Thailand is transitioning to an endemic, so what happens now if you catch COVID?

[connda]

Thailand is transitioning to an endemic, so what happens now if you catch COVID?

If you are a farang? Self-isolate, rest, and stay away from the government and their expensive private hospital incarceration for foreigners policy?  ????

[richard_smith237]

8 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

You can not make this feces up... 

Indeed.... you cannot make up some of the utter flookwittery... 

 

When I came back from overseas last year, I’d taken a preflight PCR (-ve) quarantined for 2 weeks and took 2x PCR (-ve)....   Invited a couple of friends around, one of my friends Wive’s commented that I was high risk because I’d come in from overseas !!!....  

 

Going to the local market every day was not a risk of course !!!

 

The critical thought process is simply absent and they resort to following paranoid gossip of dumb friends. 

 

 

 

 

 

[connda]

5 hours ago, RandiRona said:

This is what happens when you keep your population uneducated and poor. The poor chap didnt know that he dont need hospital unless he is facing some serious issues. He think he would get some Covid medication but what he got was just some cold meds. Covid is not death sentence and there is no need to panic but take precautions.....

It seems every time a Thai gets the sniffles they go to the hospital. 

[kingstonkid]

GF is upset with me.  One of her co workers tested positive and she sent me a line msg

My response that got me in trouble was good for him.

 

 

[KhunLA]

6 minutes ago, connda said:

It seems every time a Thai gets the sniffles they go to the hospital. 

Not the ones I know ... off to the pharmacist, or tap the stash of tabs they already have.

[connda]

23 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Absolutely agree... 

 

The simple process of filling out the Thailand Pass itself is a step too for the vast majority of tourists who are firmly in the ‘want hassle free travel’ camp. 

 

Add in the requirement for insurance and its simply a step too far.

 

-------

 

IF Thailand were to behave maturely it would offer free insurance upon arrival for ALL tourists and gives out free ATK’s on arrival and simply asks if they feel unwell or test ATK positive do the responsible thing and stay isolate for a few days. 

 

There is no longer any risk to Thailand of incoming tourists bringing in Covid-19, the risk of catching Covid-19 is present and high within Thailand already. 

 

 

To understand the Thai mindset, simply look at Thai TV.
Everyone on TV shows from game shows, to music and variety shows, to all TV news are fully masked all of the time.

Can't say I've seen that in the West.  The studios may require vaccinations and a rapid antigen test, then those in the studio can take off their masks and function normally. 
Here in Thailand?  I fully expect Thai MSM news anchors to still be wearing masks on TV in 2023.  Thailand will be one of the last countries on the planet to give up mandatory masking as The Mask is a sign of complete deference to authority.  And by golly, the entire population needs to show they are on-board and compliant.  Culturally, it's the Thai way.

 

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

With COVID-19 now spreading at a rate of more than 20,000 officially confirmed new infections per day, everyone is at risk of catching the disease. So, many people will be wondering what happens if they do get infected.

Depends on your nationality?

[digger70]

If one gets the omicron  just wait and see if not worse the the Flu 

(offspring of the Wuhan Flu) Don't worry and be happy .

If worse go see the Docs/Hospital.

[joloit]

5 hours ago, Neeranam said:

What costs are those?

I paid THB 3.500 at Siriroj Bangkok Hospital in Phuket. This was the normal rate. After 4PM slightly higher, only THB 4,900. ????????

[zzaa09]

7 hours ago, Guderian said:

Too much of a money-making opportunity for the hospitals and hotels, they'll never want to relax things. Come next December, if you catch a cold then they'll probably insist on five PCR tests at your own expense and ten days of isolation in the nearest Sheraton or Hilton.

Somewhere in this mix the profits trickle up. 

Same as it ever was.

[Neeranam]

17 minutes ago, joloit said:

I paid THB 3.500 at Siriroj Bangkok Hospital in Phuket. This was the normal rate. After 4PM slightly higher, only THB 4,900. ????????

Do they finish work at 4pm?

[Puccini]

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

If one gets the omicron  just wait and see if not worse the the Flu...

If someone does an ATK self-test, how does he know whether or not he got the Omicron varient? According to the news report cited in the OP, such people have been refused a PRC test, have been refused medical consultation, despite Covid-19 symptoms, have been refused medication or received it by mail three to five days later.

 

Without a positive PCR test there is no new confirmed case and this keeps the statistics low.

[richard_smith237]

7 minutes ago, Puccini said:

If someone does an ATK self-test, how does he know whether or not he got the Omicron varient? According to the news report cited in the OP, such people have been refused a PRC test, have been refused medical consultation, despite Covid-19 symptoms, have been refused medication or received it by mail three to five days later.

If someone tests ATK positive there is no way to know that the variant is Omicron, however, given the prevalence and transmission of Omicron, if someone is suffering a sore throat, a mid to moderate temperature and test ATK positive it is quite possible they have the Omicron variant of Covid-19. 

 

With positive ATK result the Covid-19 hotline can be called - it will take a few days to receive a care package (it took my Wife and In laws 5 days in total from first testing to receiving the package).

 

Patients calling the MoPH hotline will be told to remain at home and isolate if their symptoms are mild.

 

Patients are likely to be refused entry to hospital and told to isolate at home if their symptoms are minor - this is the correct approach. 

 

Patients who have mild symptoms will not be sent certain drugs (such as Favipiravir) because it is becoming scares and is not necessary for the vast majority of cases (its best taken earlier on with high risk patients). 

 

 

7 minutes ago, Puccini said:

Without a positive PCR test there is no new confirmed case and this keeps the statistics low.

This is incorrect - the Positive case count includes positive PCR tests and those reporting positive ATK result. 

 

The issue may be that many do not bother to report their ATK result to the MoPH hotline which would keep the stats lower than actual numbers.

 

Its anyones guess how many people are catching covid and simply not testing or not reporting it, it could be as many as 10x the official figure (just a guess of course). 

[StayinThailand2much]

7 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Had a scheduled repair contractor coming to my condo today to fix a leak under the master suites hot tub style bathtub.  30 minutes before he was supposed to arrive his office calls me and wants proof of my vaccinations, booster shot, and my last two covid tests since I just returned from the US. No problem I said, just send me his vaccinations and proof of a negative Covid test taken within the past 24 hours, ensure he is wearing a white PPE and has proof when he arrives to show me.  

 

The company hangs up calls me back and says they decided they can not do the repair because I am a falang and I could have covid, what a bunch of baboons. I asked again about the repairmans tests and they said Thais don't need only foreigner.  

 

To say the least I told them I would send them a bill for my wasted time and expense.  15 minutes later the man was at the door apologizing, telling the GF his company was scared of foreigners because they carry covid.

 

1 hour later the leak was fixed and out he went with 300 baht for his time....

 

You can not make this feces up... 

Well done! Thais genuinely seem to think that Covid is a 'foreign thing', but strangely enough they blame Caucasians, not the Chinese.

 

Surprised that they were afraid getting a bill. Once more, you played it well.

[jacko45k]

14 hours ago, connda said:

The Mask is a sign of complete deference to authority

No, it is simply a mask. 

[bang saen guy]

21 hours ago, KhunLA said:

That's a good thing.  Back to treating symptoms instead of looking for what's not there OR a money grab, with the silly testing & mandatory hosp. stay.

 

Starting to treat it as it should be ... just another flu bug out there.

Agree. My question is "if private hospital are not testing and gov't hospitals are not testing, where do these 20,000+ positives come from?" Pulled from the air?

[dinsdale]

This is what really happens when you get Omicron. You get a cold. Maybe you don't even get that. If you are symptomatic your symptoms can vary from mild to severe. What does happen though be it asymptomatic, mild or severe is you gain immunity. 

Open everything, masks off (unless symptomatic) and move on. When the common cold is spreading the numbers may very well be in the hundreds of thousands or millions who are infected. Omicron is just a new common cold coronovirus.

[scubascuba3]

3 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

This is what really happens when you get Omicron. You get a cold. Maybe you don't even get that. If you are symptomatic your symptoms can vary from mild to severe. What does happen though be it asymptomatic, mild or severe is you gain immunity. 

Open everything, masks off (unless symptomatic) and move on. When the common cold is spreading the numbers may very well be in the hundreds of thousands or millions who are infected. Omicron is just a new common cold coronovirus.

I'm just about over Omicron and I'd describe it as a mild flu \ cold, not severe at all but I appreciate it varies and you wonder if it will get bad, when i was working in London i would still go to work with that, it wasn't bad enough to stay off work, mainly sneezing and runny nose.

 

I presume I'm now immune for a while unless i get a variant

[KhunLA]

16 minutes ago, bang saen guy said:

Agree. My question is "if private hospital are not testing and gov't hospitals are not testing, where do these 20,000+ positives come from?" Pulled from the air?

It the new 'badge of honor', and surprised there aren't T-shirts ... 'I got & survived Covid'.

 

Test test test ... 'damn, I didn't get it yet' ... ????

[NoshowJones]

On 3/8/2022 at 9:40 AM, jacko45k said:

Utter nonsense!

"Too much of a money-making opportunity for the hospitals and hotels,"

It is not utter nonsense, the hospitals and hotels are making a fortune out of this, so if it is utter nonsense as you say, where are all these disgustingly  high charges going to? Oh! I know. The soldiers government are putting it all into their off shore accounts, Right??

[samtam]

21 hours ago, huangnon said:

I imagine a lot of people, foreign or Thai have had it already without realizing, due to mild or no symptoms.

 

The 3-day or weekly ATK testing requirements are mostly just there for people working here or schoolchildren.

Agree. I know of two who tested positive through ATK; 1) on Friday or Saturday, mild symptoms, (runny nose, headaches); felt ok the following day, and tested negative on 3rd or 4th day. 2) Positive on Thursday, negative on Sunday. Only mild runny nose.

 

In those scenarios, I wouldn't even know if I'd had it, as I wouldn't have tested just based on the "symptoms" mentioned. As I know both people, although not in close proximity for several days, I did an ATK test, and it was negative.

 

If we can "live with it" in Thailand, why all this silly pallaver of Test & Go (mad).

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, samtam said:

Agree. I know of two who tested positive through ATK; 1) on Friday or Saturday, mild symptoms, (runny nose, headaches); felt ok the following day, and tested negative on 3rd or 4th day. 2) Positive on Thursday, negative on Sunday. Only mild runny nose.

Had the same symptoms myself last month, and very rare for me.  Even being sick is rare, let alone a runny nose, as on those rare occasions, usually the annoying stuffy nose, for a day or so.  Didn't bother with a test, or meds.  Next day, gone.

[samtam]

13 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Had the same symptoms myself last month, and very rare for me.  Even being sick is rare, let alone a runny nose, as on those rare occasions, usually the annoying stuffy nose, for a day or so.  Didn't bother with a test, or meds.  Next day, gone.

I should mention in both cases  1 with 3 doses (AZ+AZ+Moderna) and  1 with AZ+AZ, the last one in December. Now they are "super immune".

Edited March 9, 2022 by samtam

[mikeymike100]

On 3/8/2022 at 11:53 AM, richard_smith237 said:

 

You think the hospitals and hotels are making more money now than they were when there were no restrictions on tourists entering the country ???

 

 

 

 

 

They are obviously not making as much as before Covid, but they will take every advantage of making up the shortfall, by any means necessary, as has been shown.

[joloit]

On 3/8/2022 at 5:03 PM, Neeranam said:

Do they finish work at 4pm?

Yes, then they would have made me wait for 2 hours until someone would have come to take swab. I decided to come back the next day and the lady at the reception said it was fine to do so (!). Mind you, I was infected.

[pedro01]

On 3/8/2022 at 9:32 AM, scubascuba3 said:

I can see why Thais follow the process but most farang won't bother to report test results due to the costs that will be pinned on them

Which is total nonsense.

 

First day of covid, this care package came, free of charge. Kit, drugs, alcohol, food.

 

I stayed at home, got a call each day, had to send pics of my thermomitor and o2 meter readings.

 

Offer of being picked up was there but I was left to self quarantine.

 

Total cost $0.

 

Food kept coming for 10 days.

 

There are options. If expats dont educate themselves, they cannot expect the best outcome

[joloit]

4 hours ago, pedro01 said:

Which is total nonsense.

 

First day of covid, this care package came, free of charge. Kit, drugs, alcohol, food.

 

I stayed at home, got a call each day, had to send pics of my thermomitor and o2 meter readings.

 

Offer of being picked up was there but I was left to self quarantine.

 

Total cost $0.

 

Food kept coming for 10 days.

 

There are options. If expats dont educate themselves, they cannot expect the best outcome

It all depends on where you live perhaps. I received one call, an email and that was the end of that in Phuket.

[SantiSuk]

On 3/8/2022 at 12:14 PM, richard_smith237 said:

There are three main scenarios. 

 

1) ATK+ at home - self isolate do nothing else. No need for authorities to know (most ppl are doing this, some are altering authorities who send a ‘care package’ (usually late 3-5 days - not sure if they do for foreigners, but it doesn’t really matter - its rubbish). . 

 

2) PCR+ at clinic or hospital - discuss with MoPH to self isolate (most self isolate now unless strong symptoms), authorities send a care package (not sure if they do for foreigners, but it doesn’t really matter - its rubbish). . 

 

3) PCR+ upon arrival (T&G) - this is dealt with more seriously as if you are presenting grave risk to Thailand, if symptom free (or very mild) you may be forced into Hospitel which insurance may not cover. My insurance has a list of hospitals that can treat me (no hospitels on that) - Thus, if testing positive, fake symptoms get hospital treatment that insurance covers !

 

 

At last - someone offering actual information instead of invective and prejudice????

[Blumpie]

If you're vaccinated you get a sniffle and that's it.  

For god's sake the Queen got it and she's as old as the hills and had no problem.  Good grief people, stop worrying so much.  Even the unvaccinated the effects are far less than Delta.  

Geez!

[jacko45k]

10 hours ago, Blumpie said:

If you're vaccinated you get a sniffle and that's it.  

For god's sake the Queen got it and she's as old as the hills and had no problem.  Good grief people, stop worrying so much.  Even the unvaccinated the effects are far less than Delta.  

Geez!

And yet it killed another 1000 people yesterday in the USA.