Thailand reports 24,892 new COVID-19 cases, 97 deaths, 27,254 recoveries

[webfact]

File photo

 

Thailand on Monday (April 4) reported 24,892 new COVID-19 cases, 27,254 recoveries and 97 additional deaths over the past 24 hours. 

 

Monday’s cases bring the total number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand to 3,736,487 with 25,512 deaths.

 

The news comes as the Department of Disease Control has refuted a suggestion that it has been distorting the number of daily COVID-19 cases, identified using rapid antigen tests, to give an impression that there are fewer infections in the country.

 

Dr. Chakkarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology of the Department of Disease Control, said that the infection numbers reported by the department come from the central “dashboard”, which compiles the figures obtained from all hospitals and health offices nationwide.**

 

**Thai PBS contributed to this report

 

Discover Cigna’s range of health insurance solutions created for expats and local nationals living in Thailand - click to view

 

 

Keep up to date with all things Thailand - Join our daily ASEAN NOW Thailand Newsletter - Click to subscribe

 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-04-04

 

- Aetna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

- Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

 

Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

[ThailandRyan]

97 deaths as just one of the metrics  show this wave is far from over.  Looking at the Department of Disease Control also defending their publishing of true positive ATK case numbers is laughable as always. I will continue to believe the rural doctors society as they have nothing to loose by being transparent unlike this government.

Edited April 4, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Reflecting typical reduced case reporting from the weekends, Thailand on Monday reported 24,892 new COVID cases, but also tied its yearly high for new COVID deaths at 97 and once again set new yearly record highs for serious COVID hospitalizations.

 

In Monday's update from the Ministry of Public Health, serious COVID hospitalizations increased by 20 to a new yearly high of 1,858, while COVID patients in hospital requiring intubation to breathe increased by 17 to a new yearly high of 769. Both figures have continued to set new yearly highs on an almost daily basis.

 

Monday's 97 new COVID deaths matched the yearly record 97 reported on Sunday. That's eight times Thailand's daily number of COVID fatalities at the start of the year, and brought the country's official COVID pandemic death toll for 2022 to 3,814, and more than 25,000 since the start of the pandemic.

 

Thailand also reported a decline in total current COVID cases under care to 256,667, still one of the highest figures for the year.

 

Overall, compared to one week ago, Monday's report still showed increases in all major categories -- total new official COVID cases, new COVID deaths, total active cases, and serious COVID hospitalizations.

 

Official COVID case counts are at best a low-end approximation in Thailand, where many cases go unreported, and are subject to typical upward swings during the week and declines during weekend periods, although serious hospitalization figures are likely a more reliable indicator of current COVID trends. 

 

 

 

For added context, during the peak of the Delta wave last fall, Thailand's daily COVID case count topped out at 23,418, but the numbers of serious hospital cases and intubated patients peaked above 5,600 and 1,100 respectively, and daily deaths topped 300 for a brief period.

 

https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/posts/535149814770014

 

[Bkk Brian]

PCR test positive cases, total of 24,892 official new infections. 97 official covid deaths recorded.

 

Rapid tests positive cases, 15,972 bringing the total of PCR and ATK results to 40,684

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

 

OWD rolling 7 day average, cases and deaths up to 2nd March

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

 

 

 

[sungod]

22 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

97 deaths as just one of the metrics  show this wave is far from over.  Looking at the Department of Disease Control also defending their publishing of true positive ATK case numbers is laughable as always. I will continue to believe the rural doctors society as they have nothing to loose by being transparent unlike this government.

Perhaps we are no longer in a wave, and this is normal.

 

Not suggesting Covid19 and flu are the same, but as a comparison when looking at these figures (not sure about the website, but they claim to use WHO data) in 2018 Flu and pneumonia caused 44,549 deaths, divided on a daily basis is 122 deaths per day.

 

https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/thailand-influenza-pneumonia

 

Maybe we are at the living with it stage?

Edited April 4, 2022 by sungod

[Bkk Brian]

11 minutes ago, sungod said:

Perhaps we are no longer in a wave, and this is normal.

 

Not suggesting Covid19 and flu are the same, but as a comparison when looking at these figures (not sure about the website, but they claim to use WHO data) in 2018 Flu and pneumonia caused 44,549 deaths, divided on a daily basis is 122 deaths per day.

 

https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/thailand-influenza-pneumonia

 

Maybe we are at the living with it stage?

"According to the latest WHO data published in 2018 Influenza and Pneumonia Deaths in Thailand"

 

Only that source is nowhere to be found on any WHO data that is publicly available? Additionally it includes Pneumonia deaths which have many other causes aside from flu. Looking at the official data published from WHO on flu alone then their is a massive discrepancy in the figures that are published in the link you provided.

 

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/340610/Influenza-Thailand-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

[aussiexpat]

36 minutes ago, sungod said:

 

https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/thailand-influenza-pneumonia

 

Maybe we are at the living with it stage?

On the site you quote above, deaths with covid over the last 2 years is right between deaths from HIV and Suicide...and yet economy destroyed for these numbers

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Prior research has found that Thailand's real total of COVID-related deaths during 2020 and 2021 likely were about 62% higher than the official figures -- based on excess mortality calculations looking at pre-COVID death levels.

 

For Thailand, the study said the country likely had more than 35,000 COVID-related deaths for the two-year period, 62% higher than the 21,700 officially reported:

 

 

http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/COVIDexcessmortality.pdf

 

A separate study by the Economist (covering a later period from April 2020 thru Feb. 2022) found Thailand's deaths due to COVID likely were almost triple the officially reported figure.

 

 

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[mommysboy]

1 hour ago, Bkk Brian said:

"According to the latest WHO data published in 2018 Influenza and Pneumonia Deaths in Thailand"

 

Only that source is nowhere to be found on any WHO data that is publicly available? Additionally it includes Pneumonia deaths which have many other causes aside from flu. Looking at the official data published from WHO on flu alone then their is a massive discrepancy in the figures that are published in the link you provided.

 

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/340610/Influenza-Thailand-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

I think the generally accepted method is flu plus pneumonia. 

 

In the UK it was about 28000 per year in a bad flu season.

 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/influenzadeathsin20182019and2020

 

Because Omicron is so contagious it will likely produce a higher number of deaths, even though individual mortality rate may be in the same ball park as influenza.

 

It would be very difficult to produce a true comparison between each disease.

 

 

 

[Danderman123]

1 hour ago, aussiexpat said:

On the site you quote above, deaths with covid over the last 2 years is right between deaths from HIV and Suicide...and yet economy destroyed for these numbers

 

Let me paraphrase you:

 

”If it weren’t for the restrictions the government has used to reduce infections, deaths from Covid may have become the leading cause of death in Thailand “.

[mommysboy]

27 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Prior research has found that Thailand's real total of COVID deaths during 2020 and 2021 likely were about 62% higher than the official figures -- based on excess mortality calculations looking at pre-COVID death levels.

 

For Thailand, the study said the country likely had more than 35,000 COVID deaths for the two-year period, 62% higher than the 21,700 officially reported:

 

 

http://www.thelancet-press.com/embargo/COVIDexcessmortality.pdf

 

A separate study by the Economist (covering a later period from April 2020 thru Feb. 2022) found Thailand's COVID death tally likely was almost triple the officially reported figure.

 

 

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/coronavirus-excess-deaths-estimates

 

Yes, absolutely.  The same goes for the UK, though not by so much.

 

But it's also true to say that actual covid cases are massively under-reported, at least where Omicron is concerned.  For instance, in the UK daily cases for Friday were reported as 70,000, but ONS weekly reports showed a staggering 4.9 million people infected with the virus at the current point in time.

 

It's all about bottom line numbers, actual deaths and what society is prepared to live with.  Outliers like China won't tolerate a single death, whereas in the UK up to 300 per day seems to be regrettable, but acceptable, since that is roughly the same as a daily total in the teeth of a bad flu epidemic.

 

Sources:

 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19/latestinsights

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/30/covid-uk-coronavirus-cases-deaths-and-vaccinations-today

Edited April 4, 2022 by mommysboy

[onthedarkside]

An off-topic post has been removed.

 

[aussiexpat]

15 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Let me paraphrase you:

 

”If it weren’t for the restrictions the government has used to reduce infections, deaths from Covid may have become the leading cause of death in Thailand “.

So how do you explain Flu & Pneumonia being 3rd on the list with 100k deaths compared to covid 25k. Surely the same restrictions you are so happy with should have reduced the Flu deaths as well? 

[Bkk Brian]

10 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

I think the generally accepted method is flu plus pneumonia. 

 

In the UK it was about 28000 per year in a bad flu season.

 

https://www.ons.gov.uk/aboutus/transparencyandgovernance/freedomofinformationfoi/influenzadeathsin20182019and2020

 

Because Omicron is so contagious it will likely produce a higher number of deaths, even though individual mortality rate may be in the same ball park as influenza.

 

It would be very difficult to produce a true comparison between each disease.

 

Well lets put it this way. The link supplied which is what I was referring to is highly misleading, there is no data by WHO to back it up as claimed and also does not distinguish between flu and other forms of pneumonia and comes up with a figure of around 45k

 

WHO estimates yearly worldwide flu deaths as between 290k - 650k

 

If we say an average 500k a year worldwide to make numbers simpler then that would mean Thailand has 9% of the worlds flu cases each year. Next comes logic and simple maths to say thats impossible.

 

Although true its not so easy to distinguish in Thailand unless flu tests are actually carried out on those who die. The actual number averages around 4,000 deaths yearly in Thailand for flu.

 

Fortunately we have the world of academia that have carried out full peer reviewed scientific studies in Thailand for all influenza related deaths including all causes.

 

2005 - 2009 

On average, 6 people in every 100,000 were estimated to die each year in Thailand as a result of seasonal influenza, representing 4,000 deaths per year.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275363294_Mortality_Attributable_to_Seasonal_Influenza_A_and_B_Infections_in_Thailand_2005-2009_A_Longitudinal_Study

 

2006 - 2011

The average annual influenza-associated mortality per 100 000 persons was 4·0 (so less than the above study of 4,000 yearly deaths)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4605410/

 

 

 

 

 

[mommysboy]

59 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Well lets put it this way. The link supplied which is what I was referring to is highly misleading, there is no data by WHO to back it up as claimed and also does not distinguish between flu and other forms of pneumonia and comes up with a figure of around 45k

 

WHO estimates yearly worldwide flu deaths as between 290k - 650k

 

If we say an average 500k a year worldwide to make numbers simpler then that would mean Thailand has 9% of the worlds flu cases each year. Next comes logic and simple maths to say thats impossible.

 

Although true its not so easy to distinguish in Thailand unless flu tests are actually carried out on those who die. The actual number averages around 4,000 deaths yearly in Thailand for flu.

 

Fortunately we have the world of academia that have carried out full peer reviewed scientific studies in Thailand for all influenza related deaths including all causes.

 

2005 - 2009 

On average, 6 people in every 100,000 were estimated to die each year in Thailand as a result of seasonal influenza, representing 4,000 deaths per year.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275363294_Mortality_Attributable_to_Seasonal_Influenza_A_and_B_Infections_in_Thailand_2005-2009_A_Longitudinal_Study

 

2006 - 2011

The average annual influenza-associated mortality per 100 000 persons was 4·0 (so less than the above study of 4,000 yearly deaths)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4605410/

 

 

 

 

 

 I must admit I really don't put any stock in flu figures at all, be it Thailand, USA, UK, or wherever.

 

I reckon it's more about what is happening in hospitals.  

[SantiSuk]

I see several posters roasting that same hoary old chestnut - comparing deaths from Covid with deaths from other causes and concluding that Covid is not unusually high and we should immediately live with it.
 

The comparison is fallacious. Have to open up/live with it and then see where the number of deaths get to make a valid comparison. Until policy makers have some good hard evidence (eg from other countries or from a test opening of a region) about the shape of the ogre in an unrestricted environment they are understandably inclined to take a conservative approach.

[mommysboy]

1 minute ago, SantiSuk said:

I see several posters roasting that same hoary old chestnut - comparing deaths from Covid with deaths from other causes and concluding that Covid is not unusually high and we should immediately live with it.
 

The comparison is fallacious. Have to open up/live with it and then see where the number of deaths get to make a valid comparison. Until policy makers have some good hard evidence (eg from other countries or from a test opening of a region) about the shape of the ogre in an unrestricted environment they are understandably inclined to take a conservative approach.

But they do have evidence from the UK, Denmark, Sweden, etc!

[Bkk Brian]

PM received 3,268,620 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the French gov. from the Ambassador of France to Thailand & discussed the strengthening of coop., in the Thai-French Roadmap (2022-2024) with participation of DPS Sarun and DG of European Affairs Dept. (4April22)

https://twitter.com/MFAThai/status/1510860767129571335

 

[SantiSuk]

37 minutes ago, mommysboy said:

But they do have evidence from the UK, Denmark, Sweden, etc!

I haven't got the energy to look at all 3 countries but being a Brit myself I looked at recent UK data.

Daily (7 day average) covid deaths were at a low of 121 a day in late Feb and yesterday were 214 - a gentle rise in between. UK has similar population to Thailand.

 

Probably too early to draw conclusions one way or the other but I'll agree that if it does not carry on rising it would tend to support an open-up policy. Were I a policy maker I would want to watch this one carefully before jumping.


ref: https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=UK+covid+death+rate

[worrab]

With no figures released over the weekend, here are the cases today with a drop showing from 421 on April 1st.

 

Health officials on Monday (April 4) reported 399 new COVID-19 cases in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, of which 81 cases were found in Hua Hin.

Elsewhere in the province, 54 cases were found in Pranburi, 45 cases in Sam Roi Yot, 34 cases in Kuiburi, 13 cases in Thap Sakae, 40 cases in Bang Saphan, 22 cases in Bang Saphan Noi, and 110 cases in Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan.

One new COVID-19 related death was reported in the province today.

 

https://www.huahintoday.com/local-news/april-4-prachuap-reports-399-new-covid-19-cases-81-in-hua-hin/

 

 

 

[Cake Monster]

7 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Reflecting typical reduced case reporting from the weekends, Thailand on Monday reported 24,892 new COVID cases, but also tied its yearly high for new COVID deaths at 97 and once again set new yearly record highs for serious COVID hospitalizations.

 

In Monday's update from the Ministry of Public Health, serious COVID hospitalizations increased by 20 to a new yearly high of 1,858, while COVID patients in hospital requiring intubation to breathe increased by 17 to a new yearly high of 769. Both figures have continued to set new yearly highs on an almost daily basis.

 

Monday's 97 new COVID deaths matched the yearly record 97 reported on Sunday. That's eight times Thailand's daily number of COVID fatalities at the start of the year, and brought the country's official COVID pandemic death toll for 2022 to 3,814, and more than 25,000 since the start of the pandemic.

 

Thailand also reported a decline in total current COVID cases under care to 256,667, still one of the highest figures for the year.

 

Overall, compared to one week ago, Monday's report still showed increases in all major categories -- total new official COVID cases, new COVID deaths, total active cases, and serious COVID hospitalizations.

 

Official COVID case counts are at best a low-end approximation in Thailand, where many cases go unreported, and are subject to typical upward swings during the week and declines during weekend periods, although serious hospitalization figures are likely a more reliable indicator of current COVID trends. 

 

 

 

For added context, during the peak of the Delta wave last fall, Thailand's daily COVID case count topped out at 23,418, but the numbers of serious hospital cases and intubated patients peaked above 5,600 and 1,100 respectively, and daily deaths topped 300 for a brief period.

 

https://ddc.moph.go.th/covid19-dashboard/?dashboard=main

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/posts/535149814770014

 

Its great to see that Covid is almost completely eradicated within the Prison System.

Only 20 Cases reported from a population of over 300,000.

its also heartening to see that Vaccinations are progressing at a break neck speed, especially for those that are in most need of being the Vaccinated.

The Vulnerable and the Old and Weak

Thailand never ceases to be Amazing.

 

[Destiny1990]

First Thailand had no vaccines and there was hardly any corona and now about 30% thais are vaccinated however the corona is much more present.????

[Bkk Brian]

12 minutes ago, Destiny1990 said:

First Thailand had no vaccines and there was hardly any corona and now about 30% thais are vaccinated however the corona is much more present.????

April fools day was 4 days ago buddy

[sungod]

4 hours ago, SantiSuk said:

I see several posters roasting that same hoary old chestnut - comparing deaths from Covid with deaths from other causes and concluding that Covid is not unusually high and we should immediately live with it.
 

The comparison is fallacious. Have to open up/live with it and then see where the number of deaths get to make a valid comparison. Until policy makers have some good hard evidence (eg from other countries or from a test opening of a region) about the shape of the ogre in an unrestricted environment they are understandably inclined to take a conservative approach.

I see some posters (usually retired and financially secure with no children of school age) keep banging the drum that opening up is too risky. Living in their own bubble they fail to understand economies and people's livelihoods have been decimated, school children have been deprived of an education. We have vaccines so its time to move on.

Edited April 4, 2022 by sungod

[ThailandRyan]

47 minutes ago, sungod said:

I see some posters (usually retired and financially secure with no children of school age) keep banging the drum that opening up is too risky. Living in their own bubble they fail to understand economies and people's livelihoods have been decimated, school children have been deprived of an education. We have vaccines so its time to move on.

I may be retired and financially secure but I have a step-daughter, well I call her my daughter who is 8 years old now.  It is the GF's daughter and her entire past school year was spent doing on-line classes, which ended up being only about 3 days a week in reality.  We ended up teaching her more ourselves than she learned from the courses.  Still had to purchase over 20 text books of which only 4 were ever used by the teachers.  So much for the clothes that were purchased and so on.  The entire country has lost over a year of education for all of the students.  The daughter had covid twice, and yet she was just given her first vaccine this week.  School ended the first week of March and does not re-start until the first week of May.  Lets hope school is actually held, and of course will there be any remediation for the missed school work or will they try and forge ahead.  

 

Be careful of who you accuse of living in their own bubble, and no just because we have vaccines it is not time to completely move on and forget the virus. We can learn to live with it but everyone needs to be responsible and stop with the I'm alright Jack rhetoric.

Edited April 4, 2022 by ThailandRyan

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, sungod said:

We have vaccines so its time to move on.

63% or so of Thailand's senior citizen population has NOT received the third shot vaccine booster dose that is necessary to best protect against Omicron.

 

And that's just barely better than the 65% of the overall population figure that likewise has not yet received their third shot booster dose.

 

Your train is more than a bit early in leaving the station, based on that measurement.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106142991004034/535269141424748/?type=3

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

MoPH's latest past two weeks COVID trends chart (March 22-April 4), and everything is still headed upward, including year-high numbers of COVID deaths and serious hospitalizations.

 

From left to right below: daily new official COVID cases based on a past two-week running average, serious condition COVID hospitalizations, COVID hospitalizations requiring intubation, and daily new COVD deaths.

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106142991004034/535269041424758/?type=3

 

In the red text in the bottom right corner of the graphic, MoPH is saying 87 of today's 97 newly reported COVID deaths (90%) had NOT received their third shot vaccine booster dose.

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Danderman123]

9 hours ago, aussiexpat said:

So how do you explain Flu & Pneumonia being 3rd on the list with 100k deaths compared to covid 25k. Surely the same restrictions you are so happy with should have reduced the Flu deaths as well? 

It's unclear how many of those flu deaths were really Covid. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

As Thailand's COVID death toll nears 100 per day, the country is moving up on the comparatives chart of per capita COVID deaths compared to its Asian neighbors, according to today's update from the MoPH:

 

South Korea and Brunei are higher, based on COVID deaths in the past week per million population, though Hong Kong would likely higher also if the chart broke out HK as a separate country, which it doesn't. After that, Thailand is tied with Malaysia. And all the other regional countries below have lower official COVID per capita death rates for the past week.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106142991004034/535268974758098/?type=3

 

How accurate are the official death numbers from some of those countries like Myanmar, China and Cambodia... who knows...

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

1 minute ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

MoPH's latest past two weeks COVID trends chart (March 22-April 4), and everything is still headed upward, including year-high numbers of COVID deaths and serious hospitalizations.

 

From left to right below: daily new official COVID cases based on a past two-week running average, serious condition COVID hospitalizations, COVID hospitalizations requiring intubation, and daily new COVD deaths.

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106142991004034/535269041424758/?type=3

 

In the red text in the bottom right corner of the graphic, MoPH is saying 87 of today's newly reported COVID deaths (90%) had NOT received their third shot vaccine booster dose.

 

 

I actually find it, well kind of find it, fascinating to see the strange slow upward curve we are on versus how many of the other countries cases went skyward to a sharp point then downward again before they started upward as the new variant started hitting the majority of the unvaccinated and placing them in hospitals.  Sure there have been breakthrough cases, the GF and Myself being just two of many, for those vaccinated and boosted.  However, being vaccinated and boosted allowed me to recover at home instead of being hospitalized or becoming a statistic.

 

The gist of the issue is that we are still on a slow upward trend as far as the serious cases, those hospitalized and those intubated, while the daily cases look like we are looking at a cardiogram with the up and down waves.  Why are we seeing this here in Thailand versus the other countries, well one reason is a lack of true and transparent testing as many of us have been saying since day one, and then a lack of adding in the ATK tests, and many not reporting the positive results out of fear of what may happen to them based upon the stories.  We no longer hear of bubble and seal locations, or entire markets being shut for a few days while they are cleaned and vendors quarantined.  This Omicron moves quickly and stealthily throughout the communities and unfortunately many folks need to continue working and thus it continues moving onwards.

 

I just read another OP where we now have the XJ variant circulating and it was found in a delivery person.  As I state in another post the Virus will be here for sometime and it will keep on mutating.  Opening up without some kind of restrictions in place and people behaving responsibly will just keep this thing mutating and recycling as many a virus does.  Do we need to keep the country shuttered no we do not but ensuring the population gets the needed boosters and even primary vaccinations is definitely what is needed.  The I'm alright Jack crowd that does not want a vaccine and thinks they can whether the storm using medication that has now been proven to not work is up to them.  However, if the unvaccinated want to partake in daily activities then they need to be responsible and stop telling the world I can do what I want and how I want because unfortunately they affect others.  Selfish attitudes are a dime a dozen, and for me those are the types of people I avoid like the plaque.  All I can hope is that everyone does there best to ensure they are safe as well as the people they are around.