As Thailand continues to adjust to “living with Covid” national Covid-19 hotline being overwhelmed with record daily phone calls from worried Thais

[webfact]

PHOTO: Prachachat

 

By Nop Meechukhun

 

National – The total number of incoming calls on the national Thailand Covid-19 hotline, 1330, has exceeded 70,000 a day, exceeding the system capability, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) revealed today, March 3rd.

 

According to NHSO hotline records between February 21st and March 1st, the number of daily incoming calls was around 40,000-70,000 calls, while non-voice channels or online platforms (such as Line and Facebook) had reached more than 9,000 messages due to more than 20,000 new reported cases per day.

 

The increased calls came as cases rose across the country, despite a national average of 95% of them asymptomatic or mild, and in highly vaccinated provinces, like Chonburi, over 99%.  Calls have increased as hospitals and doctors have increasingly asked those without symptoms to stay home and self-isolate and rest and attempt to convince them that, with Omicron, Covid is mild or less for the overwhelming majority of people.

However, many Thais continue to overwhelm hotlines when they test positive on home Covid-19 tests or want to “push” to be given hospital treatment or further care, even when doctors say it isn’t needed.

 

This comes as the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, or CCSA, attempts to “change people’s mindset” around Covid-19 and reassure the public that, for most people, it isn’t an emergency requiring hospitals or doctors. This has, according to the CCSA, been a struggle, especially in rural provinces and areas that have, until recently, had few to almost no cases of Covid-19 and due to many people continuing to confuse the more severe Delta strain with the current Omicron strain that dominates the country.

 

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Full story: https://thepattayanews.com/2022/03/03/as-thailand-continues-to-adjust-to-living-with-covid-national-covid-19-hotline-being-overwhelmed-with-record-daily-phone-calls-from-worried-thais/

 

-- © Copyright The Pattaya News 2022-03-03

 

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[Dmaxdan]

I've always maintained that to begin with Thailand's fear of Covid served them well. Now that fear is going to impede the country from getting back to some sort of normality and to start leaning to live with it.

[Joseph98765]

What do you expect when you been putting fear in their brains for more than 2 years!..55555555

[SooKee]

Thailand Living With Covid = Panic, panic, PANIC!!!! ????

[internationalism]

I can see from this picture a real improvement from a year ago, when the very same call centre had some 10 desks with phones with 2 medical volunteers manning each. One was holding receiver and the other was doing writing. There were no any computers in sight. 
Dr Anutin was begging for volunteers come forward after their shifts on hospital wards. 
The lines were so overwhelmed that practically it was impossible to get through. And that in situation of emergency, dying patients searching for spare hospital beds. 
Situation is different now, but memory stays. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by internationalism

[khunpa]

However, many Thais continue to overwhelm hotlines when they test positive on home Covid-19 tests or want to “push” to be given hospital treatment or further care, even when doctors say it isn’t needed.
 

Just had a Covid case in our family… a 21 year old girl. Although she had very minor symptoms and I told her to just go and sleep it off, she of course wanted to go to hospital. (Drama)

 

Luckily we are now at the point where the doctor told her to go back home. So all she did was waste his and her time.

 

 

 

[Eric Loh]

9 minutes ago, SooKee said:

Thailand Living With Covid = Panic, panic, PANIC!!!! ????

Is there a toilet roll shortage again?

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Dmaxdan said:

I've always maintained that to begin with Thailand's fear of Covid served them well. Now that fear is going to impede the country from getting back to some sort of normality and to start leaning to live with it.

Judging by the numbers calling into the system I'd say "Thais are living with it"

however the government is most definitely not!

[NanLaew]

The government should spend some money and run simple, 30-second instructional videos on national television and radio channels. The same for MOPH and all the provincial PH offices who all have some sort of presence on social media such as Facebook and LINE. The problem is they have all these health people spouting their latest theories and updates on the media and internet which only contributes to a Covid 'white noise' that the public ignores until suddenly a neighbor or someone in their family tests positive. How many ill-informed people who tested +ve have traipsed off to clinics and hospitals when the doctor's advise always was park your ass at home and test until you test negative again?

[Cake Monster]

9 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

The government should spend some money and run simple, 30-second instructional videos on national television and radio channels. The same for MOPH and all the provincial PH offices who all have some sort of presence on social media such as Facebook and LINE. The problem is they have all these health people spouting their latest theories and updates on the media and internet which only contributes to a Covid 'white noise' that the public ignores until suddenly a neighbor or someone in their family tests positive. How many ill-informed people who tested +ve have traipsed off to clinics and hospitals when the doctor's advise always was park your ass at home and test until you test negative again?

Those " Instructional Videos " would be an absolute hoot to see.

[bkk6060]

 

I took a domestic flight recently constant reminders in the airport over speakers, in writing, signs about it.

Then on the flight, they made 4 verbal announcements regarding C-19.

It is just still being way over saturated which is increasing the paranoia.

[ed strong]

The attitude is somewhat more worrying in Thailand and their constant fear mongering, yes they are people still concerned over it in Europe but the propaganda machine always works better in people that are already conditioned.

 

They totally blew this thing way out of proportion, all the estimates we much higher than the reality, authorities were over zeulous in their policing during this time, many questions will no doubt be raised, not so much in Thailand but certainly the developed world will push for somesort of explanation.

 

The point i was suspicious and thought this was over the top was the 2021 Fa cup in May of that year, when Prince William and his son George attended wembley with 20,000 other fans.

Would the country send two heirs ot the throne with 20,000 people if they was any danger associatted with their health?

[arithai12]

If there was a call center for "sniffles and cough" in Chiang Mai, the lines would melt during the next two months. But hey, that's just natural air pollution no big deal.

[Cherrytreeview]

7 minutes ago, ed strong said:

The attitude is somewhat more worrying in Thailand and their constant fear mongering, yes they are people still concerned over it in Europe but the propaganda machine always works better in people that are already conditioned.

 

They totally blew this thing way out of proportion, all the estimates we much higher than the reality, authorities were over zeulous in their policing during this time, many questions will no doubt be raised, not so much in Thailand but certainly the developed world will push for somesort of explanation.

 

The point i was suspicious and thought this was over the top was the 2021 Fa cup in May of that year, when Prince William and his son George attended wembley with 20,000 other fans.

Would the country send two heirs ot the throne with 20,000 people if they was any danger associatted with their health?

The UK is back to normal. I mean completely and utterly normal.

Masks are well and truly consigned to the garbage bin.

Total freedom.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Cherrytreeview
Edit

[pokerface1]

46 minutes ago, Cherrytreeview said:

The UK is back to normal. I mean completely and utterly normal.

Masks are well and truly consigned to the garbage bin.

Total freedom.

Australia is not far behind the UK just masks on public transport, hospitals, and nursing homes that's about it. All because of almost everyone is either triple or double vaccinated.

 

[paulikens]

wussies, wimps, bunch of pussies

[ed strong]

2 hours ago, Cherrytreeview said:

The UK is back to normal. I mean completely and utterly normal.

Masks are well and truly consigned to the garbage bin.

Total freedom.

You obviously have not been back out in the UK

 

A lot of people are still wearing masks and seems they will continue to do so.

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 minute ago, ed strong said:

You obviously have not been back out in the UK

 

A lot of people are still wearing masks and seems they will continue to do so.

From what I have seen , its just some of the  old people still wearing masks , people in their 70's and 80's and that could be because of how cold it is here 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Obviously, quite a few posters here have missed the fact that COVID deaths, serious hospitalizations, patients requiring intubation, etc. have all reached record-high numbers for this year, and are continuing to increase pretty much daily.

 

The following are recap summaries of MoPH daily COVID reports. The figures in RED denote record high numbers for 2022.

 

 

 

It's no wonder people are flooding the government's COVID phone hotlines.

 

Not to mention, only about 30% of the population thus far has received a third dose booster vaccine that's needed to adequately protect against Omicron.

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Cherrytreeview]

48 minutes ago, ed strong said:

You obviously have not been back out in the UK

 

A lot of people are still wearing masks and seems they will continue to do so.

You obviously don't live in the UK.

Watch the snooker on Eurosport this afternoon and count the number of people wearing masks inside a sports venue.

Where are you?

A nursing home?

Edited March 3, 2022 by Cherrytreeview
Edit

[freestyle]

".... and attempt to convince them that, with Omicron, Covid is mild or less for the overwhelming majority of people."

"CCSA, attempts to “change people’s mindset” around Covid-19 and reassure the public that, for most people, it isn’t an emergency requiring hospitals or doctors."

Now tell me again why foreigners need 3 covid tests for coming to thailand, and get locked up in hospital when tested positive, possibly losing more than 5000 dollars with this...

[DaveE13]

3 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

From what I have seen , its just some of the  old people still wearing masks , people in their 70's and 80's and that could be because of how cold it is here 

I do on the underground in London it just became habit.  

[meechai]

Quote

As Thailand continues to adjust to “living with Covid” national Covid-19 hotline being overwhelmed with record daily phone calls from worried Thais

555 Classic Thailand!

 

2019-2020 tons of Covid Zero testing...many provinces had old folks dying of what they called super pneumonia

 

Now 2021-2022 Tons of testing tons of mild results with death rates still below daily road deaths NUT total PANIC!

Because the so called leader who used covid scares to keep students at bay & off streets protesting till another election could be rigged created a unreasonable fear.

 

One more item/cause of this panic & that is the cheap self tests! Has anyone seen Social Media these days? Thai's love to post their test daily showing negative results like a badge of honor! Insane!!

 

If any country did that they would show large increases too....Same if there was a test for common cold & a population tested daily for it

 

Thailand ????

Edited March 3, 2022 by meechai

[it is what it is]

5 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

From what I have seen , its just some of the  old people still wearing masks , people in their 70's and 80's and that could be because of how cold it is here 

 

friends report a lot of uk citizens are wearing masks, especially in shops, shopping centres, town centres, cinemas, hospitals, clinics, dentists, opticians, etc.

[BayArea]

8 hours ago, Cherrytreeview said:

The UK is back to normal. I mean completely and utterly normal.

Masks are well and truly consigned to the garbage bin.

Total freedom.

here in California, particularly the very sheepish Bay Area, masks are no longer required indoors (including gyms, malls, businesses).  starting March 14, masks will no longer be mandated in schools from K-12. it has been a very long road, but the state did a very aggressive job of getting the vaccination rate up for most of the residents in the state. the Bay Area is close to 90% fully vaccinated with over 50% triple shot. 

positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are decreasing rapidly. Spring is near and it looks  " normal" as it can be since 2019. 

[arithai12]

5 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Obviously, quite a few posters here have missed the fact that COVID deaths, serious hospitalizations, patients requiring intubation, etc. have all reached record-high numbers for this year, and are continuing to increase pretty much daily.

 

......

 

You attempt to drum up panic on every single covid-related thread.

The number of deaths means exactly zilch if you don't mention

-when was the patient diagnosed

-their vaccination status including types of vaccines and dates

-their age, physical condition and risk factors prior to infection

 

Europe has reopened almost completely, yet countries with similar population as Thailand still have hundreds of deaths, not tens. Mostly unvaccinated. Which is their life choice, not a necessity. Why the hysteria?

 

 

[BayArea]

1 hour ago, meechai said:

555 Classic Thailand!

 

2019-2020 tons of Covid Zero testing...many provinces had old folks dying of what they called super pneumonia

 

Now 2021-2022 Tons of testing tons of mild results with death rates still below daily road deaths NUT total PANIC!

Because the so called leader who used covid scares to keep students at bay & off streets protesting till another election could be rigged created a unreasonable fear.

 

One more item/cause of this panic & that is the cheap self tests! Has anyone seen Social Media these days? Thai's love to post their test daily showing negative results like a badge of honor! Insane!!

 

If any country did that they would show large increases too....Same if there was a test for common cold & a population tested daily for it

 

Thailand ????

Ahead of Vietnam Tourism Opening, Daily Omicron Toll Nears 100,000 – The Diplomat

 

Thailand could learn so much from VN on dealing with actual testing numbers, vaccinating their citizens,  living with covid, and reopening the country without the fear and scaremongering. 

Edited March 3, 2022 by BayArea

[arithai12]

15 minutes ago, it is what it is said:

 

friends report a lot of uk citizens are wearing masks, especially in shops, shopping centres, town centres, cinemas, hospitals, clinics, dentists, opticians, etc.

I do it regularly, when close to others. And will continue to do so. Big deal. Also nice that I don't have to shave so often and can hide the wrinkles. If others prefer to go without, ok with me.

[jacko45k]

16 hours ago, Joseph98765 said:

What do you expect when you been putting fear in their brains for more than 2 years!..55555555

Yes, and a total Covid deaths number that is only 2% of that in the USA, and 14% that of the UK. Perhaps it was a 'healthy' respect.

[ed strong]

21 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

From what I have seen , its just some of the  old people still wearing masks , people in their 70's and 80's and that could be because of how cold it is here 

Yes they are wearing paper masks because its around 10 degrees here in the day and they need to keep warm! Really thats you reason!?

 

Look in the supermarkets and see what you see, half the people still wearing masks. The heating is on on there, so what do you think it might be?

 

Honestly the ridiculousness of some of the comments here, really make me wonder why its worth engaging,