torsdag 3 mars 2022

THAILAND NEWS TODAY Thailand backs UN resolution against Russia’s invasion Click the link to watch a video: https://youtu.be/bStLjrHO4mY The Thaiger



Bang Saen Beach - Chonburi of 1950 Source: Tip Thailand Forum



Rumblings of New Lockdown Grow with Songkran Cancellation, Continued Nightlife Ban Likely. Thailand’s public health officials are rumbling again about lockdowns and are ruling out Songkran celebrations and fully reopening the country’s nightlife until summer as they warn about Covid-19 cases surging to 100,000 a day. 3 March 2022. Bangkok Herald


Thailand Lockdown Coronavirus Covid-19

Thailand's public health officials are rumbling again about lockdowns and are ruling out Songkran celebrations and fully reopening the country's nightlife until summer as they warn about Covid-19 cases surging to 100,000 a day.

"I understand many people are fatigued with Covid-19 restrictions and just want to live their lives but now is not the time to drop our guard," one ministry official told a Thai media outlet Wednesday. "The government is apprehensive about letting Songkran go full tilt given what happened last year so they want to contain this by the end of March."

The Department of Disease Control warned this week that daily Covid-19 cases could reach 100,000 by mid-April unless disease-control measures are following more strictly.

Daily cases, including results of antigen tests, have hovered just under 50,000 for the past week. On Thursday, the Public Health Ministry reported 47,055 new cases, 23,618 of which were confirmed with RT-PCR tests. The ministry also reported 49 deaths and a testing positivity rate of 27%.

Ministry officials believe actual numbers are much higher, as infections caused by the coronavirus omicron variant are largely asymptomatic. The ministry said Wednesday that 95% of all cases now exhibit either no or only mild symptoms.

So why worry? And certainly why lock down or keep Thailand under excessive restrictions? Health officials argue that, while only 5% of cases may be moderate or severe, 5% of a large number like 100,000 a day is still a great deal of people flooding into Thailand's hospitals.

That 5% could effectively collapse the health care system if the ministry's worst-case scenario comes true.

Thailand Covid-19 Coronavirus Hospital Testing-1

So, lower-level public-health bureaucrats are again talking restrictions and lockdowns, specifically the closure of bars masquerading as "restaurants", and the sale of alcohol anywhere except retail stores.

The big problem is that the pace of vaccinations in Thailand has slowed to a fifth of what it was at its peak. More than 10 million eligible Thais remain completely unvaccinated and 85% have not received a booster.

If new controls are imposed and the government can double its current vaccination rate to more than 400,000 jabs a day again, confirmed omicron cases could be kept to 27,000 or less.

Critical cases, seen growing to 3,200 a day by the first week of May, could be capped at 1,000 a day if "strict" controls are imposed, bureaucrats argue. Deaths, seen rising to 140 a day by early May, could be halved by restrictions on society.

And there's no chance the full legal reopening of bars, clubs, karaoke and other nightlife venues will happen before May. Ministry officials said projected early May numbers above would double if nightlife fully reopened.

Of course, girls are dancing fully nude in Soi Cowboy and Phuket go-go bars, after-hours clubs like Penny Black are going until 3 a.m. and Bangkok hotel discos are pumping while Soi 11 remains largely dark. So it's clear the "closure" of bars and nightlife is a farce and a joke.

Nightlife is already open, save for the very biggest venues. And the cacophony of voices calling on Thailand to end the charade and just reopen fully once and for all is growing.

Thailand Pass Test Go Tourists Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok-

Hotel and tourism industry representatives meeting at the "Thailand Tourism Leadership Summit" on March 1 called for the reduction of excessive preventive procedures and making travel to Thailand as simple as possible.

They want to see tourists needing only a vaccination certificate and pre-flight RT-PCR test to enter Thailand. The buggy Thailand Pass system, Covid-19 insurance, tracking applications, quarantine and on-arrival tests should be scrapped.

Minor International Chairman William Heinecke stated that the Thai government should immediately cancel the "Test & Go" in order to "fully open the country".

"Now many potential tourists have laid an eye on Thailand but the government still makes it difficult to travel to, despite the fact Covid-19 is widespread in the country and these entry measures do very little," Heinecke said.


The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 1,217 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today with three new deaths, March 3rd, 2022. Pattaya News

Chonburi announces 1,217 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 and three new deaths

Highlights:

  • 1,217 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Chonburi today

  • 1,929 positive ATK (rapid antigen) tests were reported but all require a second confirmed PCR test before being counted as official cases. The ATK positive tests are just "possible" cases until confirmed by PCR.
  • 884 (PCR) and 702 (ATK) recovered and were released from medical care

  • Three new deaths

The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 1,217 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today with three new deaths, March 3rd, 2022.

This makes a total of 43,727 cases (PCR) and 33,710 cases (ATK) of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 12,587 (PCR) and 14,755 (ATK) people still under medical care/supervision, and with a total of 53 recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections at the beginning of this year, January 2022.

Additionally, 825 (PCR) and 702 (ATK) people were also released and recovered yesterday in Chonburi. 31,083 (PCR) and 18,955 (ATK) people in total have now been released from medical care and recovered in Chonburi since this current wave of Covid-19 began at the beginning of this year, January 2022.

Five people were listed as being in serious condition in Chonburi currently, either on a ventilator or pneumonia. Two of them were not vaccinated. According to the Chonburi Department of Public Health, the vast majority of recent cases are mild or asymptomatic, 99.2% percent in total.

The three new deaths were at the age of 61, 65, and 85 with personal health problems and pre-existing conditions. Two of them were not vaccinated.

In total, 1,986,560 people in Pattaya and Chonburi have received their first dose of a Covid -19 vaccine which is 85.29 percent of the total Chonburi population. Of those, 304,961 have received their first dose and are what the Thai government calls 608 groups (elders, have chronic health problems, and pregnant) which is 82.44 percent of those in these risk groups in Chonburi.

820,690 people have received their triple dose which is 35.24 percent of the total Chonburi population. Of those, 139,609 are 608 groups which are 37.74 percent of those in these risk groups in Chonburi.

The district-level new cases were as follows today:

Mueang Chonburi 265, Si Racha 331, Banglamung (Pattaya) 294, Panat Nikhom 9, Sattahip 60, Ban Bueng 43, Phan Thong 81, ฺBor Thong 13, Ko Chan 15, Nong Yai 19, and 87 people transferred from other provinces for medical care.

The details on the cases are as follows:

  1. Work and stayed in Rayong, transferred from other provinces for medical care, 57 cases
  2. Cluster Mitsubishi Electric Consumer Products company in Mueang Chonburi, 5 cases
  3. Cluster, Vanda Pac company in Mueang Chonburi, 5 cases
  4. Cluster, Fujitsu General company in Si Racha, 3 cases
  5. Risky occupations meeting many people, 15 cases
  6. 28 medical personnel
  7. 15 back from other provinces from Bangkok (6), Chachoengsao (4), Samut Prakan (2), Chiangmai(1), Nonthaburi (1) and Petchaburi (1)
  8. Close contacts from previously confirmed cases in families – 222 cases, in workplaces –166 cases, close personal contacts – 69 cases, and joined a party – 6 case
  9. 549 cases close contacts of a confirmed patient (under investigation)