COVID 19 Related to THAILAND Posts

[Mr. Smooth]

I don't understand why the positivity rate for Covid is going higher in Thailand. I mean, doesn't the Thai gov't impose a mask mandate for when you are outside, at work, riding public transport, etc, as well as the social distancing? Are you telling me that all these people getting Covid have been running around without a mask all this time? Weren't masks supposed to stop the spread? I mean that's what I have been told for 18 months from the Surgeon General on down to any two bit flunky on tv. 

Every You Tube video I see of Pattaya in these last months with people outside, walking Beach Road, Soi Buokow, etc....all of them are wearing masks. So WHO exactly are the people getting sick? Are they the old age folks, the infirmed, the people who are already dealing with comorbidities that act as an expressway for Covid to do it's thing whether they were wearing a mask or not?

I see the links that some post. But what I don't see is the context of those numbers. If I had a Big Mac at Mc Donalds once last week, and this week I had a Big Mac twice, then in one week, my consumption of Big Macs at McDonalds surged, to use a favorite word of the media, by a 100% increase.

See what I'm saying? Beyond just the numbers, we need to know the who, the where, the why, the how. You know, the proper context. The numbers alone never tell the true story, but that takes too much work to investigate.

I had been trying to keep a cautiously optimistic tone for a return to Pattaya during or maybe just after the holidays. Now, I'm thinking a year later in 2022. Between the Thai govt's handling of this and the hysterics in media reporting, much like in other countries, not too mention having to follow more confusing instructions to enter Thailand than Richard Branson needed to blast his rocket ship into orbit, I think the second half of next year will be a much more realistic goal to return.

 

 

 

[KWA]

6 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

I see now on Pattaya News Thailand is offering the same deal for New Zealanders and Australians tomorrow, but at different time slots.

Canadians have also had the offer, although I never picked up on different time slots for each.

[lazarus]

15 minutes ago, Mr. Smooth said:

Are you telling me that all these people getting Covid have been running around without a mask all this time?

Blame it on 'maskless' card games.

Harsher Covid controls on the horizon
Most comply, but too many don't

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2150015/harsher-covid-controls-on-the-horizon

"The Department of Disease Control has found people who violated the curfew and gathered to play cards on the back of pickup trucks and did not wear face masks," she said.

[forcebwithu]

1 hour ago, lazarus said:

Blame it on 'maskless' card games.

Harsher Covid controls on the horizon
Most comply, but too many don't

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2150015/harsher-covid-controls-on-the-horizon

"The Department of Disease Control has found people who violated the curfew and gathered to play cards on the back of pickup trucks and did not wear face masks," she said.

Unfcking believable. Just posted on Pattaya News that some govt spokeshole is now saying which should wear masks at home, eat alone, and best of all, clean the fridge.

[Krapow]

BBC -

Thailand facing more restrictions as cases hit record highs

 

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Thailand is planning greater restrictions on movement amid record numbers of new cases and deaths, despite partial lockdowns in Bangkok and nine other provinces this week.

The government has reported 10,082 new coronavirus cases and 141 additional deaths, both daily records.

"From the current situation we predict that if we don't introduce more measures there will be more infections and deaths in large numbers for the next three to four months," said Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control.

Thailand has already imposed a nationwide ban on public gatherings which carries a maximum penalty of a two-year jail term or a fine of up to 40,000 baht (£885), or both, according to the official Royal Gazette.

The country has recorded 391,989 cases and 3,240 deaths since the pandemic started.

Meanwhile in Vietnam, the government will also impose restrictions on movement in 16 southern provinces for two weeks from Monday.

Vietnam reported 3,718 new infections on Saturday, the highest daily increase of the pandemic.

[forcebwithu]

For those that pre-paid for their Moderna shots, bad news for you.

What I don't understand is how the Thai Red Cross and other hospitals can commandeer pre-paid doses.

Moderna shots to be allotted

Not all people who have booked, and paid for, the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine from private hospitals will get all their shots since an allotment system will apply, according to the chairman of the Private Hospitals Association.

Chalerm Harnphanich told Thai media late this week about the need for the allotment, which looks very much like a share subscription.

He said the association had placed an order for 5 million doses through the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, which would sign a supply agreement with Zuellig Pharma Thailand, the local representative, on their behalf.

As Covid-19 vaccines are new and for emergency use only, manufacturers want governments to accept “no-fault compensation” and don’t deal directly with private entities.

But before the allotment, 1.1 million of the 5 million shots would go to the Thai Red Cross Society, as well as Siriraj and Ramathibodi hospitals, leaving the private hospitals with 3.9 million doses, Dr Chalerm said.

The Thai Red Cross Society said its 1 million shots would be sold to provincial administration organisations nationwide at 1,300 baht each on condition they administer them on people for free. Siriraj and Ramathibodhi hospitals said they needed the shots for medical workers.

Demand surveys showed 277 of 330 member hospitals of the association had booked 9.2 million doses in total, he said.

To distribute the remaining supply evenly, all 277 hospitals would first get 10,000 shots each. At this stage, Dr Chalerm said 194 hospitals would get 100% of their bookings since they needed less than 10,000 each.

The remaining 2.4 million doses will then be allotted proportionally to the hospitals according to their demand, which at this stage totalled 7.7 million doses. It is then up to each hospital to decide who would get them and how many, he said.

Asked whether the association would order more shots, Dr Chalerm said his group had already planned to order 5-10 million doses of the second generation of the vaccine, expected to be out in the second quarter of next year. 

[fygjam]

3 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

For those that pre-paid for their Moderna shots, bad news for you.

Buying off the plan is never a good idea in Thailand.

 

[Jambo]

22 hours ago, Mr. Smooth said:

I don't understand why the positivity rate for Covid is going higher in Thailand. I mean, doesn't the Thai gov't impose a mask mandate for when you are outside, at work, riding public transport, etc, as well as the social distancing? Are you telling me that all these people getting Covid have been running around without a mask all this time? Weren't masks supposed to stop the spread? I mean that's what I have been told for 18 months from the Surgeon General on down to any two bit flunky on tv. 

Every You Tube video I see of Pattaya in these last months with people outside, walking Beach Road, Soi Buokow, etc....all of them are wearing masks. So WHO exactly are the people getting sick? Are they the old age folks, the infirmed, the people who are already dealing with comorbidities that act as an expressway for Covid to do it's thing whether they were wearing a mask or not?

I see the links that some post. But what I don't see is the context of those numbers. If I had a Big Mac at Mc Donalds once last week, and this week I had a Big Mac twice, then in one week, my consumption of Big Macs at McDonalds surged, to use a favorite word of the media, by a 100% increase.

See what I'm saying? Beyond just the numbers, we need to know the who, the where, the why, the how. You know, the proper context. The numbers alone never tell the true story, but that takes too much work to investigate.

I had been trying to keep a cautiously optimistic tone for a return to Pattaya during or maybe just after the holidays. Now, I'm thinking a year later in 2022. Between the Thai govt's handling of this and the hysterics in media reporting, much like in other countries, not too mention having to follow more confusing instructions to enter Thailand than Richard Branson needed to blast his rocket ship into orbit, I think the second half of next year will be a much more realistic goal to return.

 

 

 

You are implying that mask wearing doesn't appear to make much difference to the spread of covid. You may well be right because people will believe what they want believe and the " experts" once told us masks will not make much difference as to whether you catch covid or not but might help in not passing it on to others. Express that view now and get shot down in flames.

Seeing everyone wearing masks walking down Beach Road is very misleading.

My own observations " Up Country" was that most Thai's would wear a mask in public but wandered into one another's homes and never give a thought to wearing a mask. We were always getting my wife's family members or friends arriving and walking in without a mask.

[Horizondave]

Porn has just had a call from her sister in Bangkok to be told her brother in law (her sister's husband) has got Covid.

On Wednesday her sister and husband were in a car with an office girl showing them the factory they were going to be contracted to work on.  Day later the office girl calls to say she has got Covid so today her sister and husband have had tests which has proven that the husband has covid but not Porn's sister.

They need the money but now can not work for 10 days, he has a crew who will now probably need to isolate as they all basically live together.  What annoys me more is that they had to pay for the tests which was not cheap. There must be loads going about their business who would benefit from having lateral flow tests on a regular basis but it costs so most can not afford it.

Covid cases in Thailand will soar.

[Krapow]

Didn't know that, fucking hell, you have to pay for your covid test in Thailand!

How naive am i!

Case will already be so, so much bigger than stated ...

[lazarus]

[Toy Boy]

14 hours ago, Krapow said:

Didn't know that, fucking hell, you have to pay for your covid test in Thailand!

How naive am i!

Case will already be so, so much bigger than stated ...

The government has decided that all these pesky expensive PCR tests are costing them way too much, so they're making cheap (lateral flow?) tests widely available for home use. The snag is that you have to buy these from a pharmacy and they cost about three times as much as they do in the UK (that's when they're not being given away free there). Now how many Thais will bother with that, and if they do shell out for one and test positive but aren't especially ill, then how many of them will report it? As a result the daily new case numbers will drop and so will the government's bill for PCR tests, it's a win-win for them. Meanwhile, the virus will continue to rip across the population like wildfire, but hidden even more than it already is.

[Jambo]

20 hours ago, Krapow said:

Didn't know that, fucking hell, you have to pay for your covid test in Thailand!

How naive am i!

Case will already be so, so much bigger than stated ...

I just asked my Daughter in Edinburgh if she had to pay for lateral flow tests and she said " No, you get them free on line."

She then asked me if I wanted one and then handed me a box marked "NHS Test and Trace" which appears to hold several although I haven't open it yet.

I had to smile when I saw on the side of the UK NHS box the words "Made in China." 🤣

[bob lt]

9 hours ago, Jambo said:

I just asked my Daughter in Edinburgh if she had to pay for lateral flow tests and she said " No, you get them free on line."

She then asked me if I wanted one and then handed me a box marked "NHS Test and Trace" which appears to hold several although I haven't open it yet.

I had to smile when I saw on the side of the UK NHS box the words "Made in China." 🤣

Probably same as the ones I picked up today. 7 tests per box and can have 2 boxes.

[Krapow]

Talking about Chinese made ....

Last week, Thailand announced it was changing its vaccine policy - instead of receiving two Sinovac shots, residents will now get a mix of Sinovac and AstraZeneca.

Healthcare workers who are already fully vaccinated with Sinovac will also get a different jab as a booster shot.

Indonesia announced a similar move the previous week, saying it was giving Moderna booster shots to healthcare workers immunised with Sinovac.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-57845644

[johnpat]

 Today is the first day of an actual lockdown in Pattaya and I wonder if anyone's seen any police checks where they might inquire about where you're going to see if it is a "necessary trip".       I like to wander around unnecessarily on my motorbike in the morning and I'd hate to give that up (or have to give some lame excuse about having to get to a 7-11 in the distance for food).

 

[john luke]

56 minutes ago, johnpat said:

 Today is the first day of an actual lockdown in Pattaya and I wonder if anyone's seen any police checks where they might inquire about where you're going to see if it is a "necessary trip".       I like to wander around unnecessarily on my motorbike in the morning and I'd hate to give that up (or have to give some lame excuse about having to get to a 7-11 in the distance for food).

 

Totally unscientific but traffic and movement on Naklua Road does not seem any different.

[forcebwithu]

1 hour ago, johnpat said:

 Today is the first day of an actual lockdown in Pattaya and I wonder if anyone's seen any police checks where they might inquire about where you're going to see if it is a "necessary trip".       I like to wander around unnecessarily on my motorbike in the morning and I'd hate to give that up (or have to give some lame excuse about having to get to a 7-11 in the distance for food).

Just back from my morning ride about central Pattaya and didn't see any checkpoints. Not the same as last year when they had red and green zones with checkpoints to prevent entry into Pattaya. Thankful for small blessings that we don't have to go through that rigmarole again.

[CampariO]

Checkpoints:

 

Posted in another forum today, so I believe this is new.

[Jambo]

2 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Just back from my morning ride about central Pattaya and didn't see any checkpoints. Not the same as last year when they had red and green zones with checkpoints to prevent entry into Pattaya. Thankful for small blessings that we don't have to go through that rigmarole again.

If everyone adopts the same attitude however is Thailand going to have any chance of controlling the current spread of covid?

It is not going to happen from the non event vaccination program.

[johnpat]

1 hour ago, CampariO said:

Checkpoints:

Posted in another forum today, so I believe this is new.

The map is quite old... highway 7 doesn't even reach Pattaya let alone go south to  Na Jomtien and Rayong....

 But the map does show that checkpoint are at province borders and not stopping traffic inside the province.

[forcebwithu]

2 hours ago, Jambo said:

If everyone adopts the same attitude however is Thailand going to have any chance of controlling the current spread of covid?

It is not going to happen from the non event vaccination program.

The checkpoints last year were a farce. Locally we were seeing a rise in infections. The proper action would have been to screen anyone wanting to leave the area, but instead the checkpoints only served to keep people from coming in to Pattaya. Hardly a good method to contain an outbreak.

[Painter]

Gf tells me complete ban on alcohol sales in Korat.

Not sure when it starts, or how long for...

[CampariO]

There was a check point underneath the HW 7 on railway bypass yesterday, not far from Soi Siam Country Club, going south. Reduced the lanes to one only, some cameras positioned, a couple of BiB standing on the road side chatting. Everyone went through, even the car with BKK license plate. Nobody looked or did anything.

[johnpat]

 

ThTThis 

 

This is an official government infographic and it has a more lenient interpretation of the stay at home order.  Instead of staying at home except for necessary travel it's  "stay in your province" except for necessary travel.   I would guess that the official announcement is reality and this is just someone making a mistake conflating two of the restrictions from the official document..... but interesting nevertheless.