British tourist fighting for life in Thailand feared to be first western victim of mystery Chinese coronavirus

[impulse]

5 minutes ago, randymarsh said:

I've never heard of thermal surveillance before.  How does it work?  Is it just a fancy word for checking someone's temperature, or is it the futuristic scanning of literally everyone in the airport robocop style like I hope it is.

 

They install thermal cameras at forehead level and check your temperature as you're walking through.  You've probably seen it before and just not noticed.  Usually, the camera monitors aren't manned unless there's a warning so they're pretty easy to miss.

 

Edit:  A few times in China during SARS and swine flu, the whole airplane was kept in their seats while a health care crew used an infrared thermometer to check everyone's forehead temperature.  Once everyone was checked, we were allowed to deplane.  Took about 15-20 extra minutes.  I don't want to think about what would have happened had anyone onboard shown a fever.

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by impulse

[randymarsh]

You mean through passport control?  I always thought that was just a regular camera taking my photo

[impulse]

1 minute ago, randymarsh said:

You mean through passport control?  I always thought that was just a regular camera taking my photo

 

 

Usually before passport control in China airports, but I'm not sure where they'd put them in BKK.  Look for a sign indicating "quarantine" or something like that.  I've even seen them scanning at entrance doors in Thai hospitals during some international epidemics.

[simon43]

5 hours ago, TheDark said:

 

Special seaplane from Phi-Phi to neighbouring island of Phuket.  Ok..

 

Nope - the news article says seaplane from Phuket to Bangkok (Bumrungrad Hospital).  I assume it landed on the dirty canal near to the hospital ????

[tomazbodner]

No, before passport control, as you're walking towards passport control, there are large cameras that look like having 20 cm lenses at the front. They scan the image in temperature and on the screen of operator there are colours from green to red - anyone in red has fever and is stopped and taken aside. Issue with this method is that you could be infected but not develop symptoms yet, so you would appear green on the screen.

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by tomazbodner

[randymarsh]

5 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

No, before passport control, as you're walking towards passport control, there are large cameras that look like having 20 cm lenses at the front. They scan the image in temperature and on the screen of operator there are colours from green to red - anyone in red has fever and is stopped and taken aside. Issue with this method is that you could be infected but not develop symptoms yet, so you would appear green on the screen.

Thanks. Can't picture this at all though.  I don't think I've ever been scanned? Or is everybody scanned?

[randymarsh]

My instinct on this story btw is that its fake news.  No good sources.  The guys in Phuket and young, the vaping idea sounds more likely. 

[stevenl]

22 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Which is more important, getting him to a better equipped hospital a little faster, or keeping up his treatment enroute, while not bouncing him around on a speedboat for a couple of hours?  

 

Once again...  I don't know.  I wasn't there, and it's not my job anyway.  Fortunately, there are people who do that for a living.

 

I wasn't there as well, but the people who do this for a living seem to agree with me. Speedboat ( I presume) to Phuket, seaplane from there to Bangkok.

[stevenl]

5 minutes ago, randymarsh said:

Thanks. Can't picture this at all though.  I don't think I've ever been scanned? Or is everybody scanned?

Scanning only if there are specific reasons, like now.

[impulse]

11 minutes ago, stevenl said:

I wasn't there as well, but the people who do this for a living seem to agree with me. Speedboat ( I presume) to Phuket, seaplane from there to Bangkok.

 

Gotta wonder why they'd need a seaplane to go from one international airport to another...

 

Perhaps a generic term for air ambulance?

 

Edit:  Or is the island considered part of Phuket province?

 

Edited January 20, 2020 by impulse

[tomazbodner]

6 minutes ago, randymarsh said:

Thanks. Can't picture this at all though.  I don't think I've ever been scanned? Or is everybody scanned?

In HK and when there's someone at the counter at BKK, yes, everyone is scanned. They are watching the oncoming "traffic" of people towards passport control. Anyone in red stands out. In HK it's at the end of corridor towards immigration, just where the escalator from the train underground gets to arrival floor. There are several cameras and several staff at each side with large screens in front of them, and they see "colours" coming from at least 50m away. In Swampy the cameras are mounted above counters just as you turn into immigration hall from the long corridors, after the Duty Free shop. But for the past several months, cameras were there, however monitors were off and nobody was manning the counters.

[impulse]

21 minutes ago, randymarsh said:

My instinct on this story btw is that its fake news.  No good sources.  The guys in Phuket and young, the vaping idea sounds more likely. 

 

I just know that if I ended up in a Thai hospital for doing something illegal, I'd keep my big trap shut and ride the wave of sympathy. 

 

It's also suspicious to have an epidemic of one... One that doesn't fit the demographic narrative, no less.

 

It will be interesting to see what they find.  I can't see the tourist authorities keeping a clean bill of health a secret if it works out that way.

 

[DrTuner]

All tourist spots with Chinese are now possible ground zeros for infection. Avoid if possible. 

[Dcheech]

K Phi Phi, I sure hope it has nothing to do with pest control, and bedbugs.

[kingofthemountain]

57 minutes ago, DrTuner said:

All tourist spots with Chinese are now possible ground zeros for infection. Avoid if possible. 

The chinese are all over the tourists spots in Thailand now

it's hard to avoid them.

For the westerners who are lucky enough to not be here yet

they still can avoid Thailand.

Anyway with the dramatic level of air pollution here

it's better for their health to not come

[Traubert]

1 hour ago, DrTuner said:

All tourist spots with Chinese are now possible ground zeros for infection. Avoid if possible. 

Good idea, time to go home to the land of the free. ????

[mike787]

All this may bolster the point tourists need medical insurance.  Regardless, hope he survives both the illness and costs.

[Roy Baht]

2 hours ago, Dcheech said:

K Phi Phi, I sure hope it has nothing to do with pest control, and bedbugs.

That's right. Two Canadian girls died on Phi Phi of suspected phosphine poisoning. But that doesn't lead to pneumonia-like symptoms. Just death and brain lesions.

[Somtamnication]

All airports and ports of entry should be scanned. This is NOT happening.

[Jaggg88]

13 hours ago, TheDark said:

Also, there was no mention, if the person has been to Wuhan region, which is the most important information in this case. 

More likely has he been in contact with other tourists here who are from that region.

[gk10002000]

14 hours ago, ChipButty said:

Get well soon lad, I was told the other day in China they are screening people at the airport,

starting to screen in the USA also according to some news reports.  Reminds me of the bird flu over a decade ago?  Taiwan was scanning people's foreheads as I recall checking for temperature and possible infection?

[dinsdale]

14 hours ago, TheDark said:

Not about the money, but more of practicality. The story also said "He had to be ferried by specialised seaplane because his damaged lungs could not cope with high altitude travel.", which indicates that there are flights between these two islands.

 

I will believe this story only after it's been reported in more reliable news sources. 

 

Also, there was no mention, if the person has been to Wuhan region, which is the most important information in this case. 

Gotta keep up with the news. Now saying human to human transmission.

Edited January 21, 2020 by dinsdale

[Dcheech]

Just now, gk10002000 said:

starting to screen in the USA also according to some news reports.  Reminds me of the bird flu over a decade ago?  Taiwan was scanning people's foreheads as I recall checking for temperature and possible infection?

I flew in during the height of the SARS scare and Thailand was screening with infrared cameras. As that was at Don Muang, I can't recall where they placed them, but yes we had to walk by them.  Really cheap airfares June 03, though. Not many passengers either, great flight.

[ChrisY1]

14 hours ago, TheDark said:

Not about the money, but more of practicality. The story also said "He had to be ferried by specialised seaplane because his damaged lungs could not cope with high altitude travel.", which indicates that there are flights between these two islands.

 

I will believe this story only after it's been reported in more reliable news sources. 

 

Also, there was no mention, if the person has been to Wuhan region, which is the most important information in this case. 

Who really cares?.....

[AjarnMartin]

14 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

An impressive response from the medical services. 
 

Its good to see this response rather than ‘no insurance no hospital’ type approach... 

 

Even in unfortunate circumstances it’s good to see Thailand in a positive light in the news for a change. 

 

It’s probably because he DID have the necessary insurance cover, Richard... ❓❓ Hence the specialty evacuation... ????

[schlog]

Was this guy in Wuhan before he came to PhiPhi?

How many more tourists got it from him on PhiPhi?

How many infected runing around on Phuket now.

 

 

[gk10002000]

18 minutes ago, Dcheech said:

I flew in during the height of the SARS scare and Thailand was screening with infrared cameras. As that was at Don Muang, I can't recall where they placed them, but yes we had to walk by them.  Really cheap airfares June 03, though. Not many passengers either, great flight.

" In December 2017, "after years of searching across China, where the disease first emerged, researchers reported ... that they had found a remote cave in Yunnan province, which is home to horseshoe bats that carry a strain of a particular virus known as a coronavirus.

 

A quote from wiki discussing SARS and mentions coronavirus

[soalbundy]

10 hours ago, randymarsh said:

I've never heard of thermal surveillance before.  How does it work?  Is it just a fancy word for checking someone's temperature, or is it the futuristic scanning of literally everyone in the airport robocop style like I hope it is.

I had a British friend years ago who landed in the Uk after a holiday, totally stressed out due to business, walked very quickly and was stopped by UK airport police, the thermal imaging showed high temperature and they were worried about terrorism, (stress, nervousness = high temperature) he wasn't tested for an illness, he was questioned by the police, where had he been, where was he going, background check etc before he was allowed on his way.

[soalbundy]

should do wonders for tourism.

[car720]

15 hours ago, webfact said:

But it is feared the Chinese authorities are hiding the true scale of the problem.

Have to be careful with this one.  So far they have reported over 1700 cases.  Also, China is not the same country and system now as in 2003.