(Photo by Viktor Forgacs)

 

COVID-19 infections in 44 of Thailand’s provinces, including Bangkok, have been increasing, with an average rate of 31,148 cases a day between August 7th and 13th, according to Spokesman for the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin.

 

The death toll, during the same period, was 236, most of whom were people over 60, those with underlying diseases and pregnant women. There were also 853 serious cases, including 436 on ventilators.

 

Dr. Taweesin said that he would like the public to continue to wear face masks while they are outdoors and among people, noting that not getting infected is the best means of protection.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/covid-infections-on-the-rise-in-44-provinces-over-30000-new-cases-a-day/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2022-08-19

 

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Right on time for the possible removal of the State of Emergency. 

Took MRT and BTS today. All Thais masked up. One farang just came from airport, trying to cover face with his jacket - gave him a mask and he seemed happy to wear it.

 

There were however a bunch of westerners walking into train with no masks on. You could see disgust from Thais who started to move away from them, and looking away, trying to "breathe the other way". They must have been noticed as BTS played message that although mask mandate ended, BTS recommends wearing mask within 30 seconds of maskless foreigners coming in the train. Those of course completely ignored everything, some even coughing or showing difficulties breathing, which showed others moving away from them.

 

When in Rome, do as Romans do, right? Except for the ultra überrasse farang visiting Thailand...

I don't know anyone that bothers to pay attention to this anymore.....

 

 

28 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

There were however a bunch of westerners walking into train with no masks on (...)

Probably tourists who read online 'Thailand: No Covid-19 restrictions'.

45 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

BTS recommends wearing mask

The  key word is "recommends"....so its  up to them.

47 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

When in Rome, do as Romans do, right?

So you want me to  not wear a helmet, throw  my  rubbish out  of  the car onto the road, speed, drive  drunk, drive the wrong way on roads  using the hard  shoulder (motorcy).........I mean you cant have it both ways

44 minutes ago, PJ71 said:

I don't know anyone that bothers to pay attention to this anymore.....

 

 

Possibly because you don't know anyone.

2 minutes ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

So you want me to  not wear a helmet, throw  my  rubbish out  of  the car onto the road, speed, drive  drunk, drive the wrong way on roads  using the hard  shoulder (motorcy).........I mean you cant have it both ways

If that makes you happy, go ahead...

2 hours ago, anchadian said:

Possibly because you don't know anyone.

I must know someone, surely.....

3 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

Took MRT and BTS today. All Thais masked up. One farang just came from airport, trying to cover face with his jacket - gave him a mask and he seemed happy to wear it.

 

There were however a bunch of westerners walking into train with no masks on. You could see disgust from Thais who started to move away from them, and looking away, trying to "breathe the other way". They must have been noticed as BTS played message that although mask mandate ended, BTS recommends wearing mask within 30 seconds of maskless foreigners coming in the train. Those of course completely ignored everything, some even coughing or showing difficulties breathing, which showed others moving away from them.

 

When in Rome, do as Romans do, right? Except for the ultra überrasse farang visiting Thailand...

Seemed happy to wear it ???? yeah right !!!!!!!!!

A misleading post and a reply has been removed

4 hours ago, tomazbodner said:

gave him a mask

Good on you.

 

 

1 hour ago, Sharp said:

Seemed happy to wear it ???? yeah right !!!!!!!!!

Better than wearing your jacket over your face. 

3 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

The  key word is "recommends"....so its  up to them.

You'll definitely get a bad time traveling the BTS or other public transportation without a mask.

 

Only an idiot would do that. 

4 hours ago, Snig27 said:

Right on time for the possible removal of the State of Emergency. 

you mean further extension

3 hours ago, StayinThailand2much said:

Probably tourists who read online 'Thailand: No Covid-19 restrictions'.

Probably just ignorant tourists who somehow think there standing up for "freedom".

 

Usual suspects.

 

 

I have a mask with me but will only wear it if asked to.

 

I've not been asked many times recently tbh.

3 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

using the hard  shoulder (motorcy).

I've seen not only motorcy but cars, school buses and trucks also police vehicles without emergency lights on.

Slight divergent I've seen a police officer on a motorcycle, wearing a beret only, writing a ticket to another motorcyclist for not wearing a crash helmet,

there's laws for some and not for others.

 

A new study out on the value of wearing N95 and KN95 type respirator masks in preventing COVID, compared to regular so-called surgical masks:

 

Healthcare workers wearing respirators 40% less likely to contract COVID

A study of more than 2,900 healthcare workers (HCWs) shows that those who wore a respirator were more than 40% less likely to be infected with COVID-19 than those wearing a surgical mask.

 

In the study, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, researchers evaluated SARS-CoV-2 infection rates and cumulative COVID-19 patient exposures among 2,919 HCWs at seven healthcare networks in Switzerland from September 2020 to September 2021, before the Omicron variant became widespread.

...

Of the 2,919 HCWs, 749 (26%) tested positive for COVID-19. Among participants with patient exposure, test positivity was 21% for those wearing a respirator, compared with 35% in those using surgical masks or a mix of masks (odds ratio [OR], 0.49).

 

(more)

 

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/08/news-scan-aug-16-2022

 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2795150

 

 

8 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

COVID-19 infections in 44 of Thailand’s provinces, including Bangkok, have been increasing, with an average rate of 31,148 cases a day between August 7th and 13th,

 And from the full OP article:

 

"CCSA advisor, Dr. Udom Kachinthorn said today (Friday), before the CCSA meeting, that the actual infection rate should, however, be between 60,000 and 70,000 cases a day, as many are not reported to the authorities."

 

Here's the government's daily COVID recap for Friday:

 

 

They don't report each day the actual total number of test positive daily COVID cases any more.... just those newly admitted to hospital with COVID, which is the 2,110 daily figure above (in dark orange).

 

27 new COVID deaths for the day. More than 10,000 hospitalized with COVID at present. 853 of those in serious condition due to COVID, and 436 of those requiring intubation to breath (the light blue sections above).

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/626390735645921/?type=3

 

 

 

 

MOPH also released an interesting graphic today showing a breakdown of nearly 9,400 COVID deaths in Thailand since the start of the year, by vaccination status.

 

The unvaccinated accounted for the largest share of the COVID deaths on average at 56.1% for the entire period, followed by the vaccinated but not boosted at 35.5%, and then the vaccinated and boosted at 8.4% averaged over the seven-month period.

 

But the chart also shows a slight increase in the share of deaths among the vaccinated but not boosted comparing January vs. July, the latter month being when the more infectious and vaccine resistant BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants become predominant.

 

The chart also showed a more significant increase over time in the share of deaths among the vaccinated and boosted, which went from just 1.1% of deaths in January to 20.2% of deaths by July, presumably also because of the newer more resistant variants and waning efficacy of vaccines as months pass post injection.

 

I can't quite tell from the TH language title of the graphic whether it's counting all Thai COVID deaths since the start of the year, or only those in the government's so-called "608" group (which would be most deaths anways) -- "608" being those age 60 and older along with any age people with any of 8 specified chronic health conditions.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/626391565645838/?type=3

 

Damn, if only everyone got 2 injections to be "fully vaccinated" and then 2 more boosters to be super vaccinated.  Good thing 4 injections and double masks have prevented covid.

I only know of a few people that haven't had COVID.

 

Two years ago I didn't know anyone who had had it.

 

Our pre school just down for a week because of "foot and mouth" disease. Common for kids under 5 in Issan. 

24 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

MOPH also released an interesting graphic today showing a breakdown of nearly 9,400 COVID deaths in Thailand since the start of the year, by vaccination status.

 

The unvaccinated accounted for the largest share of the COVID deaths on average at 56.1% for the entire period, followed by the vaccinated but not boosted at 35.5%, and then the vaccinated and boosted at 8.4% averaged over the seven-month period.

 

But the chart also shows a slight increase in the share of deaths among the vaccinated but not boosted comparing January vs. July, the latter month being when the more infectious and vaccine resistant BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants become predominant.

 

The chart also showed a more significant increase over time in the share of deaths among the vaccinated and boosted, which went from just 1.1% of deaths in January to 20.2% of deaths by July, presumably also because of the newer more resistant variants and waning efficacy of vaccines as months pass post injection.

 

I can't quite tell from the TH language title of the graphic whether it's counting all Thai COVID deaths since the start of the year, or only those in the government's so-called "608" group (which would be most deaths anways) -- "608" being those age 60 and older along with any age people with any of 8 specified chronic health conditions.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/626391565645838/?type=3

 

Yes, from what I can see (I speak and read Thai at intermediate level) the Thai text says it's the "608 old-age group from January to July". An essential factor is the underlying health conditions (if any) of the said "old people", but if (as I suspect) this is missing then this graphic is just correlating "unvaccinated" and death, which would be biased and irrelevant.

MOPH also released a graphic recapping the number of official deaths and serious reactions officially attributed to COVID vaccination in Thailand... with that being 6 deaths and 158 serious reactions, tiny fractions out of more than 142 million vaccine doses administered.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/photos/a.106455480972785/626391615645833/?type=3

 

According to the MOPH, three of the deaths occurred due to blood clotting in people who had received the AstraZeneca vaccine, 2 deaths from severe allergic reaction, one in a Sinovac recipient and 1 in an AZ recipient, and 1 death from heart inflammation in a Pfizer vaccine recipient.

 

Among the non-fatal serious reactions, 98 were listed as severe allergic reaction, 52 involving heart inflammation and 8 involving blood clotting.

 

By type of vaccine given, according to the MOPH, Pfizer had 49 serious reactions involving heart inflammation, Sinovac recipients had 46 cases of serious allergic reaction, and AstraZeneca had 31 cases of severe allergic reaction -- though no detail was given as to whether those were passing short-term reactions or longer-term ones.

 

Overall, most of the serious adverse reactions by type and vaccine type worked out to be at rates of less than 1 in a million doses given. The MOPH graphic doesn't list any death or serious reaction info for Moderna vaccine recipients, with no explanation given.

 

I'm finding it very hard to believe it's only 30k per day, I wonder where they get this number from.

 

I would have expected something between 100 and 500k per day at the peak (which we may not have reached yet) in a country this size.

44 minutes ago, ukrules said:

I'm finding it very hard to believe it's only 30k per day, I wonder where they get this number from.

 

I would have expected something between 100 and 500k per day at the peak (which we may not have reached yet) in a country this size.

FRankly, what does it matter how many are infected?

 

What matters is the serious cases and fatalities, this is written in the article and it seems to me little reason to live in fear. Mostly are elderly, non-vaccinated, with previous conditions.

Those who fall in these categories should be extra careful, the rest can carry on with their lives.

 

2 hours ago, arithai12 said:

FRankly, what does it matter how many are infected?

 

What matters is the serious cases and fatalities, this is written in the article and it seems to me little reason to live in fear. Mostly are elderly, non-vaccinated, with previous conditions.

Those who fall in these categories should be extra careful, the rest can carry on with their lives.

 

It matters because it's how we measure our progress through the curve of the current wave.

 

Are there only 30k cases right now because it's just getting started?

 

We don't know - that's why it matters.

 

In any case, there's no reason for fear at all.

Wearing masks should be mandatory, same as in the Philippines.