Covid-19 News & Updates

[buksida]

Tougher Covid-19 measures take effect Sunday
A Public Health Ministry announcement designating Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease will take effect on Sunday, giving authorities more weapons to combat the spread of the virus.

The announcement came as the ministry on Saturday confirmed one new infection, bringing the national total to 42.

The latest victim is a 21-year-old Thai salesman whose job brought him into contact with foreign tourists, said Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, the ministry’s permanent secretary.


The man became ill on Feb 24 and sought treatment for a fever and cough at a private hospital a day later. He is now being treated at Nopparatrajathanee Hospital in Kannayao district of Bangkok, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at a daily news briefing.

The country has not yet had a death from the virus, although 28 patients have recovered and 14 are being treated in hospital.

The “dangerous communicable disease” announcement, signed by Mr Anutin, is based on provisions in Sections 5 and 6 of the Communicable Disease Act. It was published in the Royal Gazette on Saturday.

Earlier, the national committee on communicable diseases had agreed to list Covid-19 as a dangerous communicable disease, in order to allow health authorities to respond more quickly to contain the outbreak.

The announcement empowers officials to order people suspected of being infected with Covid-19 to undergo treatment and put them in quarantine, and to close venues affected by the coronavirus, among other measures.

The ministry also announced plans to begin handing out free face masks on Monday, with 100,000 pieces a day, or a maximum of three per person, available. They will be distributed at the ministry compound in Nonthaburi.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... ect-sunday

Ironic but this is what the regime has been angling for all along ...

[Big Boy]

The announcement empowers officials to order people suspected of being infected with Covid-19 to undergo treatment and put them in quarantine, and to close venues affected by the coronavirus, among other measures.

All very well, but who is paying? We've already seen the Public Hospital costs to identify if you have the disease, which must seriously deter your average Thai. It would help if this this type of information was made public.

[Big Boy]

I can't substantiate this yet, but Social Media is reporting Thailand's first fatality. A 35 year old.

Does anybody know more?

[Nereus]

The announcement empowers officials to order people suspected of being infected with Covid-19 to undergo treatment and put them in quarantine, and to close venues affected by the coronavirus, among other measures.

All very well, but who is paying? We've already seen the Public Hospital costs to identify if you have the disease, which must seriously deter your average Thai. It would help if this this type of information was made public.

I have asked a reporter that I know at Khaosod English if they can find out about the costs.

[Nereus]

Thailand records first coronavirus death

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... irus-death

Thailand has recorded its first coronavirus death.

The 35-year-old male retail worker had dengue fever and the new disease knowN as Covid-19, Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai, director general of the Department of Disease Control, said in a briefing Sunday.

The patient had been hospitalised for nearly a month at Bamrasnardura Hospital and died on Friday after multiple organ failure.

The Public Halth ministry is still looking into the role played by the coronavirus in the fatality, Dr Suwannachai said.
Tests for the coronavirus came back negative since Feb 16 but “the damage was already done to his body” from the earlier bout of infection by the new disease, said Tawee Chotpitayasunondh, the department adviser.

Almost 3,000 people have died from the infection, mostly in its epicentre China. Thailand has reported 42 cases of infection, with 30 of those discharged.

[hhinner]

The announcement empowers officials to order people suspected of being infected with Covid-19 to undergo treatment and put them in quarantine, and to close venues affected by the coronavirus, among other measures.

All very well, but who is paying? We've already seen the Public Hospital costs to identify if you have the disease, which must seriously deter your average Thai. It would help if this this type of information was made public.

Won't your average Thai get test and treatment in public hospital under universal health care?

[Big Boy]

So are you saying the price list is for Farangs only?

[HHTel]

The guy that died appears to have been extremely unlucky. He was already suffering from dengue fever. It seems he had recovered from WuFlu as he was shown negative 2 weeks ago. Either one of those diseases could be the cause of his death. It will be difficult to call.

Dengue fever is typically a self-limited disease with a mortality rate of less than 1% when detected early and with access to proper medical care. When treated, severe dengue has a mortality rate of 2%-5%, but, when left untreated, the mortality rate is as high as 20%.

[hhinner]

So are you saying the price list is for Farangs only?

No. But if a Thai goes to the express clinic in Hua Hin Hospital they will be charged the full Thai price rather than the universal health care price. This is the case no matter what the purpose of the visit. However, charging for testing for covid-19 is the surest way to ensure widespread infection. Would the government be that stupid? (Don't answer - we already know.)

In fact if an infected person goes in for a test that's also a good way of spreading the disease whether wearing a piece of rag on the face or not. Isolation has to be the key procedure, but without some sort of community monitoring and care how could it work?

We might also ask if health insurance policies will cover the cost of test and treatment for those not entitled to use the government health schemes.

[hhinner]

The guy that died appears to have been extremely unlucky. He was already suffering from dengue fever. It seems he had recovered from WuFlu as he was shown negative 2 weeks ago. Either one of those diseases could be the cause of his death. It will be difficult to call.

Dengue fever is typically a self-limited disease with a mortality rate of less than 1% when detected early and with access to proper medical care. When treated, severe dengue has a mortality rate of 2%-5%, but, when left untreated, the mortality rate is as high as 20%.

Saying he had recovered from covid-19 implies confidence in the testing procedures' reliability.

[Big Boy]

The way I'm thinking is Mrs BB gets most things free, including a few days in the high dependency unit on a ventilator recently. However, every now and then she does have to pay for a modern treatment. I'm guessing (and only a guess) this test is considered a modern treatment, hence advertising the cost of tests.

[Nereus]

How and where is the test for Covid-19 carried out. Like a lot of the news and info doing the rounds it seems that there is no one definitive answer:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease ... y-guidance

3. Molecular assays to diagnose 2019-nCoV
Several assays that detect the 2019-nCoV have been and are currently under development, both in-house and commercially. Some assays may detect only the novel virus and some may also detect other strains (e.g. SARS-CoV) that are genetically similar.

In-house developed molecular assays
Some groups shared their protocols which can be accessed below (Summary table and link to the protocols). In some cases, the groups will be willing to send reagents or reagent mixes prepared in their laboratories, with or without associated fees. It is strongly recommended to contact the developer if you need further assistance. The list is not exhaustive and is being updated regularly.

............................................................................................................
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html

https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/coronavirus-testing/

[hhinner]

This page (4 days old) explains the costs at the 8 hospitals that can check. Where there are 2 prices the first is for Thais and the second is for foreigners. The prices essentially apply for those just wanting to check for peace of mind.

https://www.moneyguru.co.th/travel-insu ... 9%E0%B8%B2

It also explains who can be checked free and at which 4 hospitals (out of the 8 above). Basically these are people who are returning from government defined high risk areas; people who have contact with those at high risk or known to be infected; and those showing symptoms.

The page is in Thai. Other web sites have similar information. This site has ads trying to sell insurance, but it doesn't mean the information is wrong.

[Big Boy]

I'll put this here as well as the football thread...............

Starting next weekend, all Thai league matches will be behind closed doors for at least March

[Nereus]

How and where is the test for Covid-19 carried out. Like a lot of the news and info doing the rounds it seems that there is no one definitive answer:

FDA Expands Coronavirus Testing After CDC Glitches Undermine Fight Against Disease

https://au.news.yahoo.com/fda-expands-c ... 25256.html

The effort by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect Americans from the new coronavirus has been hamstrung by a flawed test for the disease and limited access to a reliable analysis, resulting in significant delays to determine which people have the virus, according to officials and experts.

But the Food and Drug Administration announced Saturday that labs and hospitals across the nation will now be able to conduct the test and won’t have to wait for results from the CDC.

“We believe this policy strikes the right balance during this public health emergency,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen Hahn said in a statement. “We will continue to help to ensure sound science prior to clinical testing and follow-up with the critical independent review from the FDA, while quickly expanding testing capabilities in the U.S.”

Glitches in the CDC testing system have thwarted wide-ranging surveillance testing to track the disease and eliminate concerns about healthy people simply battling a common cold.

China currently has the capability to test 1.6 million people a week for COVID-19, and South Korea has already tested some 65,000 people, reported Science Magazine. As of Friday, fewer than 500 people in the U.S. had been tested, according to the CDC.

The CDC ignored World Health Organization testing guidelines to devise its own test. But several testing kits sent to states had inconclusive results, so most states had to rely on CDC analysis, creating a backlog, ProPublica reported.

“We’re weeks behind because we had this problem,” Scott Becker, chief executive officer of the Association of Public Health Laboratories, told ProPublica. “We’re usually up-front and center and ready.”

The CDC until recently also restricted use of the kits to suspected cases of COVID-19 among people who had traveled to China within two weeks of developing symptoms or who had been in close contact with someone with the illness.
A county health director...

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