News Forum - Thailand’s officials still aiming for Covid-19 ‘endemic’ status in July

[Thaiger]

Thailand’s officials say their goal remains to achieve endemic status on July 1 if certain benchmarks are met. Thailand’s deputy public health minister said in a speech that, if Covid-19 is declared an endemic, mask-wearing rules might ease depending on the Covid-19 situation in each area. In the plan for endemic status, the number of infections was expected to drop to 1,000-2,000 cases per day by the end of May, after stabilising in April. In his speech, the deputy public health minister, Sathit Pitutecha, said that Thailand has seen a downward trend in the number of Covid-19 infections, even if […]

The story Thailand’s officials still aiming for Covid-19 ‘endemic’ status in July as seen on Thaiger News.

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[rc1]

If they don't drop the masks in July, then when? 

Surely will be time by then. Cannot be indefinite. 

Maybe it'll take until Thais start travelling a bit more outside the country, and realise how much the rest of the world has moved on. 

[JJJ]

I declare you “endemic”. What does this nonsense even mean?

It shows how unserious they are when they talk about a nice round figure  to achieve across the whole country.  Everywhere else in the world uses measures like cases per 100,000 people and conducts studies like determining the percentage of previous infections. 

What does the outdoor mask mandate have to do with anything? It doesn’t do anything. 

[Soidog]

2 minutes ago, JJJ said:

What does the outdoor mask mandate have to do with anything? It doesn’t do anything. 

I totally agree. I fully support the wearing of masks in crowded and unventilated spaces such as elevators, train carriages etc. Wearing of masks out in open is utterly absurd and shows how little people here question anything. A few weeks ago I was sitting in a roof top bar in Bangkok. A strong wind (not even a breeze) was blowing. I asked the waiter if he would take a picture of me with the view in the background. He refused to take it unless I kept my mask on. I looked at him and gestured not to bother. I then walked 6 steps back to the table where I could now remove my mask as I was now sitting at a table. Utter madness.  

[Soidog]

Good luck with it Thailand. Take a look at what this buffoon (sorry, Deputy Public Health Minister) said in a Bangkok Post article today:-

"It's not that we're concealing the number of cases but it is possible that some patients who test positive from antigen test kits don't report their infections,"

“It’s possible”. Is this guy totally out of his mind?  It’s not possible, it’s a nailed on fact that the vast majority of self administered ATK results are not registered. Most of the ones sold have no QR code or unique identifier. They are bought at a pharmacy or 7/11 and used. There are literally no words to describe the stupidity of such a comment. So with people like this clown sat around a meeting table, what hope is there. 

[palooka]

Why bother reporting them?

By their own admission they don't count them in any official manner that I am aware of and if they do they would probably distort that number too.

What are the odds of Pnut starting to count them when it's time to cancel the emergency decree?

[JJJ]

48 minutes ago, Soidog said:

Good luck with it Thailand. Take a look at what this buffoon (sorry, Deputy Public Health Minister) said in a Bangkok Post article today:-

"It's not that we're concealing the number of cases but it is possible that some patients who test positive from antigen test kits don't report their infections,"

“It’s possible”. Is this guy totally out of his mind?  It’s not possible, it’s a nailed on fact that the vast majority of self administered ATK results are not registered. Most of the ones sold have no QR code or unique identifier. They are bought at a pharmacy or 7/11 and used. There are literally no words to describe the stupidity of such a comment. So with people like this clown sat around a meeting table, what hope is there. 

Exactly. Which is why most countries have some type of surveillance systems. Or try to measure community infection through antibodies.

But no they’d rather rely on an arbitrary metic (1,000-2,000 cases) based on an unreliable measurement tool (PCR tests). 

[Cabra]

Masks mandate, nightlife restrictions, vaccine requirements/ passports, bogus COVID insurance mandate... nothing has really changed. That being said, tourist are not flocking to Thailand until they do.

[Stevejm]

4 hours ago, Soidog said:

I totally agree. I fully support the wearing of masks in crowded and unventilated spaces such as elevators, train carriages etc. Wearing of masks out in open is utterly absurd and shows how little people here question anything. A few weeks ago I was sitting in a roof top bar in Bangkok. A strong wind (not even a breeze) was blowing. I asked the waiter if he would take a picture of me with the view in the background. He refused to take it unless I kept my mask on. I looked at him and gestured not to bother. I then walked 6 steps back to the table where I could now remove my mask as I was now sitting at a table. Utter madness.  

Why should the waiter break the rules just for you? 

[Stevejm]

54 minutes ago, Cabra said:

Masks mandate, nightlife restrictions, vaccine requirements/ passports, bogus COVID insurance mandate... nothing has really changed. That being said, tourist are not flocking to Thailand until they do.

Every restriction/ requirement that is dropped is progress. Tourist numbers are already increasing.

[Stevejm]

3 hours ago, JJJ said:

Exactly. Which is why most countries have some type of surveillance systems. Or try to measure community infection through antibodies.

But no they’d rather rely on an arbitrary metic (1,000-2,000 cases) based on an unreliable measurement tool (PCR tests). 

Which countries are measuring community infection through antibodies?

[rc1]

7 minutes ago, Stevejm said:

Why should the waiter break the rules just for you? 

Because the rules are illogical, make no sense and no one with independent thought would think the rules are helping them?

 

[KaptainRob]

What most of you are forgetting is the incentive to report a +ve ATK/RAT test is very strong among Thai communities. 

Once reported the patient may self-isolate and receive a FREE medical package and FOOD for the duration of isolation.   

Consequently I know 1st hand of many Thais and a few Farangs (on work permits) who've taken the opportunity to stay at home and receive freebies.

[Stevejm]

1 hour ago, rc1 said:

Because the rules are illogical, make no sense and no one with independent thought would think the rules are helping them?

So you expect the waiter to break the rules because you think they are illogical? Classic entitled arrogant expat behavior. What happens if the waiter’s boss sees him and fires him?Google mask rules in Singapore. They are not so different and there is a $10k fine/ 6 months in prison penalty . 

Edited May 7, 2022 by Stevejm

[JJJ]

1 hour ago, Stevejm said:

Which countries are measuring community infection through antibodies?

United States—and I suspect most of Europe. 
 

https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2022-04-26-cdc-estimates-58-americans-have-been-infected-sars-cov-2

[Stevejm]

1 minute ago, JJJ said:

United States—and I suspect most of Europe. 
 

https://www.aha.org/news/headline/2022-04-26-cdc-estimates-58-americans-have-been-infected-sars-cov-2

Surely that just indicates how many people have recovered from infection not how many are currently infected? UK isn’t using that approach 

[JJJ]

4 hours ago, Stevejm said:

Surely that just indicates how many people have recovered from infection not how many are currently infected? UK isn’t using that approach 

Yes, I didn’t say or mean current infection. I don’t think you could measure current infections with antibody testing. Antibody testing helps determine a community’s immunity from previous infection.  
 

I know the UK does a very robust surveillance also but that doesn’t exclude studying previous infection 

[JJJ]

6 hours ago, KaptainRob said:

What most of you are forgetting is the incentive to report a +ve ATK/RAT test is very strong among Thai communities. 

Once reported the patient may self-isolate and receive a FREE medical package and FOOD for the duration of isolation.   

Consequently I know 1st hand of many Thais and a few Farangs (on work permits) who've taken the opportunity to stay at home and receive freebies.

Do you think the government reports these? I don’t think the ATK daily number is self reported. I haven’t heard any official explanation of what is include but my instinct was they only include administered atk tests reported from hospitals and clinics.  

[rc1]

16 hours ago, Stevejm said:

So you expect the waiter to break the rules because you think they are illogical? Classic entitled arrogant expat behavior. What happens if the waiter’s boss sees him and fires him?Google mask rules in Singapore. They are not so different and there is a $10k fine/ 6 months in prison penalty . 

You think the waiter could be fired for that? On what grounds?

The  customer was the one taking off the mask, not the waiter.

In Singapore, there is no longer an outdoor mask mandate and it's also always been an authoritarian state, don't see your point.