Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Thailand’s top epidemiologist warns against shortening quarantine
Thailand’s top epidemiologist has repeatedly warned against opening Thailand back up to tourism. Now that health officials have started a 1-month study to determine if the mandatory quarantine period can be cut down to 10 days, the doctor is once again warning health officials.
Thira Woratanarat, from the Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, wrote on his Facebook page saying health officials should stick with the 14 day quarantine period. He says reducing the mandatory quarantine period could lead to local transmissions, and possibly another outbreak.
Health officials have upped Covid-19 testing at quarantine facilities to determine if the mandatory isolation period should be shortened from 14 to 10 days. Health officials initially tested people twice, first around the start of the quarantine and then around the end. Now people will be tested 3 times, on arrival, again on day 9 or 10 and then a third time on day 13 or 14.
The study ends on January 15. After the study, health officials with the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will review the results and determine if the quarantine period should be reduced to 10 days.
Thira called for the study to stop. He warns that any misstep taken when opening up the borders could lead to another lockdown for several months.
SOURCE: Pattaya News
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The birthday party of Techin Ploypetch, better known as “DJ Matoom”, is now considered a super-spreader source of Covid-19, with 19 people already found infected after attending the event. According the CCSA spokesperson during the daily briefing today, “Transmissions in Bangkok should be highlighted. They show the possibility of a person becoming a super-spreader”.
The birth of the super spreader birthday party started with a guest to the DJ’s party who had visited a well-known entertainment venue in Chiang Mai between January 1 and 4. He sought a Covid-19 test on January 5 following news that infected people had visited the pub, but tested negative. He should have self quarantined for 14 days, but he still flew to Bangkok and then attended the DJ celebrity’s birthday party on January 9.
DJ Matoom says he met the guest, one of his friend, on January 9, but that friend didn’t know he was infected until January 19 in which he told Matoom.
According to Dr Tanarak Plipat, now acting inspector-general of the Public Health Ministry, an infected person can transmit disease to two others on average, while a “super spreader” will transmit to multiple people.
DJ Matoom and the party’s guest were criticised of violating the disease control measures.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
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Thailand’s tourism officials have a new idea to draw in visitors: film production. The Tourism and Sports Ministry is aiming to generate around 3 billion baht from foreign film crews and is targeting projects with an investment over 100 million baht, hoping to compensate for the loss of revenue due to the lack of international tourists during the coronavirus pandemic.
Foreign tourism revenue drastically dropped nearly 83% in 2020, going from nearly 40 million tourists in 2019 to only 6.7 million tourists in 2020.
The tourism department’s director-general Anant Wongbenjarat says that Thailand welcomed 176 international film productions to the country last year, generating 1.73 billion baht for the local economy. But this is a sharp decrease compared to the previous year where the 740 foreign film crews generated 4.86 billion baht.
In August, the CCSA decided to grant special entry permission to film productions. 53 film production projects were based in Thailand during August and December, contributing 1.14 billion baht to the economy. Those entering Thailand must still undergo a 14 day quarantine.
“International productions can proceed and generate income for locals despite the tourism slowdown.”
Anant also says there are 4 more film production projects underway, and it is forecasted to generate 186 million baht, bringing the total to 57 projects. In the first half of this year, there will be nine more productions expected to come in and help create at least 800 jobs for locals.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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As fear over new variants of Covid-19 had prompted the travel restrictions to tighten worldwide, the United States biotech firm Moderna announced that its vaccine should protect against the variants identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Latest studies on the efficacy of Moderna vaccines confirmed that the vaccines are effective and protective against new variants. The company will continue more tests adding a second booster of its vaccine, bringing to 3 shots in a total.
“We are encouraged by these new data, which reinforce our confidence that the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine should be protective against these newly detected variants.”
Last month, a private hospital in Bangkok advertised pre-orders for the Moderna vaccine, which still needs approval from Thailand’s FDA. Thailand’s Department of Health Service Support demanded that the hospital remove the advertisements.
In the ads, the hospital was charging 4,000 baht for a booking of the vaccine. In the post the hospital said the vaccine would arrive in Thailand in October 2021. They also announced that the vaccine would cost 6,000-10,000 baht.
Health officials say private hospitals will be allowed to administer vaccines that are approved by the FDA. So far, the Thai government has only approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use. The first batch of 50,000 doses are expected to arrive next month. Frontline health care workers and vulnerable groups in high risk areas will be first to receive the vaccine.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Issan John
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 1:16 pm
Those who’ll put up with being quarantined for 10 days will almost certainly put up with being quarantined for 14, so even if the risk is low after 10 (rather than minimal after 14) what’s the point?
Similarly, those for whom 14 days is too much aren’t likely to go for 10, so, again, what’s the point?
Ted
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 1:31 pm
Agree! Zero days or let it be.
Mike Frenchie
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 1:17 pm
The last four days are completely useless… 99.9% of the infection are identified before the day 8! This guy has his paycheck provided by the government contrarily to the million of Thais having lost everything and queueing for charity free food! One of my friend had a guy jumping from a rooftop and landing under her windows last week… But yeah, everything is rosy in Thailand!
Issan John
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 3:49 pm
… and the source for that “99.9%” is what, exactly?
Looking at just those testing positive during ASQ reported here, that’s very, very wide of the mark.
Hopefully you’ll prove me wrong, but somehow I doubt it …..
Mike Frenchie
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 4:07 pm
The boss of Minor group in a recent interview (on Thaiger)… Only three cases in his hotels after the first test (after 5-6 days) and his group hosts thousands of quarantined people.
Jack Sombra
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 5:00 pm
By thai governments own data last time they talked about dropping to 10 days, it would increase risk by 0.001%. So he actually over estimated inceased risk by huge amount
Rasputin
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 1:41 pm
He is absolutely correct, and should be listened to. Is Thailand prepared to accept the shutdowns and onerous restrictions the West is currently experiencing, if he is ignored? I think not. The first people in would unlikely to be the ‘quality’ tourist Thailand professes it wants to attract. They would of course, be the highly motivated sex tourists, who have ‘gone without’ for a year or more. The very idea of such people social distancing and following the rules is hilarious in the extreme, to put it mildly. I guess we must wait and see, if you are under any doubt how quickly the situation can change for the worse, take a look at Germany (once the shining example of Europe).
Khao Lak
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 2:35 pm
it’s always good to be careful – but it’s also nice to have enough food, I don’t know what is better for Thai people: to get Covid possibly oder to starve for sure.
besides: not all tourists coming to Thailand are sex tourists!
Rasputin
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 8:17 pm
Of course there are some travelers who are not coming to entertain the ladies of the night, but every time I have traveled here on business, 95% of the aeroplane seats were occupied by single older men. It can’t escape your notice that Pattaya’s entertainment industry is undeniably targeted at these aeroplane’s passenger list either, just stating the obvious, not moralising.
Issan John
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 3:59 pm
Agreed, Rasputin. The idea of everybody being “sensible”, doing what’s “reasonable ” and “following the rules” when they can get away with it is, sadly, anything but funny.
In the UK the informed estimate (from SAGE) is that barely 20% self-quarantine when returning from abroad or ‘track ‘n’ traced’ (in the unlikely event the UK’s t’n’ t works).
Robert Elliot
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 10:03 pm
I agree the type of tourist you mention are probably the ones most desperate to get back. The end of this pandemic is in site, Thailand has avoided the worst of it, why loosen restrictions now.
Mister Stretch
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 2:54 pm
Even with the 14 days we currently require, there have still been cases that seem to have incubated over a longer period of time.
14 days is prudent. Relaxing now and possibly igniting another firestorm of cases is not.
Thailand has been reasonably successful in keeping this thing under wraps, with the exception of a bunch of bar girls in Burma.
I feel safe here…and think the 14-day restriction should remain in place.
Better safe than sorry.
Michael
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 6:26 pm
“incubated over a longer period of time.”
Are you sure about that? People who tested positive after the 14 days did they bring the virus from abroad or were they infected when staying in the ASQ? I also heard about the medical staff that got infected, so the way they work there is not 100% safe.
Mister Stretch
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 1:00 pm
Yes, I am reasonably sure of that.
There have been a couple of cases, here in Thailand, that seems to be explained no other way. One was a footballer, some months ago, and the other was a woman that the gov’t determined hadn’t been in contact with an active case during in the previous 15 days.
Not being an epidemiologist, I refer to what I read.
Mike Frenchie
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 1:56 am
You are safe until a starving guy may target your gold necklace (example)… high poverty is always triggering crimes – people do not starve without doing something… (i.e. the motorbike drivers at the corner of my street are only eating one lunch out of two… very sad for these poor guys)
Remo
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 8:45 pm
China has fooled the world with this 14 day incubation period and 4% case fatality rate.
Since then we have learnt that the incubation period is 2-5 days , and the real fatalty rate is about 0.3-0.6%.
It is so ridiculous that the WHO and many countries still believe these old Chinese lies.
Khao Lak
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 3:35 am
that’s it
Nick
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 8:50 pm
Thira Woratanarat hates tourist and
foreigners, everybody knows, if up to him Thailand should never open their borders again.
Ben
Friday, December 18, 2020 at 11:51 pm
Vaccination in the west has started and by the end of March most that want it will have it. Most countries will begin to open up fully to the vaccinated and Thailand will have to follow or risk looking foolish.
Suggest they think about the solutions needed to attract who they want to attract after vaccination. An area that needs attention is the red tape tourists have to navigate which needs to be streamlined. I saw an article that Thailand will bring back the 30 day stamp (hopefully 45 days going forward) and not require a visa for countries like the USA and UK which is a step in the right direction.
Nothing will happen in the next 3 months that’ll make a significant difference in their numbers.
London Al
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 6:30 pm
Quite right, it’s the vaccine coupled with testing which will open the unquarantined doors, on that basis as you say it will be slow return but that’s probably a good thing and just a few tourists will perk everyone up in Samui, Phuket, Pattaya, Hua Hin, etc
Ian
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 1:03 am
I just find it so unbelievable that once again its people in quarantine never anybody out on the streets that has covid lol
This guy’s prob got shares in the quarantine hotels
London Al
Saturday, December 19, 2020 at 5:27 pm
The Thai government want tourists back, of course they do, it’s not about whether they’re sex tourists or golf tourists or whatever, it’s about them spending money and getting the economy going again, what they rightly don’t want is tourists bringing Covid to Thailand after they’ve done such a great job keeping it to a minimum.
The answer is the vaccine coupled with testing, in order for someone like me to slip through the net I would have to be in the 6 to 10% for whom the vaccine doesn’t work, I would then have to contract Covid (in UK well over 99% of the population don’t have it), then I would have to be in the 30% who are asymptomatic, then I would have to produce 3 consecutive false negative tests in 2 different countries (1 in UK, 2 in BKK).
The odds of all this happening run into millions to one and if the Thai government see it this way then there is no reason why a fully vaccinated and tested person can’t visit Thailand without quarantine, maybe as soon as February, I hope so.