Thailand reports 1,919 COVID-19 cases, 31 new deaths

[webfact]

REUTERS FILE PHOTO for reference only

 

Thailand on Tuesday (May 11) reported 1,919 new COVID-19 cases, and 31 additional deaths.
 
Tuesday’s cases bring the total number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand to 86,924 with 452 deaths. 

 

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[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Thailand reported 31 new COVID deaths on Tuesday, matching its pandemic high, along with 1,919 new cases, bringing the nation's total to 86,924 cases and 452 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Tuesday's reported death toll matched the prior high of 31 on May 3.

 

Tuesday's results continued a relatively consistent trend for Thailand of the past two weeks, with daily new COVID cases typically bouncing just above or below the 2,000 mark, but not establishing a clear broader trend either upward or downward.

 

Part of Tuesday's results included the news that 1,829 patients had been released from some type of hospital facility, which also continued another typical occurrence of daily new cases, such as Tuesday's 1,919 number, outstripping the daily numbers of those recovered, meaning total hospitalizations have remained high.

 

Under the Thai government's policy, anyone testing positive for COVID is required to be quarantined in some kind of hospital facility (regular hospital, makeshift field hospital or hotel-hospital room) until they're judged to have recovered and no long be contagious. 

 

As of Tuesday, that number stood at 29,435, with 1,207 of those listed in critical condition, close to the highest number ever, and 390 of the critical group also requiring ventilators to breathe, also close to the highest number ever.  The number of COVID critical patients in Thailand has more than doubled over the past 15 days.

 

Total COVID hospitalizations in Thailand peaked at just above 30,000 on May 4 and 5, but since then have marked six consecutive days in the 29,000+ range.

 

"Compared to the first and the second waves, the current wave is actually more prolonged with higher numbers of infections," said government spokesman Natapanu Nopakun. "And while the situation may look a bit stable, the number of new infections is not yet declining."

 

"But to look at it on the nationwide, countrywide level, we have seen an increasing number of provinces without new confirmed cases. So...the situation seems to be towards the side of improving a little bit. But infections of course are still concentrated in the hotspot, which is Bangkok and the vicinity... And fortunately in the past day, no new clusters were found in Bangkok."

 

 

 

The second chart below shows the subtotals for several key statistics for Thailand's third wave COVID outbreak that began at the start of April. Since then, the country has recorded 58,061 new cases (in orange) and 358 COVID deaths (in black).

 

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/informationcovid19/posts/322916102660054

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

The Ministry of Public Health graphic below shows Thailand reporting 1,829 COVID patients have been released from hospitalization for the latest day, meaning that number once again was exceeded by the daily new case tally at 1,919, thus hospitalizations remain high.

 

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Graphics below show the latest rolling seven-day averages for Thailand's daily COVID cases and deaths, as of the latest May 9 update. Public health officials often look to the rolling seven day average figures, because they tend to show broader trends and mask the typical daily fluctuations that occur in case reporting.

 

As of May 9, Thailand's daily averages of new COVID cases remained below the record levels of late April, when Thailand set single day pandemic new case records of 2,839 and 2,438 on April 24 and 25, respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Malaysia declares nationwide lockdown as COVID-19 cases spike

 

Malaysia on Monday imposed a new nationwide lockdown, as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases and highly infectious variants that the government said are testing its health system.

 

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said all inter-state and inter-district travel will be banned, along with social gatherings.

 

Educational institutions will be shut but economic sectors will be allowed to continue, Muhyiddin said, without elaborating.

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/malaysia-declares-nationwide-lockdown-as-covid-19-cases-spike/

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

 

 

 

[ThailandRyan]

You have to wonder if these numbers include the new clusters being found in Chiang Mai as well as the other areas or if they are awaiting confirmation to list them. The deaths as I stated in another OP are a big worry as this is now the second time we have had 31 deaths in the past 8 days.  It does not seem to be subsiding as some would hope or state.  The number of tests is also a concern, as they are supposedly ramping up testing, but what is the issue with stopping testing in some other areas.  Is it a lack of testing personnel or tests themselves.  Why does it also take a few days, 4 from what I am seeing, from the date of test to date of confirmation. If someone tests and then is allowed to roam freely for the next 3 days until the results come in, like my GF's ex and his family, then this thing will keep spreading.  Once tested the folks should know quickly, or else its a true S...storm

[ExpatOilWorker]

TallGuy, since you are following this so closely can you comment on hospital bed space again?

Last time we look at this 900 people were hospitalized in serious condition.  Now that number is 1,400 and counting. 

Are we about to run out of hospital capacity?

[dinsdale]

Closing in on Finland which is no.97 on worldometer. Tomorrow or the day after will see Thailand take this spot.

Edited May 11, 2021 by dinsdale

[robblok]

Just now, ThailandRyan said:

You have to wonder if these numbers include the new clusters being found in Chiang Mai as well as the other areas or if they are awaiting confirmation to list them. The deaths as I stated in another OP are a big worry as this is now the second time we have had 31 deaths in the past 8 days.  It does not seem to be subsiding as some would hope or state.  The number of tests is also a concern, as they are supposedly ramping up testing, but what is the issue with stopping testing in some other areas.  Is it a lack of testing personnel or tests themselves.  Why does it also take a few days, 4 from what I am seeing, from the date of test to date of confirmation. If someone tests and then is allowed to roam freely for the next 3 days until the results come in, like my GF's ex and his family, then this thing will keep spreading.  Once tested the folks should know quickly, or else its a true S...storm

I seen the problems first hand, at my GF her company they had 10 people who had covid (some serious too one in ICU). But only 1 was counted as he had the second test from the goverment to confirm. Basically they won't count a test unless a second test has been done by the government. Its a easy way to keep numbers low. 

[JonnyF]

Amazing how consistent the numbers are.

 

It's almost as if they are being managed to ensure they are high enough to scare people into taking the required precautions, but not so high as to lose face in the international community and jeopardize a quick return of tourism.

 

I wonder what the real numbers are.

 

[wasabi]

Covid Test booked for Sunday. Flight booked for the following Tuesday. Assuming all goes well I'm looking forward to my vaccine vacation in America where I can walk in to any pharmacy and have my choice of vaccines opposed to bizarre app sign ups and multiple conflicting messages about who what and when is happening here as far as vaccination. I'll be back when they get their act together. 

 

[ThailandRyan]

Just now, wasabi said:

Covid Test booked for Sunday. Flight booked for the following Tuesday. Assuming all goes well I'm looking forward to my vaccine vacation in America where I can walk in to any pharmacy and have my choice of vaccines opposed to bizarre app sign ups and multiple conflicting messages about who what and when is happening here as far as vaccination. I'll be back when they get their act together. 

 

Tell us how it goes and what the return time is.

[Bkk Brian]

4 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Amazing how consistent the numbers are.

 

It's almost as if they are being managed to ensure they are high enough to scare people into taking the required precautions, but not so high as to lose face in the international community and jeopardize a quick return of tourism.

 

I wonder what the real numbers are.

 

Its was also a public holiday for officials yesterday so testing would have been limited by that. Real numbers are far beyond this thats for sure.

Edited May 11, 2021 by Bkk Brian

[AnnieSeek]

Porous borders from Myanmar - which in turn is porous from India - is causing these outbreaks in SE Asia. 

 

The porous borders from Mynanmar aren't controlled. 

 

Singapore and Hong Kong are very lucky they are islands. 

 

These new variants in Thailand are coming from India - which up till last month was open to the world. 

[ThailandRyan]

Just now, Bkk Brian said:

Its was also a public holiday for officials yesterday so testing would have been limited by that.

Royal ploughing day. They are sure to plow through the numbers today then, well hopefully.

[wasabi]

1 minute ago, ThailandRyan said:

Tell us how it goes and what the return time is.

 

I made the appointment yesterday and they still had good availability. Plane tickets were required to make the appointment. I'm going to Bangkok Hospital in Bangkok. I was told if my wife and I arrive around 8:00 am we will have same day results for our PCR tests. One way tickets from BKK to SFO were only $550 per person. Fortunately we have a place to live cheaply in the area so not a bad outlay of cost except Som Tam prices will triple. I'm thinking we will return in 6 months to a year.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

22 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

TallGuy, since you are following this so closely can you comment on hospital bed space again?

Last time we look at this 900 people were hospitalized in serious condition.  Now that number is 1,400 and counting. 

Are we about to run out of hospital capacity?

 

A government spokesman yesterday said they have enough space, but they haven't released a specific breakdown of hospital bed utilization, especially for ICU and the like, for some days...  And in the news yesterday, we had officials in Phuket saying they were running out of available ICU beds, and Bangkok opened an ICU expansion at Rajavithi Hospital.  So try to read the tea leaves.

 

[Bkk Brian]

23 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

TallGuy, since you are following this so closely can you comment on hospital bed space again?

Last time we look at this 900 people were hospitalized in serious condition.  Now that number is 1,400 and counting. 

Are we about to run out of hospital capacity?

Not sure if you've read this thread posted at the weekend on how hard it is to find a hospital bed when you've tested positive, well worth a read on the difficulties from a real farang case

 

 

[mancub]

9 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Amazing how consistent the numbers are.

 

It's almost as if they are being managed to ensure they are high enough to scare people into taking the required precautions, but not so high as to lose face in the international community and jeopardize a quick return of tourism.

 

I wonder what the real numbers are.

 

Agree, scare people enough that they follow orders without being seen to enforce lockdowns, however don't trust them to self-isolate at home !

[anchadian]

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27340/major-hurdles-remain-for-thailands-vaccine-drive/

 

The government of Prayut Chan-ocha has finally prioritized vaccinations as a means to stop the pandemic but major hurdles remain to inoculate the population including production concerns and vaccination capacity, a source told Thai Enquirer on Tuesday.

 

The government’s previous lethargy in vaccine acquisition and distribution has meant that the majority of Thais have not been inoculated leaving the Prayut administration to play catch up.

 

The original plan to rely mostly on locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines has been amended and the Ministry of Public Health have aggressively pursued importations of other vaccines over the last fortnight.

Edited May 11, 2021 by anchadian

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Scenes of the public health minister inspecting work underway at Challenger Hall in Muang Thong Thani in Nonthaburi province to open what could become Thailand's largest COVID patients field hospital later this month, complete with cardboard hospital beds. The facility is slated to open with capacity for 1,200, and have the ability to expand up to several thousand in total.

 

Because of recently begun ramped up outreach testing for COVID in Bangkok aimed at identifying and quashing emerging outbreaks of the virus, Thai public health officials have been planning for the prospect that they might need 1,300+ new hospital beds per week to keep with the potential crush of new positive cases.

 

But those kinds of numbers have not been showing up yet, as total COVID hospitalizations in Thailand peaked at just above 30,000 in early May, and since then have marked five consecutive days of sub-30,000 totals.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1670202273165985&id=470988516420706

 

Edited May 11, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[ThailandRyan]

6 minutes ago, anchadian said:

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27340/major-hurdles-remain-for-thailands-vaccine-drive/

 

The government of Prayut Chan-ocha has finally prioritized vaccinations as a means to stop the pandemic but major hurdles remain to inoculate the population including production concerns and vaccination capacity, a source told Thai Enquirer on Tuesday.

A source, but nothing officially from his cabinet in an announcement.  Let's see what truly occurs.  I read another article in the BP that one of the reasons talks with pharmaceutical companies for the vaccine is a signature form indicating that the company can not be held liable for damages incurred from use of the product. Pfizer and Moderna are asking for immunity from liability if something unintentionally goes wrong with their vaccines.

Edited May 11, 2021 by ThailandRyan

[Susco]

17 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Amazing how consistent the numbers are.

 

It's almost as if they are being managed to ensure they are high enough to scare people into taking the required precautions, but not so high as to lose face in the international community and jeopardize a quick return of tourism.

 

I wonder what the real numbers are.

 

 

Didn't you read it when they said they had it under control?

 

What they meant was they control the published numbers

[DavisH]

13 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Its was also a public holiday for officials yesterday so testing would have been limited by that. Real numbers are far beyond this thats for sure.

Civil servants don;t necessarily get the day off - especially not during a pandemic. My wife worked yesterday and works 6 days a week now because of the pandemic. I doubt the numbers are reflecting holiday or weekend effects, unlike other countries, where its quite obvious from the graphs. But we don't see that effect in our daily cases. 

[Bkk Brian]

1 minute ago, DavisH said:

Civil servants don;t necessarily get the day off - especially not during a pandemic. My wife worked yesterday and works 6 days a week now because of the pandemic. I doubt the numbers are reflecting holiday or weekend effects, unlike other countries, where its quite obvious from the graphs. But we don't see that effect in our daily cases. 

Take a look at 1st May labour day weekend here in Thailand and look at huge decrease in cases

[Bkk Brian]

6 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

A source, but nothing officially from his cabinet in an announcement.  Let's see what truly occurs.  I read another article in the BP that one of the reasons talks with pharmaceutical companies for the vaccine is a signature form indicating that the company can not be held liable for damages incurred from use of the product. Pfizer and Moderna are asking for immunity from liability if something unintentionally goes wrong with their vaccines.

Also from that article:

 

However, a senior source within the Ministry of Public Health told Thai Enquirer on Tuesday that there has been a problem scaling up production within Siam Bioscience and initial reports suggest that the company will not be able to produce half the expected number of vaccines by June.

“They’re having problems scaling up their operations so whatever the estimate is right now for June, the number they produce wont be half of that,” the source said on condition of anonymity.

 

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27340/major-hurdles-remain-for-thailands-vaccine-drive/

[DLock]

If Thailand was doing a stellar job with testing, you can be sure we would hear about it every day.

 

The UK reported they did 1.3million COVID tests yesterday and do excellent summaries. Considering where the UK and Thailand were just 3 months ago, this is incredible.

 

https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk

 

Reports suggest Thailand is doing 10,000 - 16,000 tests per day, mostly in hot spots or hospital walk-ins, which, if correct, would be a 12.5 - 20% positive infection rate.

 

Whatever Thailand is doing, it's the bare minimum and could be greatly improved...or is there a reason?

[Blumpie]

14 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Scenes of the public health minister inspecting work underway at Challenger Hall in Muang Thong Thani to open what may become Thailand's largest COVID patients field hospital later this month, complete with cardboard hospital beds.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1670202273165985&id=470988516420706

 

Absolutely brutal.

What kind of drugs do these people have to be on?

[FarFlungFalang]

21 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

Its was also a public holiday for officials yesterday so testing would have been limited by that. Real numbers are far beyond this thats for sure.

Just wondering if the daily results show one days testing or are they all jumbled up and only released as positive after confirmation has been completed?I have been wondering if these are in fact daily infections or just daily confirmed reported cases as they come to hand?