Bangkok Covid-19 reaches new high a second day in a row

[reader]

From The Thai Enquirer

Bangkok’s daily Covid case count has reached a new high for a second consecutive day, and it has been trending upwards, the Center COVID-19 Situation Administration Center (CCSA) announced on Tuesday.

“Bangkok added another 1,692 cases today, which is a new high for the capital,” said Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin, CCSA’s spokesman.

This surpasses Bangkok’s previous record of 1,628 cases set on Monday, the same day the number of new cases in Thailand topped 5,000, a record-high for the country.

“It seems like the number in Bangkok is continuing to increase… and it is now on an upward trend,” Taweesin added.

In the past 24 hours, the CCSA reported 4,662 cases and 36 related deaths nationwide.

As of April 1, there had been 225,652 cases and 1,876 deaths from Thailand’s third wave, which began at entertainment venues in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces.

A total of 47,481 people are currently being treated at hospitals. Among them, 1,846 are in critical condition, including 527 on ventilators.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/29111/bangkok-covid-19-reaches-new-high-a-second-day-in-a-row/

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From The Thaiger

Chief medic says Delta variant will become dominant strain in Bangkok

The Department of Medical Sciences says it expects the Delta Covid-19 variant to become the prevalent strain in Bangkok within the coming months. The variant was first reported in Thailand in April, when it was detected in migrant workers in the Laksi district of the capital. The spread of the variant has sparked concern globally due to it being highly contagious and potentially more resistant to vaccines.

The Bangkok Post reports that a record 331 cases of the variant were reported in the capital last week, taking the total number of Delta variant infections to 822. DMS chief Supakit Sirilak says there is every indication it will come to be the dominant strain.

“All figures foretell that Bangkok will eventually be dominated by the Delta (variant) in the next few months, but please don’t worry. People should follow (containment) measures to prevent disease infection, including by rushing to get vaccinated.”

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/chief-medic-says-delta-variant-will-become-dominant-strain-in-bangkok

[Ruthrieston]

I am rushing around like a confused very scared crazy soi dog trying to get vaccinated..........not happening anytime soon in dear old Pattaya........

[abidismaili]

I am getting very pessimistic I can visit Thailand in 2021. Will it really become true that for two years I can’t visit?

[Ruthrieston]

Thailand handled the pandemic so well for the first fifteen months or so, but now, as people and businesses are barely surviving, this massive surge in infections and deaths is terrifying. When you then look at the incompetence around the vaccination programme, I cannot see any end in sight until well into next year. Meanwhile the deaths mount daily and the "government" carries on chattering about reopening "sandboxes" around the country in July or October............it leaves me speechless with anger.

[PeterRS]

If the number of cases continues to rise and more vaccine is not purchased by the government, I am seriously thinking of returning to the UK to get vaccinated there. Air fares are pretty cheap and I can do the initial quarantine with at my brother's home.

[a-447]

I'm now vaccinated but Australia's roll-out is painfully slow. That means that we reach herd immunity sometime next year if we are lucky. 

And our borders will remain closed until then.

So no overseas travel for us.  

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, a-447 said:

And our borders will remain closed until then.

So no overseas travel for us.  

Do they not even permit you to leave on the understanding you don't come back until restrictions are lifted ?      Anything less seems unreasonable.

Just like the 19th century.

[a-447]

We can't even leave the state, let along the country.

A Japanese friend with Australian citizenship recently applied to leave Australia with his Japanese wife to return to Japan to retire. He was refused 3 times until I wrote an application for him. 

They returned to Japan on Singapore Airlines. There were only 6 passengers on the flight!

Australia is now in almost total lockdown due to the appearance of the Delta variant. If it gets into Thailand it will wreak total havoc and we can forget about visiting for years.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, PeterRS said:

If the number of cases continues to rise and more vaccine is not purchased by the government, I am seriously thinking of returning to the UK to get vaccinated there. Air fares are pretty cheap and I can do the initial quarantine with at my brother's home.

The UK has a much higher number of reported daily cases than Thailand at present, so in the short term your risk goes up.  Take care to try and avoid catching covid until your vaccine kicks in.  Wear a proper FFP3 mask etc.

The main difference between the UK and Thailand is the UK has a much lower death rate, as most of the cases are in young people who have not yet been vaccinated.   Out of the small number of daily deaths we do have, over half of them are voluntary, as they are among the ~7% of people over 50 not vaccinated.   The vaccines have been available to all over 50s for some time & now all adults can get a vaccine. 

[reader]

From The Thai Enquirer

Government’s latest Covid-19 restrictions spark civil disobedience campaign

The hashtag #กูจะเปิดมึงจะทําไม (“We’re staying open. What are you going to do about it?”) trended on Thai social media on Wednesday following the country’s latest Covid-19 restrictions, which prohibit restaurant dine-ins and mandate a 9 pm closing time for one month.

Thailand tightened its Covid-19 restrictions from June 28 after prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declined to call for a lockdown of the capital to control the outbreak that began in April. These latest restrictions were announced in the middle of the night on June 26, prompting criticisms and complaints from citizens nationwide.

On Tuesday night, one Facebook user and restaurateur took matters into their own hands and began a campaign, which sparked the trending hashtag, calling for other restaurateurs to band together and allow customers to dine-in — with Covid-19 measures in place — despite the ban from the government.

There has been tremendous online support for the campaign, with many netizens pledging to dine at any restaurant that participates. Restaurateurs, specifically, have also chimed in to express their grievances and frustration with the government’s handling of the situation.

“How is it fair that big corporations like 7-11 are allowed to stay open for 24 hours while us small businesses are left to die? We’ve barely seen any clusters originating from restaurants,” wrote one Twitter user.

“We can go into the malls and walk around for hours but just can’t eat at a restaurant in there. What kind of logic is this?” asked another user rhetorically.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/29165/__trashed/

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Medical body tells government to stop buying Sinovac, focus on mRNA vaccine

A recommendation from the Infection Disease Association was widely shared on social media on Wednesday urging the government to acquire more mRNA vaccines and less Sinovac.

In a statement dated Tuesday, the body recommended the purchase of mRNA vaccines, including those made by Moderna and Pfizer, rather than inactivated vaccines, such as Sinovac, in anticipation of the Delta variant.

The Delta variant, first found in India, has the potential to surpass the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, as the dominant variant in Bangkok within the next couple of months, the Department of Medical Science said on Monday.

“In the plan to purchase 150 million doses, Sinovac vaccines account for a high percentage, even when the vaccination is not very effective against Covid-19,” the statement said.

“The ratio to buy mRNA vaccines should be the highest, and that would benefit the efforts to contain and prevent the virus,” they added.

They said that existing vaccines are less effective against the Delta variant than they were against the original variant. mRNA vaccines are also less effective, and their ability to develop immunity is reduced, but they are still protective.

Despite modest reductions of 3.2 to 2.1 fold in response to the Delta variant when compared to the original strain, Moderna said the vaccine should still protect against it.

AstraZeneca’s ability to develop immunity against the Delta variant is also reduced. But a study released by Oxford University last week shows that AstraZeneca and Pfizer remain effective against the variant. Both vaccines offer 90 per cent protection against hospitalization from the Delta variant.

However, there has yet to be any study that suggests Sinovac is effective against the Delta variant, as no official study has ever been released by the Chinese maker, the Infection Disease Association said.

“The Sinovac study confirms its effectiveness against only the Alpha variant, which is insufficient for determining what vaccines to consider for the next batch,” they said.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/29152/medical-body-tells-government-to-stop-buying-sinovac-focus-on-mrna-vaccine/

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From The Thaiger

Covid-19 Update: 4,786 new cases

A record high of 53 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,023. The vast majority of Covid patients died over the past 3 months with the daily fatality count in the 20s to 40s.

4,786 new Covid-19 cases were reported today, with most infections reported in Bangkok. The CCSA has reported a total of 259,301 Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic last year. Of that number, 230,438 cases were reported since April 1 in Thailand’s latest and most severe wave of infections.

The current wave of Covid-19 is on an upward trend with 49,799 active cases 1,911 are in critical condition, including 556 of those patients are on ventilators.

1,826 new cases in Bangkok. More than 100 clusters in Bangkok are being monitored, according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily Covid update in English.

“We are all facing emotional fatigue as well as general exhaustion in society, not only in Thailand but around the world. Now that’s something that we have to continue to join hands, continue to fight off Covid together. Our efforts will pay off, for sure.”

Cases remain high provinces surrounding the capital with 433 new cases reported in Samut Prakan, 253 cases in Samut Sakhon, 191 in Nakhon Pathom, 177 in Pathum Thani, and 155 in Nonthaburi.

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/wednesday-covid-19-update-4786-new-cases-provincial-totals