Dr. Thira Analyzes the COVID-19 Situation in Thailand

[webfact]

 

Dr. Thira Woratanarat, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, shared his insights on the current COVID-19 situation in Thailand via Facebook, reported Siam Rath.

 

Latest weekly statistics 17-23 September 2023

 

The number of patients hospitalized was 234, an increase of 10.4% over the previous week.

 

2 people died

 

Pneumonia 106 cases

 

There were 72 intubations, an increase of approximately 6% from the previous week.

 

...Currently, it is estimated that the number of new people infected each day is at least 1,672-2,322...

 

This is after the downtrend of the previous wave from mid-June onwards. It still cannot be lower than last April. This indicates that the basic rate and number of infections are considered higher than in previous waves.

 

Meanwhile, the number of pneumonia cases continues to exceed 100. The last time there were less than a hundred cases was on April 22, 2023.

 

The influence of the highly transmissible EG.5.1 variant, which is spreading globally, is expected to have a more pronounced impact on Thailand starting from October onwards.

 

Meanwhile, the BA.2.86 variant continues to be reported worldwide, displaying increased resistance to immunity and a stronger ability to bind to cell receptors. There is a growing concern that it may extend the pandemic further from EG.5.1. According to the most recent information, BA.2.86 has been identified in a minimum of 22 nations across the globe.

 

During these demanding circumstances, it is imperative to remain vigilant, eschew any sense of self-satisfaction, and unfailingly prioritize personal safety.

 

Adhering to correct mask-wearing practices can markedly diminish the likelihood of transmission, underscoring the importance of everyone wearing masks appropriately.

 

-- ASEAN NOW 2023-09-26

 

- Cigna 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.

 

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

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[BE88]

Thanks but I have another idea

[spidermike007]

No more masking for me. Ever again. My immune system is strong, I had Omi and it was like a minor flu, and this is endemic by now. Zero worries. 

[connda]

"Get your masks of compliance on plebs.  Fear fear fear fear fear."

In the meanwhile, I'd like to see Covid compared with the current influenza going around.  Or - are we calling the flu Covid or Covid the flu.  In reality, and SARS-based infection is now essentially 'the flu" as far as symptoms go.

[hotchilli]

30 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

No more masking for me. Ever again. My immune system is strong, I had Omi and it was like a minor flu, and this is endemic by now. Zero worries. 

My mask went back on last week, every Thai around me seems to have Influenza, coughing and hawking up everywhere.

[connda]

22 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

No more masking for me. Ever again. My immune system is strong, I had Omi and it was like a minor flu, and this is endemic by now. Zero worries. 

Yeah.  Wife got Covid and me shortly after.  High viral load in the house - where can a guy go?  Sort like chicken pox as a kid when your sister comes down with it - you're gonna get it.

Wife wanted to go to the hospital where she was loaded up with med and sent home. 

I came down with it two days later.  Positive antigen test.  I stayed home - didn't see any reason to go to the hospital as I wasn't any more sick then with a typical 'flu.'  It was over in 60 hours - two and a half days.  In the past, I've had much worse bouts of influenza.  

So much fear and loathing over a nothing-burger.  As you age and your immune system decreases, yeah, you may die of IAB or IAC influenza or SARS_Cov_nnn "flus" if secondary infections, like bacterial pneumonia, set in.  For the vast number of humans on this planet with healthy immune systems, it ain't a big deal after so much fear-mongering.

[vivananahuahin]

And what about the silent killer doctor, the diabete, no prevention, the sugar kill more that this virus, never speaks about this, please more pedagogy of is it not necessary?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Adhering to correct mask-wearing practices can markedly diminish the likelihood of transmission, underscoring the importance of everyone wearing masks appropriately.

 

I certainly agree with the doctor's advice above. These days, in Thailand and elsewhere, governments have pretty much left it up to their citizens to protect themselves or to ignore the risks at their peril. That's the way it is...

 

That said, Thailand's officially reported numbers as cited in the OP have been bouncing around at fairly low levels for new COVID hospitalizations, serious condition COVID hospitalizations, COVID intubations and COVID deaths.

 

The latest numbers released yesterday for the prior week by the Thai MoPH are a lot lower than they have been for most of this year except for a brief lull period back in Feb-March, ...and there's been no sustained upward trend lately in any of those officially reported categories.

 

People taking appropriate precautions such as getting vaccinated and wearing a good quality mask when close around others in indoor settings will help keep the numbers down for Thailand.

 

Keys to the chart below:

--red is new COVID hospitalizations for the past week (and cumulative for 2023).

--gray is new COVID deaths for the past week (and cumulative for 2023).

--dark purple is current serious condition COVID hospitalizations.

--light purple is current COVID hospitalizations requiring intubation.

 

Cumulative for 2023 thus far -- 33,365 COVID hospitalizations and 804 COVID deaths.

 

Cumulative for Thailand since the beginning of the pandemic - 4.75 million COVID hospitalizations and 34,473 COVID deaths.

 

 

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

 

The since the beginning of the pandemic cumulative version of the above chart:

 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[david555]

Well i got my latest adapted Pfizer jab in  my home country 2 weeks ago ...... and i am still alive .....☺️

Edited September 26, 2023 by david555

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, connda said:

Yeah.  Wife got Covid and me shortly after.  High viral load in the house - where can a guy go?  Sort like chicken pox as a kid when your sister comes down with it - you're gonna get it.

Wife wanted to go to the hospital where she was loaded up with med and sent home. 

I came down with it two days later.  Positive antigen test.  I stayed home - didn't see any reason to go to the hospital as I wasn't any more sick then with a typical 'flu.'  It was over in 60 hours - two and a half days.  In the past, I've had much worse bouts of influenza.  

So much fear and loathing over a nothing-burger.  As you age and your immune system decreases, yeah, you may die of IAB or IAC influenza or SARS_Cov_nnn "flus" if secondary infections, like bacterial pneumonia, set in.  For the vast number of humans on this planet with healthy immune systems, it ain't a big deal after so much fear-mongering.

Couldn't agree more. With Delta, it was dangerous. Now? If you are already on the edge, maybe. For those of us who are strong, healthy and eat well, it is truly not a concern. The flu or getting a boil or ingrown toenail worries me more. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

With the current Omicron strains, those who are elderly and/or those with various pre-existing medical conditions (like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc.) are at the highest risk for bad COVID outcomes.

 

Others than above are not exempt from risk of bad COVID outcomes, but their odds as things stand now are much better.

 

Prior vaccinations and prior COVID infections are believed to be among the factors that are blunting the current severity of the disease.

 

COVID-19 less severe due to Omicron variants, vaccinations and previous infections

 

07-03-2023

"The consequences of infections involving the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 are decreasing. This is because nearly everyone in the Netherlands has built up immunity to COVID-19 as a result of vaccination and/or previous infection, and because the current Omicron variants are less likely to cause serious illness."

...

"Compared to the Alpha and Delta variants, the Omicron variants are less likely to cause serious illness."

 

https://www.rivm.nl/en/news/covid-19-less-severe-due-to-omicron-variants-vaccinations-and-previous-infections-0

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Perspective from the U.S.:

It seems like everyone has COVID. Why this wave may be worse than official data suggests

Experts agree that there are probably more infections than the current surveillance systems can capture.

 

September 5, 2023

...

"But despite the clear signs of a summer surge, the US has been living in a "fantasy world" where people pretend COVID-19 is "not relevant," Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House Coronavirus Response Task Force coordinator during the Trump administration, told ABC's "Start Here" podcast.

 

"We wanted to make it like flu because that was easier, but it's never going to be like flu," Birx said, explaining that COVID-19 comes in more frequent waves, makes people sicker, kills more people and can have longer-term complications such as long COVID."

 

https://abc7chicago.com/covid-cases-2023-cdc-immunity-testing/13738857/

Edited September 26, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Caldera]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr. Thira Woratanarat, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, shared his insights on the current COVID-19 situation in Thailand via Facebook, reported Siam Rath.

Seriously, an update on Covid-19 in September 2023?

 

The pandemic is over, it's endemic now. There really isn't anything more to say.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, Caldera said:

Seriously, an update on Covid-19 in September 2023?

 

The pandemic is over, it's endemic now. There really isn't anything more to say.

Except for, among other things, the more than 33,000 Thais who have been hospitalized because of COVID thus far this year, and the 800+ who have died because of it, all during 2023.

 

 

[Caldera]

Just now, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Except for, among other things, the more than 33,000 Thais who have been hospitalized because of COVID thus far this year, and the 800+ who have died because of it, all during 2023.

 

 

I didn't say it's gone, I said it's endemic. Of course people still get hospitalized and die from it, same as from many other diseases.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, Caldera said:

I didn't say it's gone, I said it's endemic. Of course people still get hospitalized and die from it, same as from many other diseases.

Then you just added what more there is to say.....

[transam]

6 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

No more masking for me. Ever again. My immune system is strong, I had Omi and it was like a minor flu, and this is endemic by now. Zero worries. 

"Your immune system is strong", so you're special, safe from all the zillion nasty's out there...............????

But, your immune system can't be that strong, because I haven't had any variety of Covid........????

[Sametboy2019]

17 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Except for, among other things, the more than 33,000 Thais who have been hospitalized because of COVID thus far this year, and the 800+ who have died because of it, all during 2023.

 

 

He said on Monday that the number of patients with respiratory diseases, specifically influenza, has risen significantly after the ministry scrapped mandatory mask-wearing in October last year. From Jan.

From Jan 1-Sept 16, there were 185,216 cases, or 279.9 cases per 100,000 population, and four deaths.

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2652778/flu-spike-prompts-warning. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.

 

Another stat. Is this Covid any worse than other respiratory diseases right now? Seems not!

Please credit and share this article with others using this link:https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2652778/flu-spike-prompts-warning. View our policies at http://goo.gl/9HgTd and http://goo.gl/ou6Ip. © Bangkok Post PCL. All rights reserved.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

27 minutes ago, Sametboy2019 said:

From Jan 1-Sept 16, there were 185,216 cases, or 279.9 cases per 100,000 population, and four deaths.

Your cite above seems to involve influenza cases and deaths (four) in Thailand during 2023 up to mid-September.

 

During that same period, the Thai MoPH reported 802 COVID deaths thru Sept. 16, and stopped counting actual COVID cases (infections) as of last fall, now counting only new COVID hospitalizations.

 

Quote

Is this Covid any worse than other respiratory diseases right now? Seems not!

Considering your cited four influenza deaths vs. 800+ COVID deaths during the same period of 2023, seems SO!
 

 

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

 

Quote

He said on Monday that the number of patients with respiratory diseases, specifically influenza, has risen significantly after the ministry scrapped mandatory mask-wearing in October last year.

It also sounds like a pretty compelling argument for the public to continue wearing face masks both as a protection against COVID and other respiratory illnesses. He's certainly convinced me!

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[swm59nj]

Just because you only got mild symptoms from having Covid.  Doesn’t mean other people can’t get seriously ill from it.  And if you get it again.  It doesn’t mean you won’t have serious complications. Precautions still have to be taken.  Especially since Thailand doesn’t have a current vaccine 

[dinsdale]

Masks?

[Roger That]

The world has moved on, Thailand.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Masks?

No one ever said you had to be smart or sensible to be a Thai politician.

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[dinsdale]

57 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

No one ever said you had to be smart or sensible to be a Thai politician.

 

No one ever said you had to be smart or sensible to be still wearing a mask. Most of the world isn't wearing masks.

Edited September 26, 2023 by dinsdale

[Roger That]

Even though the number of wearers has definitely dropped quite a lot in the past several months, I still suspect that Bangkok is the most masked-up city in the world.

Even Tokyo seems to have largely ditched them, based on YouTube street footage from the past couple of months.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

No one ever said you had to be smart or sensible to be still wearing a mask. Most of the world isn't wearing masks.

But the smart and sensible folks are.... ????

 

"Precautions like masking and staying up-to-date on vaccinations are especially important as this rise in COVID-19 carries into the broader respiratory virus season, experts say.

 

"With every respiratory disease season -- whether it's COVID, whether it's influenza, whether it's RSV -- those increases can impact different individuals in different ways, and there are always severe outcomes associated with respiratory disease season," Hamilton said.

 

"Now is the time for us to be practicing good respiratory etiquette. Now is the time for us to remind ourselves to think about our own individual health status and those individuals that we may be around."

 

https://abc7chicago.com/covid-cases-2023-cdc-immunity-testing/13738857/

 

[dinsdale]

2 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

But the smart and sensible folks are.... ????

 

"Precautions like masking and staying up-to-date on vaccinations are especially important as this rise in COVID-19 carries into the broader respiratory virus season, experts say.

 

"With every respiratory disease season -- whether it's COVID, whether it's influenza, whether it's RSV -- those increases can impact different individuals in different ways, and there are always severe outcomes associated with respiratory disease season," Hamilton said.

 

"Now is the time for us to be practicing good respiratory etiquette. Now is the time for us to remind ourselves to think about our own individual health status and those individuals that we may be around."

 

https://abc7chicago.com/covid-cases-2023-cdc-immunity-testing/13738857/

 

Experts said vaccines will stop transmission. Experts said vaccines are safe. Wrong on both occassions.

[dinsdale]

8 minutes ago, Roger That said:

Even though the number of wearers has definitely dropped quite a lot in the past several months, I still suspect that Bangkok is the most masked-up city in the world.

Even Tokyo seems to have largely ditched them, based on YouTube street footage from the past couple of months.

Went to Laos a couple of months ago. Not a mask in sight.

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

15 minutes ago, dinsdale said:

Experts said vaccines will stop transmission. Experts said vaccines are safe. Wrong on both occassions.

Experts said the vaccines would largely stop transmission of the original virus strain among those vaccinated, and it did at very high levels in the early going. But obviously, many people chose to not get vaccinated or took time to be able to get vaccinated, and the virus evolved to be more vaccine resistant over time.

 

Experts said the vaccines are safe, and they have been for the vast majority of the nearly 6 billion people in the world who have received them, totaling more than 13 billion doses -- with serious side effects very rare among those vaccinated, and the benefits far outweighing the risks.

 

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/covid-19-vaccines/advice

 

Benefits of Vaccination Outweigh the Risks

"Serious side effects that could cause a long-term health problem are extremely rare following any vaccination, including COVID-19 vaccination. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the known and potential risks."

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/safety-of-vaccines.html

 

 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[dinsdale]

1 hour ago, swm59nj said:

Just because you only got mild symptoms from having Covid.  Doesn’t mean other people can’t get seriously ill from it.  And if you get it again.  It doesn’t mean you won’t have serious complications. Precautions still have to be taken.  Especially since Thailand doesn’t have a current vaccine 

Current vaccine for what? Which variant? This virus is amazing and changes all the time. As it is now  (Omicron) for the majority of people it's quite mild. Do you need a jab? If you are in the risk catagory consult a doctor.