Festival turns fatal: Covid surges post-Songkran

[webfact]

PHOTO: Flickr

 

by Mitch Connor

A sharp increase in Covid inpatients and related fatalities was reported in the week following the Songkran Festival, with numbers soaring by 150% compared to the previous week, according to the Department of Disease Control.

 

Between April 16 and 22, the number of Covid inpatients surged to 1,088, a stark increase from the 435 patients in the preceding week of April 9 to 15. Additionally, Covid related deaths rose from two to five during the same period.

In particular, reported cases of lung inflammation saw a dramatic increase of 143%, with 73 patients compared to 30 in the previous week. Furthermore, there was an 84% increase in the number of patients relying on ventilators, the figure rising from 19 to 35.

 

The significant spike in Covid figures is believed to be a direct result of the Songkran Festival, which is traditionally celebrated across Thailand. It involves various sporting competitions, concerts, and other forms of entertainment that bring together people from multiple regions. As these celebrations encourage singing and shouting over extended periods, the risk of Covid transmission is unfortunately heightened.

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/increase-in-covid-cases-and-deaths-following-songkran

 

-- © Copyright Thaiger 2023-04-25

 

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[dinsdale]

Here's a less alarmist way of looking at. Recovery rate as of 24 April is 99.28%. As for lung inflamation I'm not sure about this as Omicron is an upper respiratory infection. Maybe lung inflamation is from secondary infections? Don't know. Deaths? Well again possibly these are people who had severe comorbidities or elderly or both as was the 1st recorded death with, not from, XBB.1.16. 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Edited April 25, 2023 by dinsdale

[Emster23]

recovery rate would be much higher if Thailand had air that didn't already kill far more than Covid could ever hope to

[KhunBENQ]

Deaths from two to five. 150% increase sounds much better.

That's worth an alarming headline.

57 minutes ago, webfact said:

Department of Disease Control

They must suffer from withdrawal symptoms and fighting to look important and frighten people.

I will go out for shopping later and a bank visit and already terrified to see the army of the masked.

Edited April 25, 2023 by KhunBENQ

[onthedarkside]

Off topic troll post removed

[stoner]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Deaths from two to five. 150% increase sounds much better.

That's worth an alarming headline.

no it really isnt. 

[dinsdale]

35 minutes ago, stoner said:

no it really isnt. 

I think that's the point @KhunBENQis making. 

 

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

Deaths from two to five. 150% increase sounds much better.

That's worth an alarming headline.

A 150% increase of a small number is still a small number but sounds more dramatic. Just more alarmist nonsense.

[transam]

1 minute ago, dinsdale said:

I think that's the point @KhunBENQis making. 

 

A 150% increase of a small number is still a small number but sounds more dramatic. Just more alarmist nonsense.

You're here again pooh, poohing deaths via Covid, your agenda, how tiresome...........

[dinsdale]

1 minute ago, transam said:

You're here again pooh, poohing deaths via Covid, your agenda, how tiresome...........

And you're point of view is Covid is dangerous and takes lives. Ok. 99.28% recovery rate of those with covid in hostpital. Of course this is only those who are in hospital. For the rest of the population who get covid (many probably don't know they even have Covid) they don't go to hospital so I'm guessing the recovery rate for those would be 100%. From 2 deaths to 5 deaths over a 5 day period in a population of 70,000,000 plus we don't know the details. Old and sick? People with severe comorbidities? Young and healthy? Died with or from? Which do you think? No agenda the figures speak for themselves so there is no need for this alarmist nonsense.

[Pink Mist]

Off topic posts and a post with unsubstantiated claims have been removed.

[Kevin Taylor]

5 covid deaths is really nothing compared to the number of road fatalities during the same period. Keep banging on about covid though if that's what makes you happy.

[transam]

13 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

And you're point of view is Covid is dangerous and takes lives. Ok. 99.28% recovery rate of those with covid in hostpital. Of course this is only those who are in hospital. For the rest of the population who get covid (many probably don't know they even have Covid) they don't go to hospital so I'm guessing the recovery rate for those would be 100%. From 2 deaths to 5 deaths over a 5 day period in a population of 70,000,000 plus we don't know the details. Old and sick? People with severe comorbidities? Young and healthy? Died with or from? Which do you think? No agenda the figures speak for themselves so there is no need for this alarmist nonsense.

I feel sorry for you.............

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Deaths from two to five. 150% increase sounds much better.

You seem to have missed, or at least didn't feel worth also mentioning, that Thailand had 1,088 new COVID hospitalizations in the one week being reported here....

 

It just so happens that's the highest weekly total of new COVID hospitalizations for Thailand since the start of 2023, and up about 550% from the 168 new COVID hospitalizations reported for the first week of April.

 

And, they now have 73 of their newly hospitalized COVID patients with serious pneumonia, up from 30 the prior week.

 

--and they have 35 COVID patients newly hospitalized who have been intubated because they're otherwise unable to breathe, up from 19 the prior week.

 

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

 

But go ahead, keep trying to minimize it anyway....

Edited April 25, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ikke1959]

you can make small things big... just to keep the people under control.. but what is the influence of the polluted air on the people who get infected with Covid? Make that that they have to go to the hospital and with clean air they would not need a ventilator??Maybe a study to do instead of just assuming

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Air pollution has been shown to be a risk factor, one among many, for people having worse COVID symptoms... But that's clearly not what drove a sudden explosion of COVID cases and resulting hospitalizations in the past two weeks.

 

Bad air pollution in Thailand had been driving people to see doctors and increasing related hospitalizations long before the past couple of weeks in April, as previously reported in the Thai news.

 

The Thai MoPH has already attributed the surge in new COVID cases and hospitalizations to the mass socializing of Song Kran, students from the reopening of schools, and, I believe, the recent increased levels of tourism.

 

And another interesting reason cited by the MoPH:

 

"The number of people contacting the virus during the Songkran celebrations rose because the government no longer requires people to wear masks and pass through a screening process before entering crowded venues, he said."

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40026704

 

 

Edited April 25, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[transam]

1 minute ago, Snig27 said:

You probably missed it whilst cowering behind the door, but most Thais wear masks - everywhere - crowded and not. And one very much doubts many, if any, of those reporting this supposed leap in COVID due to Songkran (and Songkran only - forget the poisonous air Thais young and old have been breathing for months) are tourists reporting a sore throat or a headache. So this leap is very likely mostly masked Thais. Not people abandoning all care and breathing in the vast swarms of COVID bugs you are convinced are everywhere, but masked Thais. 

Frankly, given the state of the lungs of much of Thailand now after the constant pollution, blaming anything respiratory on COVID is disingenuous and unsound. 

Do most Thais wash their hands regularly.......?

 

When doing the talc face wipe, do they wash their hands before the next victim.....?  ????

 

[dinsdale]

20 minutes ago, transam said:

Do most Thais wash their hands regularly.......?

 

When doing the talc face wipe, do they wash their hands before the next victim.....?  ????

 

How many masks do you think? Oh no! Not washing their hands every 5 minutes. Surely if Omicron is so dangerous there would be 10's of thousands in hospital after Songkran. Is this the case? No it isn't.

[transam]

1 minute ago, dinsdale said:

How many masks do you think? Oh no! Not washing their hands every 5 minutes. Surely if Omicron is so dangerous there would be 10's of thousands in hospital after Songkran. Is this the case? No it isn't.

I thought you had ridden off into the sunset...................

Point out which one is you..............

[dinsdale]

6 minutes ago, transam said:

I thought you had ridden off into the sunset...................

Point out which one is you..............

Keep your mask on mate. Keep washing your hands and I'm sure you'll be ok. Keep those jabs up to date too. Very important. Oh, and avoid crowded places.

[zzaa09]

If they were only like us.

Savages....

[transam]

1 minute ago, dinsdale said:

Keep your mask on mate. Keep washing your hands and I'm sure you'll be ok. Keep those jabs up to date too. Very important. Oh, and avoid crowded places.

You don't have to advise me or anyone on anything Covid related..........

Because you haven't got a clue.......................................????

[Pink Mist]

A personal attack post with numerous unsourced and unsubstantiated claims has been removed.

 

[dinsdale]

7 minutes ago, transam said:

You don't have to advise me or anyone on anything Covid related..........

Because you haven't got a clue.......................................????

Quite right you are. Over a five day period 3 people died either with or from covid either with or without serious comorbidities. This is obviously quite serious. Almost 100% of people who show positive to Covid in hospital recover. This is obviously quite serious. The WHO calls the new XBB.1.16 a sub-variant under monitoring not a sub-variant of concern. This is obviously quite serious. If you think that covid which is now Omicron not Delta and has been around for going on 18 months is serious then fine. No manner of charts, expert opinions or scientific data will change your mind.

[connda]

12 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Here's a less alarmist way of looking at. Recovery rate as of 24 April is 99.28%. As for lung inflamation I'm not sure about this as Omicron is an upper respiratory infection. Maybe lung inflamation is from secondary infections? Don't know. Deaths? Well again possibly these are people who had severe comorbidities or elderly or both as was the 1st recorded death with, not from, XBB.1.16. 

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Ever consider why Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, and Dawn of the Dead, and every Zombie movie that ever has been made are such a successful genre? 
The average person simple loves to be frightened. 
Hence the resurgence of "killer pathogen" and end-of-the-world movies and TV shows.  People just can't enough of the fear.  Heck, in those cases they pay to be frightened. 

"But you could die of Covid."

You can die falling down in the shower or tripping over your shoelace.  Trust me.  The Thai roads scare me more than Covid has or ever will.  I understand where and how I'm more likely to have "my ticket punched" here in Thailand.  And yet.........

"Covid is gonna get you for sure buddy!  Then you'll be sorry."

  Ok.  I understand.  I'm not displaying the accepted level of Fear Of Covid.  It's Thai roads that do it for me. 

Edited April 25, 2023 by connda

[connda]

2 hours ago, dinsdale said:

Quite right you are. Over a five day period 3 people died either with or from covid either with or without serious comorbidities. This is obviously quite serious. Almost 100% of people who show positive to Covid in hospital recover. This is obviously quite serious. The WHO calls the new XBB.1.16 a sub-variant under monitoring not a sub-variant of concern. This is obviously quite serious. If you think that covid which is now Omicron not Delta and has been around for going on 18 months is serious then fine. No manner of charts, expert opinions or scientific data will change your mind.

I wonder how many people died on the Thai road over any given five day period.  It doesn't even have to be a holiday.  Just any consecutive five days year after year after year.......

So compare that to Covid stats.  Yep - Thai roads still scare the living hell out of me.  Covid?  Nope.

[brewsterbudgen]

Good grief, don't tell me that we're going to be forced to wear masks again and schools will be closed?  Surely, they've learned from last time? ????

[gamb00ler]

10 hours ago, dinsdale said:

I think that's the point @KhunBENQis making. 

 

A 150% increase of a small number is still a small number but sounds more dramatic. Just more alarmist nonsense.

I think I've just identified a major source of nonsense.

[bignok]

Roads

AQI

Crime

Fair elections

 

More real issues than the now weak bat thing.

[bignok]

11 hours ago, dinsdale said:

I think that's the point @KhunBENQis making. 

 

A 150% increase of a small number is still a small number but sounds more dramatic. Just more alarmist nonsense.

How the media operates, alarmism. 

[DavisH]

10 hours ago, dinsdale said:

And you're point of view is Covid is dangerous and takes lives. Ok. 99.28% recovery rate of those with covid in hostpital. Of course this is only those who are in hospital. For the rest of the population who get covid (many probably don't know they even have Covid) they don't go to hospital so I'm guessing the recovery rate for those would be 100%. From 2 deaths to 5 deaths over a 5 day period in a population of 70,000,000 plus we don't know the details. Old and sick? People with severe comorbidities? Young and healthy? Died with or from? Which do you think? No agenda the figures speak for themselves so there is no need for this alarmist nonsense.

Im aware of one recent death. A 23 y.o. woman attended a meeting in Bangkok. Apparently already infected...she stayed in her room and didn't seek treatment. She was healthy with no co-morbidities. It seems she may have had severe diarrhea (the family did not request an autopsy), which has been reported as a symptom of covid elsewhere (saw reports from China about that). So I guess this is a "covid-related" death as reported in the OP article.