News Forum - Not so fast: Thai epidemiologist questions plans to declare Covid-19 endemic by July

[Thaiger]

A leading epidemiologist has questioned Thailand’s rush to declare Covid-19 endemic as infections and deaths surge and the country remains under Level 4 alert. Dr Chakrarat Pittayawonganon, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology, is suggesting officials slow down a bit, as he cast doubt on the wisdom of trying to declare the virus endemic by July 1. Despite placing the country under Level 4 alert on February 21, the CCSA last week announced a roadmap for transitioning from pandemic status to endemic. However, Chakrarat points out that the highly-contagious Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is still raging through the country, creating a […]

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[DoUKnowWhoIAm]

20 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

A leading epidemiologist has questioned Thailand’s rush to declare Covid-19 endemic

Don't worry, the governments plans are rarely implemented anyway.

[Cabra]

Everyone knows and expects the date to move. You can't plan public health policy based on an obituary date on the calendar. Simple answer is this is never going to really end. Just constantly adjusted. Like it or not.

[Pompies]

Now is most certainly the time to be making plans. But it is not yet the time to be implementing them. Better to have plans ready than rush into actions at the last minute. Although the ruling mob don't know how to implement anything it is at least good for public peace of mind to at least begin to think that there is an end to this pandemic. 

[Grumpyoldman]

Infections are not surging. Nor are deaths. They have been in a range for several weeks.

 

And there is no "rush" to declare covid endemic. There is a 4 month minimum timescale with ambitious criteria that will probably not be met.

[Soidog]

Once again the Thai authorities are getting everyone obsessed with a fixed word “Endemic”. To everyday people this isn’t something they even need to know. Covid hasn’t been declared Endemic in the UK or US and yet both countries are essentially back to pre-pandemic living. Why do they get fixated on a word and then build policy around that word? Hospitalisation rates and the ability of the healthcare system to manage are the metrics they need to focus on. If they spent as much time pushing the benefits of vaccination instead of reaching some technical definition phase of a pandemic, things would be far better.  You would have to laugh if it wasn’t so serious. 

[Simone]

Everyday they count the infections , they warn people they scare people for nothing , Omicron is a flue , I had omicron my wife had omicron my child had Omicron , one day of fever and that’s it , and we are not vaccinated with that experimental liquid , time to end this game scaring the population about something that is not scary anymore , we aloud vaccinated people to come in the country without quarantine and we all know that vaccinated are equally vulnerable to catch the virus and spread it like unvaccinated people , so why keep going on with the thinking ? If you aloud vaccinated tourist to come in without quarantine you should expect cases to raise On the other way around there is something that I don’t understand , my family and I we did covid and we all know that is the best way to get immunity and antibodies , but we still are forced if we get out the country and back , to do quarantine , what’s the point of this decision? Vaccinated with something that doesn’t give immunity yes and natural antibodies after recovery from virus no? I think is time to open up all like vietnam did , time to let the economy run again , for the good of this beautiful country