COVID Not Medical Emergency Anymore

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK, Feb 17 (TNA) – COVID-19 is not a medical emergency anymore due to changing situations but the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (UCEP) is available for COVID-19 patients with underlying illnesses, according to the permanent secretary for health.

 

Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit, the permanent secretary of the Public Health Ministry, said that as the number of COVID-19 patients who needed hospital admission was small, COVID-19 was not considered as a medical emergency any longer. Only about 700 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for the time being, he said.

 

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-885328

 

-- © Copyright TNA 2022-02-17

 

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[khunjeff]

...says the man wearing a mask to give a press conference

[connda]

COVID Not Medical Emergency Anymore

So can we take the silly masks off outside in the fresh air and sunshine now?

[kotsak]

If it's not an emergency anymore then scrap the crapola of having to pass a camel through a needle's head to enter the country.

 

[Bkk Brian]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Only about 700 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for the time being, he said.

The Public Health Ministry should consult with the Dept of Disease Control that publishes the official hospital numbers daily. Yesterdays numbers were:

 

163 on ventilators

728 in ICU

64,919 in hospital covid wards receiving treatment

 

Then of course there are the ones just quarantined with mild or no symptoms in hospitels, community isolation centers and home isolation:

79,142

 

 

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

 

 

 

[Moonlover]

2 hours ago, connda said:

COVID Not Medical Emergency Anymore

So can we take the silly masks off outside in the fresh air and sunshine now?

Well I certainly think it's high time they made the wearing of them optional when outside.

 

We should all be capable of making our own individual risk assessment by now.

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by Moonlover

[CartagenaWarlock]

Not medical emergency but can haul tourists for their proximity to covid positives and put them in quarantine to enrich the government-hotel-private hospital nexus. Way to go Thailand.

Edited February 17, 2022 by CartagenaWarlock

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 hours ago, Bkk Brian said:

The Public Health Ministry should consult with the Dept of Disease Control that publishes the official hospital numbers daily. Yesterdays numbers were:

 

163 on ventilators

728 in ICU

64,919 in hospital covid wards receiving treatment

 

The count of COVID patients being treated in regular hospitals has almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year to the 64,919 figure above. And continues rising virtually every day.

 

If that isn't a "medical emergency," then I don't know what is.

 

As for the "Only about 700 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for the time being, he said."

 

Here's the COVID regular hospitalization patient counts for the past two days:

 

Feb 16 -- 62,752

Feb 17 –- 64,919

 

By my count, that's a single day increase of 2,167.

 

Edited February 17, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, connda said:

COVID Not Medical Emergency Anymore

So can we take the silly masks off outside in the fresh air and sunshine now?

Fresh air... that depends on your location.

 

[mtls2005]

So the Emergency Decree, recently renewed for a 15th (or 16th?) time through 31 March 2022, has been rescinded?

 

I think not.

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

9 hours ago, Moonlover said:

Well I certainly think it's high time they made the wearing of them optional when outside.

 

We should all be capable of making our own individual risk assessment by now.

 

It is the risk to others and how they perceive it that is also relevant. On WIN bikes, or in a baht bus might still be warranted. 

[Thaiophil]

It only becomes a medical emergency at 11pm so the bars have to shut. We all know the virus suddenly gets more dangerous later in the evening

 

But the good doc is right, Omicron does not qualify as an emergency due to the low death rate. Time to move on

[Moonlover]

44 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

It is the risk to others and how they perceive it that is also relevant. On WIN bikes, or in a baht bus might still be warranted. 

That is exactly what I mean by: 'capable of making our own individual risk assessment'.

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Moonlover

[jacko45k]

28 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

That is exactly what I mean by: 'capable of making our own individual risk assessment'.

 

That phrase suggested to me only personal risk, perhaps misinterpreted. 

[JayBird]

11 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The count of COVID patients being treated in regular hospitals has almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year to the 64,919 figure above. And continues rising virtually every day.

 

If that isn't a "medical emergency," then I don't know what is.

 

As for the "Only about 700 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for the time being, he said."

 

Here's the COVID regular hospitalization patient counts for the past two days:

 

Feb 16 -- 62,752

Feb 17 –- 64,919

 

By my count, that's a single day increase of 2,167.

 

Maybe he knows those were unnecessary hospitalizations, and only 700 were actually needed?

[Darkside Gray]

Most Thai's couldn't make a risk assessment especially our esteemed leader.

[pizzachang]

Even the CDC and NIH have admitted that "co-morbidity" is the key factor.  Forcing someone to "be hospitalized" for a positive test, is not the same as being seriously ill with something that triggers your particular co-morbidity illness. By current "logic", and I use this term loosely, the 'emergency could last forever.

[stigar]

3 hours ago, Thaiophil said:

It only becomes a medical emergency at 11pm so the bars have to shut. We all know the virus suddenly gets more dangerous later in the evening

 

But the good doc is right, Omicron does not qualify as an emergency due to the low death rate. Time to move on

Now the tourisminustry and hotels and more contacted the goverment tell them to stop PCR tests and mandantory quarantene hotels.Their loosing tourists to neighbour countries.Will they listen???I DONT THINK SO

[John Drake]

For some people, their world is crumbling around them. For two years they have been obsessed with quarantines, masks, lockdowns, business bans, constant testing, border closures, ever complex and onerous regulations for flying, immigration, eating, drinking, breathing, exercising, or just walking outside. Now, those things can't last much longer. People want control of their lives back. But a few fanatics don't want them to have that. They want to maintain control. The fantics will lose.

Edited February 18, 2022 by John Drake

[mommysboy]

13 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The count of COVID patients being treated in regular hospitals has almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year to the 64,919 figure above. And continues rising virtually every day.

 

If that isn't a "medical emergency," then I don't know what is.

 

As for the "Only about 700 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for the time being, he said."

 

Here's the COVID regular hospitalization patient counts for the past two days:

 

Feb 16 -- 62,752

Feb 17 –- 64,919

 

By my count, that's a single day increase of 2,167.

 

'If that isn't a "medical emergency," then I don't know what is'

 

It's a total over-reaction- that's what it is.  Hospitalizing someone because of mild or even moderate symptoms is not a good idea at all. After all, we don't stick someone in a hospital for even a bad cold- I've had some real stinkers in my time.

 

Omicron can and does kill people who are very old and fragile though.

Edited February 18, 2022 by mommysboy

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, mommysboy said:

'If that isn't a "medical emergency," then I don't know what is'

 

It's a total over-reaction- that's what it is.  Hospitalizing someone because of mild or even moderate symptoms is not a good idea at all.  

People were originally hospitalised because there was no other practical way of preventing the pandemic from spreading and because of an observed history of non compliance with isolation orders

 

1 minute ago, mommysboy said:

 

Omicron can and does kill people who are very old and fragile.

Also other people for a variety of reasons.

[Thaiophil]

31 minutes ago, John Drake said:

For some people, their world is crumbling around them. For two years they have been obsessed with quarantines, masks, lockdowns, business bans, constant testing, border closures, ever complex and onerous regulations for flying, immigration, eating, drinking, breathing, exercising, or just walking outside. Now, those things can't last much longer. People want control of their lives back. But a few fanatics don't want them to have that. They want to maintain control. The fantics will lose.

It’s as much about some people making money as it is about control. Imagine how much money clinics and SHA hotels will lose if foreigners are not forced to use them…

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by Thaiophil

[richard_smith237]

13 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

The count of COVID patients being treated in regular hospitals has almost quadrupled since the beginning of the year to the 64,919 figure above. And continues rising virtually every day.

 

If that isn't a "medical emergency," then I don't know what is.

 

As for the "Only about 700 COVID-19 patients were admitted to hospital for the time being, he said."

 

Here's the COVID regular hospitalization patient counts for the past two days:

 

Feb 16 -- 62,752

Feb 17 –- 64,919

 

By my count, that's a single day increase of 2,167.

 

 

There an inconsistent and unclear messages from the government which is leading to unnecessary hospitalisations, the media has also fuelled a greater degree of unnecessary concern and panic. 

 

Firstly, with the issue of Omicron itself; highly contagious and is rife throughout Thailand – but the true numbers are unknown because no one wants to go to hospital to pay for a PCR test when they may have been exposed (if someone thinks they are positive, there are not free PCR tests to double check (that I know of)).

 

Then we have the ‘hospitalizations’ of people with symptoms: As mentioned above, Covid-19 (Omicron is now rife), people are testing at home with ATK’s when they have cold symptoms and if they test ATK positive they panic. Who wouldn’t? the media has pedalled Covid-19 as a near death sentence for the last two years….  So, people panic and check themselves or family member into a hospital.

 

My Wife, my Son Wife’s parents now all have Covid. When my son tested positive and had a 38.4 deg temp and a sore throat my Wife wanted to take him to hospital. Now my wife is usually very sensible and logical, but the Covid-19 fear has clearly got to her - he was fine a day later (still testing positive though).

 

My Wife’s parents are also testing ATK positive, her mum is fine just a very mild cold symptoms, her father has cold symptoms, headache, mild fever and a sore throat, my Wife wants him to go to hospital.

 

I asked my Wife, if Covid-19 didn’t exist, would you consider hospital for those symptoms ? – of course not. 

 

So… the numbers of people in hospital with covid may be a misleading statistic because many are not really unwell and hospitals are still admitting people for ‘isolation’ purposes to prevent continued transmission. 

 

We really need to be looking at ‘serious case hospitalisations’ ONLY.

 

[richard_smith237]

31 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

Omicron can and does kill people who are very old and fragile though.

I agree that the risk to the vulnerable still exists. Does Omicron present any greater risk to the health of the old, fragile and those in high-risk groups compared to a household cold or seasonal influenza ?

 

Obviously the high level of transmission presents greater risk of exposure, however, is the impact of Omicron to health any more severe than illnesses many of us take for granted and have lived with for generations without great concern, such as household colds and influenza, bearing in mind that the old, fragile and those in high risk groups have always had to take precautions against contracting influenza and colds.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by richard_smith237

[ozimoron]

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I agree that the risk to the vulnerable still exists. Does Omicron present any greater risk to the health of the old, fragile and those in high-risk groups compared to a household cold or seasonal influenza ?

 

Obviously the high level of transmission presents greater risk of exposure, however, is the impact of Omicron to health any more severe than illnesses many of us take for granted and have lived with for generations without great concern, such as household colds and influenza, bearing in mind that the old, fragile and those in high risk groups have always had to take precautions against contracting influenza and colds.

Don't ignore the prospect that the longer a virus circulates and the more hosts that exist the greater the chance of further mutation. This is why omicron should be treated with continued caution.

[Neeranam]

16 hours ago, kotsak said:

If it's not an emergency anymore then scrap the crapola of having to pass a camel through a needle's head to enter the country.

 

It's not that bad.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

34 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

Omicron can and does kill people who are very old and fragile

though.

Try again... See the right side graphic below.

 

 

Source

[mommysboy]

10 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I agree that the risk to the vulnerable still exists. Does Omicron present any greater risk to the health of the old, fragile and those in high-risk groups compared to a household cold or seasonal influenza ?

 

Obviously the high level of transmission presents greater risk of exposure, however, is the impact of Omicron to health any more severe than illnesses many of us take for granted and have lived with for generations without great concern, such as household colds and influenza, bearing in mind that the old, fragile and those in high risk groups have always had to take precautions against contracting influenza and colds.

 

 

'is the impact of Omicron to health any more severe than illnesses many of us take for granted and have lived with for generations without great concern'

 

No, it isn't imo. In fact, Omicron is behaving more like any ordinary coronavirus, and much like a traditional winter bug.  It could produce one of those 'wicked colds' in an otherwise healthy person.

 

Unfortunately, with very old and also vulnerable people, who often live with chronic underlying illness, just about anything can kill.

[mommysboy]

4 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Try again... See the right side graphic below.

 

(Overly large graphic deleted)

 

Source

Ok I will:

 

I should have said old people with underlying chronic illness, and anyone else who is regarded as vulnerable.

 

Honestly, I don't know why it appears to be a much bigger deal in the USA, it's a real head scratcher!  Perhaps because of obesity, the vulnerable category is incredibly wide in this country.  I doubt it though.  Something amiss I think.

[ozimoron]

5 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

'is the impact of Omicron to health any more severe than illnesses many of us take for granted and have lived with for generations without great concern'

 

No, it isn't imo. In fact, Omicron is behaving more like any ordinary coronavirus, and much like a traditional winter bug.  It could produce one of those 'wicked colds' in an otherwise healthy person.

 

Unfortunately, with very old and also vulnerable people, who often live with chronic underlying illness, just about anything can kill.

Society has an ethical and moral obligation to protect all citizens, not just the healthy. Where have we seen similar sentiments before?