Thread: Thailand's response to Covid

Originally Posted by Clark77

The planned October opening doesn't appear to be on the cards does it.

They're going to lose another full season. I can't see the Thai population being 60% vaccinated until at least Q2 of next year.

The figures are looking a little suspect and I think the provinces are going to be hit a lot harder before this is over.

Originally Posted by Troy

They're going to lose another full season. I can't see the Thai population being 60% vaccinated until at least Q2 of next year.

The figures are looking a little suspect and I think the provinces are going to be hit a lot harder before this is over.

In our village it is lockedown, people who have COVID have to stay in house for 17 day. Our family all have had but lucky no one died. Pu Yai gives food to houses if they have COVID.

Originally Posted by Troy

The figures are looking a little suspect and I think the provinces are going to be hit a lot harder before this is over.

If you look at statistics from other countries, a final death toll of 200,000 seems entirely possible for Thailand. The UK, with a similar population, reports 130,000 deaths so far, although the number of death certificates which mention Covid is more like 160,000.
Of course no two countries are identical, the healthcare systems vary and one nation's demographics such as age and diet will make it different from the next. Then there is the issue of what gets counted. I already feel that the counting in Thailand is a bit vague. For a country of about 70 million souls, how many die in a normal year? (About half a million.) They say Covid deaths total about 6,300 - some of whom might have been old and likely to die anyway.
So my question is: would 6,000 Covid deaths be such an incremental strain on the system that some wats are unable to cope with the numbers of cremations?

The government said they are allocating 700,000 Pfizer shots to healthcare workers. I am only guessing that this is the same group that they reported as 677,000 when they talked before about all the frontline workers who have already had 2 shots of Sinovac. This seems a large number compared to the official total of about 200,000 doctors plus nurses in Thailand. I applaud the front line workers for their efforts and believe they deserve priority treatment. I am just not sure who the extra 500,000 are after the doctors and nurses are treated. Anyway, the government makes it sound like all of those people are being well looked after. Which is fine.

Last night the gf was reading whatever social media it is that absorbs her time. She was quoting a doctor from Khon Kaen who was complaining that the city is not getting all the Pfizer it needs. Khon Kaen is the centre for most medical specialties in all of Isan, there are a lot of healthcare workers there. The doctor said they were limited to 700 phials (6 doses to a phial, he said, so 4,200 jabs.) He claimed this is barely half of what they actually need.

None of this adds up. On the one hand the government says it is giving 700,000 doses to these priority people. On the other hand a doctor on the ground says they are getting half of what they need.

Well of course we all know who the most essential healthcare workers are in Thailand. The royal Tannenbaums- medical researchers, artists & musicians par extraordinaire. The Generals are next in line, for their exemplary nursing skills.

It doesn't matter how badly these arseholes have fucked things up, as they are passing a law to give them immunity - not to covid but to legal action.

Nicked that fucking idea off Putin, didn't they?

The Public Health Ministry has defended the need for an executive decree limiting liability involving Covid-19 medical services and management following suspicions it could be used to shield policymakers.

Ministry defends liability immunity bill

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

It doesn't matter how badly these arseholes have fucked things up, as they are passing a law to give them immunity - not to covid but to legal action.

Nicked that fucking idea off Putin, didn't they?




Ministry defends liability immunity bill

They obviously have no faith in the corrupt justice system, once they are unemployed.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

It doesn't matter how badly these arseholes have fucked things up, as they are passing a law to give them immunity - not to covid but to legal action.

Nicked that fucking idea off Putin, didn't they?




Ministry defends liability immunity bill

Unfortunately, the Covid era has been looked upon as a dominate political and legal entity the world over.
Never mind the public health concern.

Have a niece and husband working in Bangkok who have covid. They tried to get a test but the queues are too long. They need a positive test certificate to get free transport home to province so they can get treated. Niece is quite weak now, having had fever for 4 days. Not sure whether she should stay put and ride it out or get certificate and be looked after at home.

It's 6000baht for both of them to have private test and risk spreading the virus further. It appears to be a complete mess in some areas of Bangkok at the moment.

Today I received my appointment to get the Pfizer vaccine on Monday.

Thank you, America, for the donation and the Thai government for organizing it reasonably well.

My wife did some ringing around and has sorted out the PCR tests at a Government hospital, paying so don't have to queue all day to be tested. Hope that is the niece sorted, her elder sister is sorting out the transport back to the province once she has the positive test certificate.

The ringing around has provided some clues as to what is going on.

The niece above works with her husband in Samut Sakhon as part of the casual labour force for a few months of the year. There appears to be a big outbreak in the area and most of the workers are off sick at the moment. No help from the employer and little chance of getting a vaccination.

Many of the relatives are working in Smut Prakan for big companies and most have had at least one vaccination (Sinopharm). There was an outbreak in one company and all employees were asked to self check. That was the one I reported before where a niece's flatmate tested positive and that was confirmed by PCR test. The niece had a negative PCR test and her flatmate has been quarantined.

I also have another niece working in the area around Future Park. She says there was an outbreak in the area but the company had the employees vaccinated so she feels reasonably safe.

Originally Posted by Samuel

Today I received my appointment to get the Pfizer vaccine on Monday.

Thank you, America, for the donation and the Thai government for organizing it reasonably well.

Booners you know it puts Bill Gates 5G chip in your DNA right?

How much did Thailand waste on Sinovac vaccines?


Common sense should have told you that anything made in China is of lower quality.

Bangkok doctor who received 2 doses of Sinovac dies of Covid-19


The death from Covid-19 of another fully vaccinated healthcare worker has led to increased calls for Pfizer booster shots. The Bangkok Post reports that the death of Dr Saranya Lapanich was announced on Facebook by Anutra Chittinandana from the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand. Dr Saranya, who was also known as Dr Am, worked at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in Bangkok and Anutra’s post described her as a strong woman who was well-liked by those who worked with her.

According to renowned medic Pakpoom Dejhasadin, also known as Panda Lab Doctor, Dr Saranya had received 2 doses of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. However, the vaccine is believed to be less effective against the Delta variant, which is now the dominant strain in Thailand.

Thailand is struggling with low supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, in particular mRNA vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna, which studies have shown remain effective against the Delta variant. Manoon Leechawengwongs, a specialist in respiratory diseases at Bangkok’s Vichaiyut Hospital, predicts that infection rates and Covid-related deaths will spike significantly in the coming 100 days as a result of the variant. According to Manoon, half of Thailand’s population could contract the virus and Covid-related deaths could rise to 30,000 if vaccination efforts are not accelerated.

full article: Bangkok doctor who received 2 doses of Sinovac dies of Covid-19 | Thaiger

^^ A quick update, since I imagine the same is happening all over Thailand.

The PCR tests came back and niece was positive, her husband was negative. The family wanted niece to return for free and wait for husband to get positive result and then return. However, they didn't want to split up, despite being told they'd have to on arrival anyway. Anyway, they found another group with driver and returned together, only to find niece has to isolate in her village and husband in his. She is now alone in the village school under quarantine with her sister providing food, water, and paracetamol. Doctor will see her in a couple of days and maybe, she can get a bed in the hospital. Like so many, she'll be fighting this without medical aid until it's way too late. Fingers crossed, she pulls through okay.

Meanwhile, they have put the driver at serious risk of catching covid and spreading it further and there is also a possibility of spreading it in the village.

^Luckily, the heavy parts do not need any chips, however, the car assembly is having problems (not only in Thailand):

Toyota says suspends Thailand vehicle production amid parts shortage

BANGKOK, July 22 (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has since earlier this week suspended vehicle production at three of its manufacturing plants in Thailand due to a parts shortage, the company said on Thursday.

Toyota Motors Thailand temporarily suspended vehicle production at its Ban Pho Plant on Tuesday, and at its Samrong and Gateway Plants on Wednesday, the company said in a statement. Toyota has a production capacity in Thailand of 550,000 vehicles per year, according to its website.

"The production operation for the next week will be determined at a later stage," said the statement, which added that the current suspension was in effect until Friday.

The factory closures in Thailand were due to a shortage of parts caused by the pandemic, it said in a separate statement.

A Toyota factory in Japan's Aichi Prefecture will also suspend production on July 29-30 and Aug. 2-4 because of the part shortages, the automaker said on Thursday.

The suspensions in Thailand were first reported by Nikkei Asia earlier on Thursday.

A series of coronavirus clusters among Thai factories in June have raised concerns for the country's export sector.

Thailand is Asia's fourth-largest autos assembly and export hub for some of the world's largest carmakers such as Honda (7267.T) and China's Great Wall Motor . The industry accounts for about 10% of Thailand's GDP and manufacturing jobs.

Auto exports have also been a bright spot for Thailand as it tries to restart the pandemic-hit tourism sector.

Domestic car sales are also rebounding, up 15% in June from the same period a year earlier.

Thailand on Thursday reported a record 13,655 coronavirus infections and 87 deaths as the Southeast Asian country tightened travel restrictions to curb the latest outbreak.

Over 93% of total 453,132 confirmed infections and 3,697 fatalities occurred after April this year.

Toyota says suspends Thailand vehicle production amid parts shortage | Reuters

Originally Posted by Klondyke

^Luckily, the heavy parts do not need any chips, however, the car assembly is having problems (not only in Thailand):

Toyota says suspends Thailand vehicle production amid parts shortage

BANGKOK, July 22 (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) has since earlier this week suspended vehicle production at three of its manufacturing plants in Thailand due to a parts shortage, the company said on Thursday.

Toyota Motors Thailand temporarily suspended vehicle production at its Ban Pho Plant on Tuesday, and at its Samrong and Gateway Plants on Wednesday, the company said in a statement. Toyota has a production capacity in Thailand of 550,000 vehicles per year, according to its website.

"The production operation for the next week will be determined at a later stage," said the statement, which added that the current suspension was in effect until Friday.

The factory closures in Thailand were due to a shortage of parts caused by the pandemic, it said in a separate statement.

A Toyota factory in Japan's Aichi Prefecture will also suspend production on July 29-30 and Aug. 2-4 because of the part shortages, the automaker said on Thursday.

The suspensions in Thailand were first reported by Nikkei Asia earlier on Thursday.

A series of coronavirus clusters among Thai factories in June have raised concerns for the country's export sector.

Thailand is Asia's fourth-largest autos assembly and export hub for some of the world's largest carmakers such as Honda (7267.T) and China's Great Wall Motor . The industry accounts for about 10% of Thailand's GDP and manufacturing jobs.

Auto exports have also been a bright spot for Thailand as it tries to restart the pandemic-hit tourism sector.

Domestic car sales are also rebounding, up 15% in June from the same period a year earlier.

Thailand on Thursday reported a record 13,655 coronavirus infections and 87 deaths as the Southeast Asian country tightened travel restrictions to curb the latest outbreak.

Over 93% of total 453,132 confirmed infections and 3,697 fatalities occurred after April this year.

Toyota says suspends Thailand vehicle production amid parts shortage | Reuters

No issue at the Ford plant, daily deliveries of towbars, sportsbars and nudgebars has also ramped up dramatically.

Little birdy told me the excuse from Toyota to shutdown aint got nothing to do with part shortage..... thats just the warm fuzzy diatribe by their PR dept.

^
Everything you need to know about the chip shortage that's plaguing automakers

They are a little bigger than a coin the size of a quarter, but tiny semiconductor chips are bringing production of vehicles across the nation to a halt.

Car dealers have barren parking lots, consumers face limited options on new vehicle purchases and buyers must wait, and wait, for their new ride to be built. Tens of thousands of new vehicles sit in parking lots awaiting semiconductor chips before they can be shipped to dealers.

New Ford F-150 pickup trucks sit on a lot of the Department of Public Works rail yard off I-96 near Evergreen in Detroit on April 15, 2021. The trucks are waiting for semiconductors, the company said. Trucks will get quality checks done before being shipping to dealers.
Here's what you need to know about semiconductor chips:

So what are these chips?
The chips are tiny transistors made from silicon, which is found in most of the minerals on the earth's surface. They allow computers, smart phones, appliances and other electrical devices to function. Vehicles use chips, too.

Silicon feeds a $500 billion chip industry, according to a report by the BBC. The chips underpin a global tech economy worth an estimated $3 trillion, the report said. The raw materials for the semiconductor business often come from Japan and Mexico, with the chips made in Taiwan, China and some in the U.S.

What is the chip shortage?
The chip shortage is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased demand for the personal electronics such as cell phones and laptops that the chips are used in to the point where production could not keep pace with demand.

Why is there a chip shortage?
So in March 2020, the global pandemic prompted automakers, suppliers and car dealerships to close down. The economy went into a recession.

The automakers, who have experienced previous recessions, quickly canceled orders for parts with computer chips, thinking auto sales would nosedive, said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Autotrader.

Sales of new cars did plummet initially, but quickly rebounded with pent-up demand and 0% financing offers. Also, dealers figured out how to sell vehicles online, offering home pickup and delivery.

So when the factories restarted, the stronger-than-expected demand for new vehicles outpaced production and has yet to catch up.

"Automakers and suppliers that use chips contacted their chipmakers and put back their orders," Krebs said. "By then, chip capacity was consumed by other businesses — phones, computers, video games — as people worked and schooled at home."

Global chip production is monopolized by a few global, Asia-Pacific suppliers, said Joe McCabe, CEO of AutoForecast Solutions LLC.

"Everyone’s lights went off at the same time. This means that there was no ability to build inventory of products and solutions when businesses were able to turn their lights back on," McCabe said. "This created a significant bottleneck in all manufacturing processes."

The chip deficit was further complicated by a fire at plant owned by chipmaker Renesas Electronics in Japan. The damage was extensive and the plant is not yet up to full production, but they are hoping it will reach full production in June, Krebs said.

Why is there so much competition for chips?
In May, global consulting firm AlixPartners in Southfield said the chip shortages could cost the global auto industry $110 billion for the year.

GM CEO Mary Barra has said the shortage could cost GM up to $2 billion in lost earnings this year. Barra said GM expected chip supplies to return to normal in the second half of the year.

The Alliance for Auto Innovation, the trade group that represents automakers, said the shortage could hurt auto production for another six months and result in 1.28 million fewer vehicles being made in the U.S. this year.

So it is critical for automakers to get as many chips as possible to keep assembly lines moving to mitigate losses.

It remains unclear whether automakers might be able to make up that production and any revenue losses over time, Krebs said.

"The losses are being offset by higher vehicle prices and less expense," Krebs said. "Almost every automaker in every region has been forced to make production cuts. As a result, inventories are extremely low while consumer demand is extremely high. That means vehicle prices are high."

In the first week of June, the average listing price of a new vehicle was $40,566, up nearly $200 from the prior week. The average listing price was 5.5% above last year, and 10.3% above the same week in 2019, Krebs said.

Used car prices are also high because with new cars not moving, trade-ins aren't happening creating a shortage ofused cars. too. The average listing price for a used vehicle was $23,786, up nearly $340 from the prior week, Krebs said. Prices are running 22% above 2020 and 2019 levels, she said.

Why is my vehicle delayed because of chips?
Many automakers have idled factories and stopped making some vehicles altogether so as to ship whatever chips they can get to more in-demand highly profitable vehicles such as pickups and SUVs. Also, GM and Ford Motor Co. are building the vehicles without the chips, then parking them to await the part. Once the chips arrive, those vehicles are put through final assembly and shipped to dealers. But the delay can be weeks.

In the meantime, supply of new vehicles is at an all-time low, Krebs said. Used supply is slowly rising due to a slowing sales pace. These trends likely will continue over the coming weeks since there is little that could change the current situation, Krebs said.

What sorts of things are chips used for in vehicles?
Cars use the chips in a variety of electronics systems. One car part could use 500 to 1,500 chips depending on the complexity of the part.

How long will the chip shortage last?
Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins told the BBC in late April: "We think we've got another six months to get through the short term. The providers are building out more capacity. And that'll get better and better over the next 12 to 18 months."

More:Ford dealer: 'We can't freak out' as automaker cuts F-150, Escape production again

How are the automakers adjusting, or not adjusting?
In the short term, automakers have been cutting the production of vehicles like cars that are not as much in demand and not as profitable as pickups and SUVs, so as to redirect chips from cars into the money-making vehicles.

They also are building vehicles and parking them until chips become available.

Or they are building vehicles without some features — Tesla has taken out the passenger side lumbar support; GM took out fuel-saving features like automatic start-stop and the fuel management module.

Long term, automakers are examining their supply chains. The just-in-time-inventory system that they took from Toyota may be revamped some with critical parts like chips, Krebs said.

The chipmakers are trying to boost production and are looking at – and some committing to – building more capacity, including in the U.S.

The Biden administration has also assigned a task force to study the chips' supply chain. The U.S. Senate has voted 68-32 in favor of legislation intended to battle back against overseas competition, especially a growing threat from China, including investing more than $50 billion into the making of semiconductors.

Looking forward, automakers, suppliers and government officials are looking at EVs and where batteries and other parts come from as they push for North American production.

"The chip shortage demonstrated our exposure to a limited domestic production capacity to the point where it has turned into an issue of national security," McCabe said. "Each major global market is now getting full support from their governments for a combination of domestic and redundant supply streams. Expect to see many new, smaller chip producers, scale up to help mitigate the issue in the future — with government money supporting the efforts."

McCabe said carmakers are likely to become more vertically integrated in chip production, taking direct responsibility for multi-year, high-volume contracts to make sure there are no future capacity constraints. Volkswagen has already indicated this direction.

As most carmakers including Ford and GM move toward electric vehicles, the need for high volume, and more complex chips will help shape the global chip manufacturing landscape, McCabe said.

Car chip shortage 2021: Everything you need to know

Thailand's slow procurement of jabs and revival of 'vaccine diplomacy' | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

Originally Posted by HuangLao

Thailand's slow procurement of jabs and revival of 'vaccine diplomacy' | Thai PBS World : The latest Thai news in English, News Headlines, World News and News Broadcasts in both Thai and English. We bring Thailand to the world

You didn't appear to have any comment on that article Jeff, so let me:

China and Russia were among the first countries to launch vaccine diplomacy by offering low-cost or donated doses to other countries.

And in most cases it has been a fucking disaster for them.

Especially the chinky shit.

I was surprised by this very optimistic message from the BBC. It was a prediction, not news. The BBC needs to get its act together, IMHO.

(Monday, 1st November):

Tens of thousands of travellers are expected to arrive in Thailand today as the country reopens to tourists after 18 months of Covid restrictions.

Thailand reopens to vaccinated tourists from over 60 nations - BBC News


Who dreams up these numbers?

The reality:

BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than a thousand foreign tourists arrived in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to the Thai capital in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against COVID-19.

There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.

Thai capital welcomes first tourists for quarantine-free holiday | Reuters

Originally Posted by Shutree

I was surprised by this very optimistic message from the BBC. It was a prediction, not news. The BBC needs to get its act together, IMHO.

(Monday, 1st November):

Tens of thousands of travellers are expected to arrive in Thailand today as the country reopens to tourists after 18 months of Covid restrictions.

Thailand reopens to vaccinated tourists from over 60 nations - BBC News


Who dreams up these numbers?

The reality:

BANGKOK, Nov 1 (Reuters) - More than a thousand foreign tourists arrived in Bangkok on Monday, the first wave of travellers to the Thai capital in 18 months, as part of a quarantine waiver for visitors vaccinated against COVID-19.

There were 1,534 foreign arrivals and 890 Thais on 40 international flights on the opening day on Monday, senior health official Kiattiphum Wongraijit said.

Thai capital welcomes first tourists for quarantine-free holiday | Reuters

Noticed the same thing. However govt insists Thailand is open but it's not with the all tests and documents required and still one day quarantine in a nice overpriced govt corruption hotel even if you pass everything else, I do miss the old world

Although breakthrough infections will likely rise as things open up — it's good to see that 33 million Thais have received 2 doses, and 2.5 million have received a booster.


COVID-19 SATURDAY: 69 deaths, 79 million vaccinated | Thaiger