Thailand has been fighting the third wave of Covid-19 since April. Needless to say, everybody wants to see the country conquer the disease as quickly as possible.
The Bangkok Post spoke to Thais about their experience getting through this ordeal. They said they feared contracting the disease and wanted access to a safe, free, Covid-19 vaccine to build herd immunity, even if some were concerned about the vaccine's side effects.
Fear can't keep us out
A family physician in Trang, 28, who asked not to be named, said she had joined the government vaccine scheme and received her second jab on April 29.
She was worried about the side effects but decided to go ahead as she was responsible for a primary care unit, in which almost every patient had contact with her. She wants the government to vaccinate as many people as possible to gain herd immunity.
"I needed to get a jab to protect my patients in case I spread the virus, especially youngsters and elders," she said.
She also enjoyed travelling and many countries had started to require Covid-19 vaccine passports for entry, even if some countries in Europe might not accept certain vaccines.
"If they do not accept the vaccine I have, I will get a new one before I go there,'' she said.
An unemployed man, 27, who was treated for Covid-19, revealed his fears after he was infected.
He said he was diagnosed with the strain of virus first identified in the UK and was hospitalised from April 13-27 at a local governmental hospital in Nakhon Ratchasima.
"I was scared of dying as I started to develop pneumonia. My doctor did not talk much about the process to the extent she forgot to tell me my lungs were infected.
"When she finally told me I felt despair. I even cried in the bathroom that night because I was scared that I would not get the chance to see my mother again,'' he said.
Even though his body had now developed immunity, he wanted to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. However, he was looking at which type as some may have side effects.
Pandemic stigmatisation
This ex-patient said it was not only him affected by the pandemic, but also his family.
His family was labelled the "Covid family" by neighbours as they recognised his mother on a local news Facebook page.
"They posted a photo of my mother and my house. People in my area recognised my house and started to panic. Some even pressured my mother to quarantine and have a Covid-19 test," he said.
Returning from Bangkok on April 5, he decided to quarantine himself in an isolated house in a rural area, after he learned that a friend of his was infected.
"I was notified that I was infected on April 7. Luckily my mother did not come to meet me. However, it was unfair for my mother that she was nagged by others even though she was not involved," he said.
His mother owned a stall in the market. After news of his infection spread, no one was willing to buy her goods.
He was discharged from hospital on April 27.
However, his anxiety remained as the doctor did not do a post-Covid-19 test to ensure he was virus-free. Instead, the doctor suggested he spend another 14 days in quarantine at home.
"This time my whole family joined the quarantine with me as they came to pick me up at the hospital. We lived with fear for another 14 days," he said.
Types of fear
Bussabong Wisetpholchai, a health researcher working with the Klong Toey community, a recent virus hotspot, classified fear over the third Covid–19 wave into five categories: fear of infection and death, fear of rejection in the workplace, fear of being a spreader, fear of infecting a family member, and fear of causing death to people in frail health.
"The last group, especially mothers with new-borns, is the most concerning as the mother has developed an emotional attachment to her baby.
The mother must feed her children, which if she leaves home to buy goods puts her at risk of being infected. They would feel guilty if their children are infected as a result.
"In Thailand, many families have only one breadwinner, most are poor, and they have to risk their lives to feed the family.
"If the breadwinner is infected, everyone else can end up infected too.
"As they cannot protect themselves, the bug spreads further, as does people's fear."
Health and psychology were bound up together, she said.
The challenge for the government was not just tackling public fears, but also solving stigmatisation.
At the broad level, the government should look at whether social factors are affecting people.
"It should also ensure that every voice is heard," Ms Bussabong said.
Tackling fake news
Warat Karuchit, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) communications adviser, admitted communications during the third wave of the pandemic have occasionally lacked unity.
"In the first wave, we talked about protection, but now we have many issues such as hospitals, medication, vaccines, the national budget.
There are also more parties involved, so miscommunications have occurred.
"It is hard to speak in a single voice as we did during the first wave," he said.
He suggested people not prejudge or believe in information unless it comes from a reliable source.
"You do not need to praise the government but we would ask people to consider the national benefit and how to make the country move forward," he aid.
"It is the time to care about everyone around you."
Inga kommentarer:
Skicka en kommentar