Covid-19 News & Updates

[hhinner]

After having almost a year to prepare for this inevitable second outbreak, the govt should be able to handle this easily. Somehow I don't think this will be the case, I hope I'm wrong.

It is typical of them to instantly blame foreigners though (which their own people have been profiting from in this case).

Obviously by foreigners they mean Burmese, and in this case that seems a reasonable assumption.

[hhinner]

I'm hearing people warning against eating prawns because of the danger of catching Covid!!

There is currently no evidence that people can catch COVID-19 from food or food packaging. COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and the transmission route is through person-to-person contact and through direct contact with respiratory droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Respiratory droplets can land on food packaging. How long the virus remains viable will depend on the packaging material and the environments the package passes through.

[buksida]

Korat on alert for people from Samut Sakhon
Korat is taking no chances when it comes to a possible spread of the coronavirus outbreak that began in a seafood market in Samut Sakhon to this northeastern province known as the 'gateway to Isan'.

Local officials in all 32 districts of this northeastern province have been ordered to be on the alert for people who are returning from Samut Sakhon -- and those who had visited the coastal province and returned after Dec 1 -- as they are wanted for health screening, governor Wichien Chantaranothai said on Sunday.

Mr Wichien said all those returning from Samut Sakhon are required to report to community leaders so that they can be screened for Covid-19 to prevent the spread of the virus.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... mut-sakhon

[buksida]

Looks like the Thais are running out of tolerance for this tool as well ...

Netizens demands removal of public health minister Anutin
Thai netizens took to social media on Sunday to demand the resignation or removal of the Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul after a massive outbreak in Samut Sakhon Province.

The government said on Sunday that it had discovered 576 cases of Covid-19 including 516 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon Province.

Despite months without local infections, social media users pegged the blame for the latest outbreak on Anutin with many calling for his removal.

The hashtag #ถอดถอนอนุทิน (Remove Anutin) trended since early morning and had received over 254,000 mentions by noon.

While many pointed to faux pas by the health minister and premature statements he has made in the past, including a Saturday statement in which he blamed the outbreak on migrant workers coming illegally into Thailand, the minister has been the target of young pro-democracy demonstrators for months.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/21755/neti ... er-anutin/

[PeteC]

He's a political appointee who knows FA about medicine. He's an engineer for FS.

[HHTel]

Pete said:

They're downplaying it at present, their normal style. With this revelation I would think there are many more who have come across from Burma who are infected. Things here are unraveling IMO.

I bet you didn't think it would unravel so dramatically. 576 in Samut Sakhon and 516 were Burmese! All from 1,000 tests!
And they're pointing out that they're mostly asymptomatic and are young healthy people who will probably recover. Breathing a public sign of relief.

That many being asymptomatic is BAD news, not good. Far more likely to wander around undetected whilst infecting everyone they come into contact with.

[HHTel]

The government also said it had discovered 41 cases of coronavirus in state and alternate state quarantine in the last 24 hours.

The patients came from Bahrain (30), Myanmar (2), UK (2), the Netherlands (2), Germany (1), Qatar (1), UAE (1), Ghana (1) and Switzerland (1).

It's been said before. I just don't get it. With all the checks taken before these guys even board an airplane, how can so many be found to be positive. Is this a case of a test showing positive to traces of a dead virus?

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests currently used to detect SARS-CoV-2 have technical limitations as they cannot distinguish whether the virus in the patient is alive or dead. The researchers analyzed 25 studies on PCR tests and found that such tests can suggest people are infected even after their bodies’ immune system has already fought off the coronavirus because these tests only provide a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as to whether the virus material is in the body. This means such people would test positive even though the coronavirus in their bodies may be harmless and non-infectious.

https://www.hospimedica.com/covid-19/ar ... tions.html

[PeteC]

^ I personally think that's what happened to your daughter with her positive test here, and subsequent blood tests that IMO showed the virus was dead, but the doctor didn't want to discuss or give the results to your daughter?! Besides the obvious mental strain on the person, it's also damn expensive regardless if you have insurance or not. Someone is paying the medical costs when nothing but dead and non-infectious virus is present.

They need a better test, unless of course it's another money making opportunity.

[HHTel]

[Big Boy]

I just don't get it. With all the checks taken before these guys even board an airplane, how can so many be found to be positive

I know I need to wash my mouth out, but I can only assume corruption.

[PeteC]

Samut Sakhon Covid cases to keep rising

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... eep-rising

New cases of Covid-19 originating at a fresh seafood market in Samut Sakhon are rising as authorities conduct more tests on migrant workers from Myanmar.

Deputy provincial governor Surasak Polyangsong said on Sunday 146 more workers from the neighbouring country tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday, raising the province's tally to 694.

The figure was considerably higher than the 516 infections in Myanmar workers reported hours earlier by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.

Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary for public health, expected the caseload to climb in the coming days as results come in from tests being conducted on workers at the Central Shrimp Market in tambon Mahahai of Samut Sakhon's Muang district.

Dr Kiatiphum said authorities are testing 10,000 Myanmar workers and the number will increase to 40,000 in a bid to contain the outbreak within the province.

"We expect many more cases [as a result of the tests]," the top ministry official said.

The market mainly employs workers from Myanmar, with only 10% of the labour force there of Thai nationality, according to the Public Health Ministry.

Keeping virus in check

The Central Shrimp Market is one of the largest wholesale markets in the country, where wholesalers and retailers from other provinces stock up on shrimp.

The first case was a Thai woman who owns a stall at the market. She fell ill on Dec 13 and tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Dec 17.

Dr Kiatiphum said health officials were confident that the new outbreak had originated in the Myanmar community working at the market. The ministry has decided to expand testing to cover as many Myanmar workers in Samut Sakhon as possible, he said.

The lockdown of the market and some other areas in Samut Sakhon are also aimed at containing the outbreak.

Dr Kiatiphum said the ministry expected the situation would return to normal within four weeks, provided that the transmission rate remains under control.

Limited spillover

The virus found at the market has spilled into at least five neighbouring provinces so far.

Opas Kankawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said three patients had been found in Samut Prakan, two each in Bangkok and Nakhon Pathom and one each in Suphan Buri and Ratchaburi.

"All could be traced back to the Central Shrimp Market," Dr Opas said.

Dr Kiatiphum said the ministry was confident that the outbreak in the market would not spread across the country because the Myanmar workers are quite isolated.

"The chance for the virus to spread to Thais is limited because they stay in their community and usually do not travel far from where they live," he said.

[handdrummer]

The chance for the virus to spread to Thais is limited because they stay in their community and usually do not travel far from where they live," he said.

What about the people who travel TO the area?

[Big Boy]

Notwithstanding its travelled as far as Samut Prakan, Bangkok. Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri and Ratchaburi. I've been to 3 of the affected places this weekend

[pharvey]

I've been to 3 of the affected places this weekend

Is that something you should admit to...?

[Big Boy]

Better to be open with it. Maybe if the Burmese, or whoever is to blame had been more open, we wouldn't be in this mess.