News Forum - Anutin says no to easing restrictions, praises Thailand’s handling of pandemic

[Thaiger]

Thailand’s Health Minister has ruled out any further easing of Covid-19 restrictions, despite reports yesterday that the CCSA is considering such a move. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul has also praised the country’s handling of the pandemic, including the vaccine rollout. Yesterday, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control was reported as saying Thailand would need to move on and learn to live with the virus in a manner similar to what’s happening in other countries, where restrictions are being eased or lifted entirely. Not so fast, says Anutin. However, the health minister has acknowledged that, […]

The story Anutin says no to easing restrictions, praises Thailand’s handling of pandemic as seen on Thaiger News.

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[Pinetree]

Having sat through the pandemic here in LOS and watched the torture my UK based kids have had to endure, not to mention my Australian and NZ mates, excluded from their own country for months, the Thai government gets my vote, and thanks, on this issue.  They have handled it pragmatically and well, Hand claps to them.  Now sort out the idiotic immigration rules chaps. 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Pinetree

[ThaiEyes]

Right Hand (Anutin) doesn’t know what the Left Hand (everyone else) is doing or thinking. 

[Stonker]

3 minutes ago, ThaiEyes said:

Right Hand (Anutin) doesn’t know what the Left Hand (everyone else) is doing or thinking. 

I think he knows exactly what the other hand's doing, just as he knows that elections are coming up.

By coming out against restrictions being lifted he's got a major win-win whatever happens.

If restrictions aren't lifted, he's seen not only as being in authority but the one who kept Thailand safe when others were putting people in danger.

If they're lifted and it all goes pear shaped, then it's not his fault and people should have listened to him.

... and in the unlikely event they're lifted and it all goes swimmingly, he's responsible for that too as he's responsible for the vaccine and booster roll out that saved everyone.

Like him or not, tactically he's playing it perfectly.

[DontacoXII]

Perhaps Anutin would like to mail out Montetary reimbursement to every Thai citizen who is out of work due to the continued closures and restrictions caused by his decisions. I bet he hasn’t missed a meal or had to sell personal effects to pay the light bill. Easy to make the hard choices when your not in the trenches. 

[Desmondo69]

Thailand has handled it well.?

[Viggen840]

Purely a placatory political statement licking the most hated man in Thailand's freckle

[riclag]

So says the master builder!

Let it be written ,let it be done.

And the Covid revenue rape schemes continue!

 

 

[riclag]

2 hours ago, ThaiEyes said:

Right Hand (Anutin) doesn’t know what the Left Hand (everyone else) is doing or thinking. 

To the contrary!Its a coordinated effort! They are taking orders

[Fundok]

I wonder if Thailand so far managed to get through the pandemic because or despite its policies.

Sure enough, there are various layers, like the infection, hospitalisation and death rate and the economic impact.

With regards to the first three, given that only limited testing of the population was conducted (compared i.e. with South Korea or Western European countries) I suspect that the real infection rates in Thailand have been understated which would in consequence mean that Thailand has not been doing that well. Only one way to find out: one needs to look at the so-called 'positivity rate' - the portion of positive tests in relation to the total of tests that have been administered. The smaller this number is (less than 5%) the better the testing. If it exceeds 5% that means that too little testing was done. The testing of incoming tourists vis-a-vis the testing of the broad population is (statistically) insignificant given the low number of incoming tourists. 

In Switzerland, close to 78K tests per 100'000 were administered in average in the last months, with a posivitity rate of 29% 

https://www.covid19.admin.ch/de/epidemiologic/test

hence CH is testing way to little. But what is the number of tests in Thailand and the positivity rate one wonders?

[riclag]

37 minutes ago, Desmondo69 said:

Thailand has handled it well.?

“Almost one billion baht in compensation has been paid out to Thais who suffered adverse side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine over the past eight months, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO)”.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2238739/side-effects-cost-govt-b1bn

Above is a side note! Lockdowns and spreading of the virus through out the country wasn’t easy to watch especially all the people sitting and laying out in the streets outside the hospitals!

[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

2 hours ago, Thaiger said:

provide information in a transparent and straightforward manner.

Never mind the flip flopping.

[Cabra]

Timing is everything, and the time now is not right (politically) to make any sudden moves. Particularly, as cases counts are increasing (regardless of what that really means). Optics are all that matter to Autin. When he speaks he is playing all sides to ensure his future political asperations. Nothing significant changes prior 31 March. Then and only then will Prayut be cornered into making the decision only he can make... to ease some restrictions. Rest assured it won't be enough for some and too much for others. I'm holding out for the end of quarantine rules for the vaccinated.

[ace035]

Come on wake up and STFU Anutin, you are ruining your tourism industry so let them scam and keep ripping off incoming tourists on false positives so you can recoup all the money lost for the last 2 years. That's the reason why everybody is heading to the Philippines or Cambodia, no restrictions at all.

[Stonker]

4 hours ago, DontacoXII said:

 Easy to make the hard choices when your not in the trenches. 

That's why, hard though it may be to accept, those making the hard choices should be aware of what's happening in the trenches but able to look at the bigger picture - very hard to do if you're in the trenches yourself.

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, riclag said:

“Almost one billion baht in compensation has been paid out to Thais who suffered adverse side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine over the past eight months, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO)”.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2238739/side-effects-cost-govt-b1bn

Above is a side note! Lockdowns and spreading of the virus through out the country wasn’t easy to watch especially all the people sitting and laying out in the streets outside the hospitals!

I'm not sure what your point is here as you seem to be throwing mud in every direction in the hope that some of it may stick.

The compensation was paid out to around 9,000 of the 12,000 claimants. One was a sister-in-law (vaguely) of mine who had two strokes in quick succession after a Sinovac vaccination, despite none of her family having any history of heart conditions, including her mother and father who are both in good health.

She received 100,000 baht so far in compensation and she's recoverng slowly.  Are you saying she shouldn't have been paid, that there shouldn't have been any compensation, or that because of the comparative few who had side effects no-one should have been vaccinated and hundreds of thousands should have died of Covid instead?

... and the lockdowns here have been short and minimal compared to most of the rest of the world, with the primary focus being on masks

[vlad]

I've been waiting for over two years waiting to return. I live in the North of England and we are in Winter most days overcast or Raining. I waiting till all these stupid rules to end before I return. Who in their right minds is going to fly over 13 hours to be locked in a room and the risk of being infected on the fifth day, What is there to do with most night venues closed outside of Phuket, or sneaking around the bars drinking beer out of a cup. Thanks to Anutin and Co were blamed for bringing Covid into Thailand so were looked upon on lepers by the locals.

[LoongFred]

4 hours ago, DontacoXII said:

Perhaps Anutin would like to mail out Montetary reimbursement to every Thai citizen who is out of work due to the continued closures and restrictions caused by his decisions. I bet he hasn’t missed a meal or had to sell personal effects to pay the light bill. Easy to make the hard choices when your not in the trenches. 

Unemployment in Thailand is very low. The bartenders and bar girls need retraining. 

[Stonker]

2 hours ago, Fundok said:

With regards to the first three, given that only limited testing of the population was conducted (compared i.e. with South Korea or Western European countries) I suspect that the real infection rates in Thailand have been understated which would in consequence mean that Thailand has not been doing that well. Only one way to find out: one needs to look at the so-called 'positivity rate' - the portion of positive tests in relation to the total of tests that have been administered. The smaller this number is (less than 5%) the better the testing. If it exceeds 5% that means that too little testing was done. The testing of incoming tourists vis-a-vis the testing of the broad population is (statistically) insignificant given the low number of incoming tourists. 

In Switzerland, close to 78K tests per 100'000 were administered in average in the last months, with a posivitity rate of 29% 

https://www.covid19.admin.ch/de/epidemiologic/test

hence CH is testing way to little. But what is the number of tests in Thailand and the positivity rate one wonders?

Your criteria of using a " 'positivity rate'  " to judge first whether testing here has been effective or not compared to other countries such as Switzerland, then who has done well in terms of "infection, hospitalisation and death rate" doesn't work unless the testing policy is the same in those countries, and it very clearly isn't.

Switzerland, like most of the West, has gone for large scale testing of those who want to be tested - fire a shotgun repeatedly in all directions in the hope that some of those jumping in front of it are the opposition; Thailand, on the other hand, has gone for targeted testing of those who need to be tested - a sniper firing at those who are known and identified and likely to be the opposition.

Obviously the "positivity rate" is going to be far lower in the former than the latter, but rather than it meaning that "the smaller this number is the better the testing", what it could equally mean is that the smaller the number is the more tests you're wasting by testing the wrong people so the worse you testing is, while the higher the number is the better your testing is as it shows you're testing the right people.

Thailand has targeted the most likely to be infected, by location, cluster and tracing, and that has led to figures of around 12% in those groups who were judged 'low risk', 15% in those groups judged 'medium risk' and 18-20% in those targeted as 'high risk' - in a few cases, such as some factories, even 80%+.

It simply doesn't work using only one criteria - in your case the 'positivity rate'.

To use a simple analogy, the average American sniper in Vietnam fired less than 2 rounds per kill; on the other hand, American troops in Vietnam fired an average of 50,000 rounds per kill, so very different 'kill rates'.

You can't compare 'positivity rates' or 'kill rates' to determine how many Covid cases or enemy troops there were in any area - it simply doesn't work, as you're comparing apples and oranges.

[Stonker]

3 hours ago, Fundok said:

I wonder if Thailand so far managed to get through the pandemic because or despite its policies.

Sure enough, there are various layers, like the infection, hospitalisation and death rate and the economic impact.

With regards to the first three, given that only limited testing of the population was conducted (compared i.e. with South Korea or Western European countries) I suspect that the real infection rates in Thailand have been understated which would in consequence mean that Thailand has not been doing that well. Only one way to find out: one needs to look at the so-called 'positivity rate' - the portion of positive tests in relation to the total of tests that have been administered. The smaller this number is (less than 5%) the better the testing. If it exceeds 5% that means that too little testing was done. The testing of incoming tourists vis-a-vis the testing of the broad population is (statistically) insignificant given the low number of incoming tourists. 

In Switzerland, close to 78K tests per 100'000 were administered in average in the last months, with a posivitity rate of 29% 

https://www.covid19.admin.ch/de/epidemiologic/test

hence CH is testing way to little. But what is the number of tests in Thailand and the positivity rate one wonders?

So why not just keep it simple, and do a direct comparison of things which can be directly compared, such as death rates as confirmed by death certificates and balanced by excess deaths?

In Thailand that'd be 319 per million, while in Switzerland it'd be 1,482 per million, which is 4.6 times worse.

Oh .....

[Stonker]

42 minutes ago, vlad said:

Thanks to Anutin and Co were blamed for bringing Covid into Thailand so were looked upon on lepers by the locals.

I don't think it's true that farangs are "blamed for bringing Covid into Thailand" - I've certainly never felt that.

"Looked uopn as lepers by the locals", though ... quite possibly, by those who don't know me (fortunately very few locally, if anyone) but possibly with good reason  - not because I'm any more likely to bring in or even have Covid, but because I'm less likely to wear a mask as Thais do and to be careful about social contacts and so on so I'm more of a danger.

[Rookiescot]

34 minutes ago, Stonker said:

So why not just keep it simple, and do a direct comparison of things which can be directly compared, such as death rates as confirmed by death certificates and balanced by excess deaths?

In Thailand that'd be 319 per million, while in Switzerland it'd be 1,482 per million, which is 4.6 times worse.

Oh .....

Excess deaths has been a mixed bag here in Thailand oddly enough.

Excess mortality during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) - Our World in Data

If you go to the chart and add Thailand its up and down like a bargirls drawers. 

It did peek at +36% last August though. Must have been a lot of Delta going around I guess.

Not sure what I make of the figures.

[Soidog]

4 hours ago, Fundok said:

In Switzerland, close to 78K tests per 100'000 were administered in average in the last months, with a posivitity rate of 29% 

https://www.covid19.admin.ch/de/epidemiologic/test

hence CH is testing way to little. But what is the number of tests in Thailand and the positivity rate one wonders?

The answer to your two questions below. 

[Soidog]

I don’t buy in to the narrative that Thailand has done so well. The number of tests performed and the positivity rate. The way deaths are recorded etc all leave me with considerable doubt. Add to this thread it’s permanent summer in Thailand which helps considerably in the battle against airborne viruses and something doesn’t stack up. Excess deaths is an interesting one. These people are dying of something. If it’s not Covid, then maybe it’s suicide or hunger as a result of the economic damage and the lack of government support.   

[nobusinessofurs]

4 hours ago, riclag said:

“Almost one billion baht in compensation has been paid out to Thais who suffered adverse side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine over the past eight months, says the National Health Security Office (NHSO)”.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2238739/side-effects-cost-govt-b1bn

Above is a side note! Lockdowns and spreading of the virus through out the country wasn’t easy to watch especially all the people sitting and laying out in the streets outside the hospitals!

So persons with side effects got a few baht, what about those who couldn't work and buy food. They got NOTHING