Covid-19 News & Updates (Thailand and Southeast Asia only)

[PeteC]

Note: The below link will lead to the full, updated story between 1300 and 1500 hours this afternoon.

2,569 new Covid cases, 14 more deaths

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ore-deaths

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

[PeteC]

Govt to end special insurance coverage for Covid-19 patients

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... 9-patients

Medical services for Covid-19 patients must be paid for by their own or by pre-existing health insurance schemes after Thailand enters a post-pandemic stage on July 1, the government said.............

[PeteC]

Note: The below link will lead to the full, updated story between 1300 and 1500 hours this afternoon.

2,695 new Covid cases, 14 more deaths

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ore-deaths

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

[PeteC]

Note: The below link will lead to the full, updated story between 1300 and 1500 hours this afternoon.

2,354 new Covid cases, 16 more deaths

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ore-deaths

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

[Big Boy]

Another case of a politician preaching, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Public health minister Anutin back from COVID to talk pot

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed that he was back to work Monday, six days after testing positive for COVID-19.

In hurrying back to champion the medicinal benefits of marijuana, the top health official has strayed from his own ministry’s isolation guidelines, which say those who are infected with the virus should quarantine at home for seven to 10 days to monitor their health.

Full story: https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/public ... -talk-pot/

[PeteC]

BA.4, BA.5 sub-variants becoming dominant Covid strain

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... vid-strain

BA.4 and BA.5 will soon be the dominant sub-variants of Covid-19 in Thailand, but have so far not been shown to cause severe illness, according to the Department of Medical Sciences.

Director-general Supakit Sirilak said on Monday that BA.4 and BA.5 caused more than 50% of all new Covid-19 cases over the past week.

"The sub-variants will gradually replace other sub-variants, like the Omicron variant itself did to Delta previously," he said.

There was not enough information to make a conclusion about the severity of Omicron's BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants, but health officials assumed that they were slightly more transmissible, he said.

Dr Supakit said that last week the Omicron variant accounted for 100% of new local and imported cases, as it did worldwide.

BA.1 formed one percent of new Covid-19 cases, with the rest roughly equally split between BA.2 and BA.4/BA.5.

About 1,000 people had been confirmed to have BA.4 and BA.5 sub-variants in Thailand so far. The most cases were in Bangkok.

Dr Supakit said BA.4 and BA.5 cases had not shown severe symptoms to date.

"No need for panic about the sub-variants. Although there were more admissions to hospital, we have yet to find out if the increase resulted from BA.4 and BA.5 or from more infections, like when Omicron had just erupted," he said.

Dr Supakit said that personal protection was still necessary, especially when in crowded areas. He referred to the use of face masks and booster shots of vaccine to stimulate antibody production.

[handdrummer]

Dr Supakit said that personal protection was still necessary, especially when in crowded areas. He referred to the use of face masks and booster shots of vaccine to stimulate antibody production.

How many more than 6 shots do you need?

I hope the pill proves to be effective and it's distributed worldwide.

[caller]

This is an interesting report from todays BP.

It appears a senior Doctor is, ahem, questioning Govt. covid stats. Surely there must be a mistake?

"The situation is in contrast of the daily cases being reported," Dr Nithipat wrote. "The number of available hospital beds for Covid patients is diminishing fast"

Full BP report:

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... inst-covid

[HHTel]

Well done Thailand (China2)
The rest of the world is treating it as endemic. Cases are rising in most countries but hospitalisations and deaths continue to be way down.
Considering that the new strains are more severe than the original covid back in 2020, it shows just how important vaccines are.
A recent report from the UK states that you are more likely to die of 'flu than Covid.
I'd like to see a breakdown of hospitalisations. Unvaccinated/length of stay (which I read somewhere that most are 48hours)
It wouldn't surprise me if people such as Anutin become responsible for turning the clock back!
TIT!

[lindosfan1]

These are yesterdays figures for the whole of Thailand. 24815 cases 1496 hospitalised cases. The figures seem disproportionate.

[HHTel]

The UK is around 300,000 cases daily. They're advised to isolate but 'up to them'.
Certainly, my daughter says that many are going to work as normal and treating it like the 'flu.

She's just recovered from covid. "No big deal. Was just like 'flu."

[caller]

I think the issue for Thailand is that it doesnt have the health infastructure such as is seen in the West. When a senior medic states that the figures don't compare to the reality they are witnessing, then there is a problem. And the problem is the increased risk of infection under the new strains now becoming prominent in Thailand, just as is being witnessed in the West.

It isn't changing peoples plans so much, but it is there and has to be treated with respect. I can give an example of that, my other half's neice is a physio at a hospital in Bkk. Two days before she, her brother, mum and my other half were due here in Hua Hin for a long weekend (just gone), a colleague contracted covid, almost certainly due to her work. Even until quite recently, this would have resulted in the plans for the weekend being cancelled, but this time the difference was, they still came here for the weekend, whilst checking daily for covid with ATG tests.

I guess these new strains could be as disruptive here as they have proved to be elsewhere and if people are ill and unable to work, then that will have an effect. But then again, Thais aren't abandoning their masks as they seemed to have been elsewhere. Watch this space, I guess?

[bigston]

Seems like everyone's favourite fashion accessory is making a return

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thai ... 2022-07-06

[HHTel]

With evidence of increased hotel bookings and flights even entering into the 'low season', how would a decision from the CCSA affect any recovery?
It would deter tourists for months to come because any positive announcement will not be believed.

If it comes into fruition it will be a huge 'shooting themselves in the foot' again.

[Big Boy]

Thai roads were still a lot more dangerous than Covid last month with 1221 road deaths compared with 740 Covid deaths.

There were just 5 days when Covid deaths outweighed road deaths.