago, JackGats said:

Now they've invented illnessless disease.

Bit of an ignorant comment, illness and disease are 2 separate issues.

Cats can have diseases throughout their live without ever getting ill, known as a carrier.

Bit the same with humans, they can carry a disease without ever knowing it, or for protracted periods before symptoms appear.

Nothing new, been the case for generations.

[jacko45k]

On 1/6/2022 at 9:41 AM, LukKrueng said:

And why is that surprising if having high temperature IS  A SYMPTOM? 

In the early Covid days it was a symptom people were failing to recognize. Would you know your temperature under normal conditions? In fact I recall it put a family friend into isolation a year ago when a scanner at a Mall entrance kept reporting her as high... yes tested positive. It is important now to know if Omicron is bypassing this .....

[toofarnorth]

23 hours ago, SunsetT said:

Could be the secret reason why Thailand has fared so well against Covid.

I don't have any wave , my wife has the Honda wave virus , has trouble starting it. I would rather take my chances with Omigod than drink Chang , but ..........back to the topic eh.

[toofarnorth]

19 hours ago, Millcx said:

You missed this deadly one just after the “Piles Variant”

I hope it doesn't go pear shaped .

[rickudon]

The main issue in Thailand is lack of testing and no incentive to do it. Unless you are really ill, you would just keep quiet and MAYBE stay at home. Why go for test when you might end up in a hospital (possibly paying high bills, especially if not Thai) or a hospitel (must be boring and food quite poor). Also, remember at least 50% of Thais have no sickness benefit and would loose income.

 

Result - low test numbers, low deaths (reported as some other cause?) so figures look good. ctually the whole world has the issue of testing - asymptomatic people/contacts will not volunteer for testing when they might loose income or be forced into quarantine. Reality is seen from excess death rates - these were often 2 to 4 times higher than reported  Covid deaths. Even with the official statistics, many countries have now lost over 0.2% of their population. And not over yet.

 

Infectiousness of Omicron - well at no time in this pandemic before Xmas have reported cases reached one million a day - typically it was about 0.5 million. But since Xmas cases are hitting 2-3 million some days. From a personal point of view, in the first 20 months or so of the pandemic only 2 family members got Covid in the UK - but 3 have in the last 6 weeks.  Although the death rate from Omicron may be as low as 0.1% of reported cases, just the sheer number is causing issues for health systems. Also forget about herd immunity - know of one person who has had it 3 times in 12 months!

[LukKrueng]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

In the early Covid days it was a symptom people were failing to recognize. Would you know your temperature under normal conditions? In fact I recall it put a family friend into isolation a year ago when a scanner at a Mall entrance kept reporting her as high... yes tested positive. It is important now to know if Omicron is bypassing this .....

In the op it said it doesn't detect ASYMPTOMATIC people. High fever IS A SYMPTOM. your comment about people not being able to notice their high temperature is irrelevant. 

[jacko45k]

3 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

In the op it said it doesn't detect ASYMPTOMATIC people. High fever IS A SYMPTOM. your comment about people not being able to notice their high temperature is irrelevant. 

High fever is not a symptom for all, so you are talking twaddle. 

[Thunglom]

22 hours ago, simonok said:

As

Asymptomatic respiratory disease?  When was this invented?  Is there any proof such a thing now exists?  Is there something written on my forehead?

I think you'll not find out what's written on your forehead ... if you look in a mirror  I suspect you won't be able to read it.

[Thunglom]

4 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

In the op it said it doesn't detect ASYMPTOMATIC people. High fever IS A SYMPTOM. your comment about people not being able to notice their high temperature is irrelevant. 

Asymptomatic means that you are a carrier, not a sufferer.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Thunglom

[Rimmer]

A conspiracy troll post has been removed

[LukKrueng]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

High fever is not a symptom for all, so you are talking twaddle. 

1. Have you read the list of symptoms? 

2. If it's not one of them, why on earth every shop, market, condo building, hospital and pretty much every public place have temp. checking machines installed since day 1 of the pandemic on Thailand? (As was the case in many other countries around the world, although many countries stopped it since...)

[LukKrueng]

1 hour ago, Thunglom said:

Asymptomatic means that you are a carrier, not a sufferer.

Thanks for the explanation. I was lost without it. 

I replied to the part in the op saying the temp readers DO NOT DETECT HIGH FEVER IN ASYMPTOMATIC people. Let me walk you through my logic: 

1. Asymptomatic means you don't have symptoms. 

2. Fever is A symptom. 

3. An ASYMPTOMATIC doesn't have symptoms (look at No. 1 above) 

4. Temp readers try to detect 1 symptom (ie high fever), but as in No. 1&3 above ASYMPTOMATIC people (carriers or innocent) do not have any symptoms there's nothing to detect hence was my somewhat sarcastic question "what a surprise"

[Thunglom]

1 hour ago, LukKrueng said:

Thanks for the explanation. I was lost without it. 

I replied to the part in the op saying the temp readers DO NOT DETECT HIGH FEVER IN ASYMPTOMATIC people. Let me walk you through my logic: 

1. Asymptomatic means you don't have symptoms. 

2. Fever is A symptom. 

3. An ASYMPTOMATIC doesn't have symptoms (look at No. 1 above) 

4. Temp readers try to detect 1 symptom (ie high fever), but as in No. 1&3 above ASYMPTOMATIC people (carriers or innocent) do not have any symptoms there's nothing to detect hence was my somewhat sarcastic question "what a surprise"

You see - "Asymptomatic means that you are a carrier, not a sufferer."