COVID-19: Thailand reports 17,349 new coronavirus cases, 22 deaths, 11,561 recoveries

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Thailand on Thursday (February 17) reported 17,349 new COVID-19 cases, 11,561 recoveries and 22 additional deaths over the past 24 hours. 

 

▶︎ Infections outside prisons: 17,104. Prisons: 245

▶︎ Recoveries: 11,561

 

Thursday’s cases bring the total number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand to 2,656,411 with 22,538 deaths.

 

The news comes as Thai authorities allowed individuals inoculated with the Russian Sputnik Light vaccine to enter the country without quarantine but only within the framework of the SandBox tourist program which involves a mandatory seven-day stay on a certain territory. On Wednesday, this information was confirmed to a TASS correspondent by Director of the News Division of Thailand’s Foreign Ministry Maratee Nalita Andamo.

 

According to the official, those inoculated with Sputnik Light can register through the Thailand Pass system but only to use the SandBox program. Earlier, information on the jab’s inclusion in the list of vaccines permitted for entry appeared on the website of Thailand’s Foreign Ministry’s consular department.

*TASS contributed to this report

 

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[anchadian]

https://twitter.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1494096392541081601

 

[anchadian]

https://twitter.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1494095843267596290

 

[Bkk Brian]

PCR test positive cases, total of 17,349 official new infections. 22 official covid deaths recorded.

 

Rapid tests positive cases, 11,969 bringing the total of PCR and ATK results to 29,318

https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/

 

Rolling 7 day average chart from 15th Feb

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

[ikke1959]

almost 30K but everything under control......

[ThailandRyan]

32 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

PCR test positive cases, total of 17,349 official new infections. 22 official covid deaths recorded.

 

Rapid tests positive cases, 11,969 bringing the total of PCR and ATK results to 29,318

https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/

 

Rolling 7 day average chart from 15th Feb

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

So just under 30k cases today with adding the ATK tests.  In my view after looking at the WHO report the numbers are possibly between 150k and 200k of infections daily in Thailand.  Definitely a lack of true testing and transparency is occurring.  Yet the rest of the world is on the backside of Omicron and opening up with fewer and fewer restrictions.  One would think that we should have been seeing numbers like this almost a month ago.  Seems strange that it took this long to see the spike upwards.

[anchadian]

https://twitter.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1494122034049449984

 

[metisdead]

A post with a link to an unapproved social media source has been removed as well as a reply. 

[Cleareye]

And tomorrow the big tourist fair beginss at Lumpini Park...

[Jimbo2014]

Sounds serious! - 22 deaths.  Will you also please publish headlines on these other issues.  About 80 people die on the roads each day so I assume its a more serious crisis. We also note an estimated 32000 die of pollution a year. That's 88 people a day so it must be a Whopper Crisis. Now this one is a HUGE crisis - 40,000 deaths in Thailand attributed to high blood glucose and diabetes. About 114 deaths a day. Looking forward to all the crisis reports.

[Will B Good]

I think we can all relax......I just read an announcement from the MoH that the number of infections will decline rapidly after Feb 29.

[candide]

53 minutes ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Sounds serious! - 22 deaths.  Will you also please publish headlines on these other issues.  About 80 people die on the roads each day so I assume its a more serious crisis. We also note an estimated 32000 die of pollution a year. That's 88 people a day so it must be a Whopper Crisis. Now this one is a HUGE crisis - 40,000 deaths in Thailand attributed to high blood glucose and diabetes. About 114 deaths a day. Looking forward to all the crisis reports.

Same reply as usual:

- the causes of deaths you mention are not contagious diseases,

https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid

- the number of excess deaths since the beginning of the pandemic is around three times the official Covid death number, i.e. it was 54/day in January,

- the effect of the current increase on deaths will be felt only in 2 or 3 weeks as people don't die instantly after being contaminated,

 

BTW, I did not find the same number of diabetes deaths. The one I found is about half, with 23,929 deaths

https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/thailand-diabetes-mellitus#:~:text=According to the latest WHO,Thailand %23109 in the world.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by candide

[Jimbo2014]

1 minute ago, candide said:

Same reply as usual:

- the causes of deaths you mention are not contagious diseases,

https://ourworldindata.org/excess-mortality-covid

- the number of excess deaths since the beginning of the pandemic is around three times the official Covid death number, i.e. it was 54/day in January,

- the effect of the current increase on deaths will be felt only in 2 or 3 weeks as people don't die instantly Fter being contaminated,

 

BTW, I did not find the same number of diabetes deaths. The one I found is about half, with 23,929 deaths

https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/thailand-diabetes-mellitus#:~:text=According to the latest WHO,Thailand %23109 in the world.

 

 

You will note that I wrote "high blood glucose and diabetes" - check your figures on the combined total and you will find its close to 40K.  Concerning deaths, my point is that these are all, in principal, preventable deaths.  Deaths from type 2 diabetes and high blood sugar, pollution, road deaths, could all be greatly reduced with campaigns far less economically and socially harmful as the covid restrictions.  Why then do we daily publish 22 deaths, and place such broad and sweeping measures in place to limit the number, when deaths from other preventable causes are ignored.  The reaction is completely out of proportion to the risk, as other countries are now starting to determine (US, UK, parts of the EU etc.).

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

Thailand 2022 COVID hospitalizations (regular hospitals):

 

Jan 4 -- 17,280

Feb. 1 -- 40,590

 

(Past Week)

Feb 11 -- 55,058

Feb 12 -- 56,099

Feb 13 –- 58,245

Feb 14 –- 60,558

Feb 15 –- 60,303

Feb 16 -- 62,752

Feb 17 –- 64,919 (nearly quadruple since the start of the year)

 

Thailand 2022 COVID patients in serious/critical condition:

 

Jan 4 -- 555

Feb 1 -- 557

 

(past week)

Feb 11 -- 569

Feb 12 -- 610

Feb 13 -- 641

Feb 14 –- 687

Feb 15 -- 702

Feb 16 -- 699

Feb 17 -- 728

 

Source: MoPH daily COVID reports, including the latest below, with the hospitalization and patient condition statistics in the blue colored section.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/505572571061072/?type=3

 

Also, more broadly as shown in the blue box, Thailand currently has 144,061 COVID positive cases in care, including the 64,919 in regular hospitals, and another 79,142 in various alternate arrangements including "hospitels," field hospitals, etc.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Bkk Brian]

2 hours ago, Jimbo2014 said:

Sounds serious! - 22 deaths.  Will you also please publish headlines on these other issues.  About 80 people die on the roads each day so I assume its a more serious crisis. We also note an estimated 32000 die of pollution a year. That's 88 people a day so it must be a Whopper Crisis. Now this one is a HUGE crisis - 40,000 deaths in Thailand attributed to high blood glucose and diabetes. About 114 deaths a day. Looking forward to all the crisis reports.

This just happens to be a covid thread but if you want to follow the daily published reports on road deaths I suggest looking where they are published here, yesterday there were 27 which happens to be the same amount as the covid deaths on the 16th Feb.

 

I agree both road deaths, pollution and diabetes inflict huge daily tolls that are preventable however the government here does not publish those figures daily so its impossible to have a separate thread on it daily, unless you start one and source the numbers from somewhere?

 

I note just nearly every country in the world still publishes daily covid figures although those that are coming out of restrictions have mentioned this will change as they come to terms with the endemic status they are giving it. Thailand will follow suit I'm sure but with all the covid restrictions it still has in place then I wouldn't hold your breath just yet.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

"The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is setting up more beds in isolation facilities to handle the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

 

During an inspection at an isolation center in Klong Toey district on Wednesday, Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang announced that about 1,000 beds have been added to the 13 community isolation centers currently in operation throughout the capital. Additional Isolation facilities are also currently being set up as the number of patients in Bangkok has risen since the beginning of the year. These centers will help treat patients with less severe conditions which reduces cases at hospitals and ease pressure on the overall health system.

...

People who test positive for Covid-19 should contact the BMA via the NHSO hotline number at 1330 ext. 14, the Erawan Medical Center's hotline number at 1669 ext. 2, or the EOC emergency hotline numbers for evaluation and immediate treatment."

 

https://www.facebook.com/nbtworld/posts/10158509229282050

 

[Bkk Brian]

25 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thailand 2022 COVID hospitalizations (regular hospitals):

 

Jan 4 -- 17,280

Feb. 1 -- 40,590

 

(Past Week)

Feb 11 -- 55,058

Feb 12 -- 56,099

Feb 13 –- 58,245

Feb 14 –- 60,558

Feb 15 –- 60,303

Feb 16 -- 62,752

Feb 17 –- 64,919

 

 

Thailand 2022 COVID patients in serious/critical condition:

 

Jan 4 -- 555

Feb 1 -- 557

 

(past week)

Feb 11 -- 569

Feb 12 -- 610

Feb 13 -- 641

Feb 14 –- 687

Feb 15 -- 702

Feb 16 -- 699

Feb 17 -- 728

 

Source: MoPH daily COVID reports, including the latest below, with the hospitalization and patient condition statistics in the blue colored section.

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/505572571061072/?type=3

 

Also, more broadly as shown in the blue box, Thailand currently has 144,061 COVID positive cases in care, including the 64,919 in regular hospitals, and another 79,142 in various alternate arrangements including "hospitels," field hospitals, etc.

 

 

Chart form for the daily rise in ICU and ventilated cases 

https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/

[Cake Monster]

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

So just under 30k cases today with adding the ATK tests.  In my view after looking at the WHO report the numbers are possibly between 150k and 200k of infections daily in Thailand.  Definitely a lack of true testing and transparency is occurring.  Yet the rest of the world is on the backside of Omicron and opening up with fewer and fewer restrictions.  One would think that we should have been seeing numbers like this almost a month ago.  Seems strange that it took this long to see the spike upwards.

A Month ago was the traditional Tourist " High Season "

Nuff said me thinks.

[Cherrytreeview]

Thanks as usual to  @Bkk Brian@TallGuyJohninBKK

Edited February 17, 2022 by Cherrytreeview
Edit

[Danderman123]

A theory:

 

Prior variants of Covid caused symptoms based on the initial viral load, if you just caught a brief whiff, you might be infected, but asymptomatic. If you were exposed to the virus overa long term, you would be sicker. Older people had worse symptoms because they are less mobile, and more likely to get a high load of virus. 

 

Omicron is different: it infects immediately, but with a tiny viral load. So, symptoms are less.

 

 

[koratkarlos]

33 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Omicron is different: it infects immediately, but with a tiny viral load. So, symptoms are less

Hi Danderman.  I did not know the Omicron viral loads were less.  I thought the virus attacked the upper respiratory system, not deep in the lungs like Delta and this is what is reducing illness severity.  Thanks.

[Danderman123]

26 minutes ago, koratkarlos said:

Hi Danderman.  I did not know the Omicron viral loads were less.  I thought the virus attacked the upper respiratory system, not deep in the lungs like Delta and this is what is reducing illness severity.  Thanks.

I posted a theory, not a fact.

 

But, when I talk about viral loads, I am referring to the initial viral load that infects the body, not the subsequent explosion of virus that results from the initial infection.

[Cherrytreeview]

2 hours ago, Cherrytreeview said:

Thanks as usual to  @Bkk Brian@TallGuyJohninBKK

and @anchadian

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

17 hours ago, koratkarlos said:

Hi Danderman.  I did not know the Omicron viral loads were less.  I thought the virus attacked the upper respiratory system, not deep in the lungs like Delta and this is what is reducing illness severity.  Thanks.

 I don't know about viral loads issue of Delta vs Omicron.

 

But I believe you're correct in your comment above explaining about how the two different variants tend to cause problems in differing parts of the body, and why Omicron cases (in general, comparatively) tend to be milder.

 

Although the much higher rate of Omicron infection (because many more people get it) still ends up sending as many or more people to the hospital in many places.

 

 

[MrJ2U]

11 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Yet the rest of the world is on the backside of Omicron

Asia is getting nailed right now.

 

South Korea reported 90,000 cases today and Hong Kong is reeling.

 

"S.Korea's daily COVID-19 count tops 90,000, basketball league halted"

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skorea-reports-record-90443-covid-cases-daily-count-doubles-week-2022-02-16/

 

"Covid: Hong Kong's hospitals overwhelmed amid spike in cases"

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-60339746

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Asia is on the upside of Omicron right now, while some western countries like the U.S. just lately seemed to have hit their peak and now are on the down-side of the wave.

 

The news out of Hong Kong seems particularly bad. Hope that Thailand isn't headed down that same road in the weeks ahead. But the numbers here pretty much keep rising day-by-day for the time being.

 

[Bkk Brian]

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Asia is on the upside of Omicron right now, while some western countries like the U.S. just lately seemed to have hit their peak and now are on the down-side of the wave.

 

The news out of Hong Kong seems particularly bad. Hope that Thailand isn't headed down that same road in the weeks ahead. But the numbers here pretty much keep rising day-by-day for the time being.

 

Covid cases per million people Thailand actually has more cases than Hong Kong right now but South Korea is on a mission to the moon!

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

Covid cases per million people Thailand actually has more cases than Hong Kong right now but South Korea is on a mission to the moon!

 

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

 

Part of that above, I'd imagine, is a function of level of testing. SK is very committed to substantial testing. Thailand, on the other hand, is not.

 

That's part of the reason why, lately, with Omicron, I tend to pay more attention to the hospitalization numbers, versus the case numbers, because I believe the hospitalization numbers are less skewed by varying levels of testing activity from country to country.

 

It would be interesting if OWD or some similar entity could manage to compile a per capita COVID hospitalization rate by country. OWD has some of that for certain countries, but apparently not for Thailand, Hong Kong or South Korea, among others.

 

Chart below showing since Jan 1, 2022:

 

U.S. and UK per capita COVID hospitalizations lately trending down. Singapore and Malaysia per capita COVID hospitalizations trending up.

 

 

 

OWD source

Edited February 17, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ThailandRyan]

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

Covid cases per million people Thailand actually has more cases than Hong Kong right now but South Korea is on a mission to the moon!

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

Hoping this does not derail my flight through Korea next week to get home to BKK.

[Danderman123]

I feel sorry for the anti-mask snowflakes. I am in Peru, where double masks are required.