Thailand is at the highest risk of a Coronavirus outbreak: 'The worst is the uncertainty'
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At Be Well, the first Dutch GP in Thailand, the phone has been ringing for days. Dutch people from far and wide want to know whether they are at risk of the dreaded Coronavirus. This has been holding Thailand in its grip for weeks. They ask for medicines that can prevent a possible infection. Be Well in the resort of Hua Hin cannot help them with that. The virus is still too unknown.
“The worst thing about Corona is the uncertainty. Nobody knows how or what and the most terrible stories are doing the rounds,” says former Venlo resident Haiko Emanuel. He is the initiator of Be Well. That has been inundated with questions about Corona in recent weeks. However, much more than the advice to wash your hands well, wear a face mask and stay away from places where many (Chinese) people come, cannot be given. The horror stories in the media lead to empty hotels and restaurants and less busy shopping centers where girls regularly clean everything that human hands can touch.
Thailand and especially Bangkok should fear the corona virus, scientists from the University of Southampton have warned. The capital Bangkok receives the largest number of travelers from China in the world.
Peter Schreurs from Heythuysen, now retired and living in Bangkok and Pattaya, was general manager of two companies in China until a year ago. “A face mask of a few baht each does not stop viruses. We don't stay at home, but in a restaurant my Thai wife prefers not to sit near Chinese people. In my opinion, the situation in China is much worse than what the Chinese government is letting us know. Otherwise they do not close off cities almost completely from the outside world. Perhaps that insight comes from my 20 years of experience with the Chinese.”
Patrick Franssen (Geleen) and Lei Schreurs (Venlo) think the virus will die out within a week or two. Franssen, who lives in Hua Hin, is director/owner of a worldwide chain of resorts that offer 'meaningful holidays' to young people. Lei Schreurs is the former Far East director of Océ and is on holiday in Thailand. Patrick already saw some young people leave for home. “Caution, because it is better to get sick at home if that is the case”. Schreurs' son was supposed to go to Thailand first, but thought it wiser to stay at home because of a lung problem. “Corona is not as bad as it seems. There are also no deaths outside of China,” says Schreurs.
There is no panic in Thailand, only caution and uncertainty. According to government leader Prayut, all Chinese in Thailand are under surveillance. In addition, it rains Chinese cancellations. Many foreigners, often winter visitors, wonder what will happen if flights to Bangkok may no longer be allowed. Can they still return to the Netherlands?
Hans Bos is a former editor of Dagblad de Limburger. He has lived in Thailand since 2005.
In my opinion, there is indeed no reason to panic about contracting the virus and there is none in Bangkok either. I've lived here for 13 years now, travel on public transport every working day and apart from a few more masks (which are more for the smog) I notice very little of it. There is – it seems – more panic about the loss of income and investment.
The number of cured patients will exceed the number of new infections within a few weeks and then it will be 'business as usual' again, I'm afraid. Because it is clear that – especially in China – something must be done to try to prevent such outbreaks as much as possible.
I was in China during the SARS outbreak and there was some panic. Not now.
Now 426 dead, two of them outside China. And almost 20.000 infections. Still, every reason to worry.
On a population of China of 1,6 billion where people live close together? Or a world population of 7 billion? The numbers worry you, but will 0,0025% of the population worry you too? Or 0,0001% of the world's population?
Don't worry Hans, the 20.000 infections are only the cases that have been reported. Probably a lot of people didn't even report it because it's about equivalent to a mild flu. Excluding, of course, the seriously ill, often the elderly or the seriously ill. Every year between 500.000 and 800.000 people die from the flu. Fear of what you can do nothing about is one of the dumbest things you can do. Why not enjoy your holiday without any worries.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/politics/1849874/govt-says-censure-motion-slurs-pm
Any critical consideration of the issues PM 2.5 and N-Cov2019 has thus become a risk in itself.
In addition to the risk of health damage and/or contamination, the very best of the good people creates the risk of “lawfare” extra.
TiT of the upper caste … (sic).
I'm going to bkk next week. Bring P3 masks because of the smog. Won't stop the virus. Immediately afterwards I travel on to Songkhla
Sanitation measures help, I hope.
And avoiding contact with others or groups also helps, I think.
Airport and plane are the biggest risk I think.
China is the country that has every reason to be concerned and concerned, and it appears they are. There are now a number of infections outside of China, and of course it makes sense that Thailand has the most cases of infections due to the large number of Chinese visiting Thailand, many of whom are from Wuhan. But in recent days, the number of infections in Thailand appears not to have increased.
The Netherlands has no infections. In Rotterdam last weekend, the Chinese New Year was celebrated in full public without masks.
One corona patient has been known in Belgium since last night. Not that this person contracted the virus in Belgium, but because he/she is one of the evacuees from China who arrived 24 hours earlier.
Germany has 12 infections. France and the UK, respectively, the same number.
In other words: I don't think it's all that bad, but from morning to evening the media eagerly reports a repetition of what is already known in a high tone.
Much more important is the fact that the Chinese authorities have admitted that they reacted too late to the corona virus outbreak, too late to contact the WHO, but are now pulling out all the stops, even if it hurts their economy and loses face worldwide. In 2020, this cannot be any other way. In 2003, at the time of the Sars epidemic, much could still be concealed. That is no longer possible. Social media immediately show uncensored possible (dis)situations.
It takes about 14 days for the virus to die. The previous infections will be extinguished by the end of this month. From March on it is licking wounds, and in the coming summer months everything will be as usual.
Read on cnn: 80% of patients with this virus are over 60.
Question to Eric: what's wrong with the numbers you mention?
I already have a comment about that: 60 million people live in the province of which Wuhan is the capital. 10 million in Wuhan alone.
Take a moment to think about the numbers being released.
There are 1.4 billion people living in China, of which about 10 million live in Huwan (a little less now).
There are now just over 25 infected people across China.
10 Belgians are coming home today, of which 1 Belgian is infected with the Corona virus.
My intuition says… something is wrong with the numbers.
Patrick Franssen (Geleen) and Lei Schreurs (Venlo) think the virus will die out within a week or two. Franssen, who lives in Hua Hin, is the director/owner of a global chain of resorts that promote 'meaningful holidays'
Well, the virus is dying out?
What a comment, but I understand my own interest because if there are no more young people there will be no occupation in the resorts.
I'm sorry, but this nonsense makes no sense. Rightly so, don't worry people unnecessarily.
Every day 850 to 1700 people die from 'ordinary' flu. Mostly patients with poor health. The amount of fatalities from insect bites (particularly mosquitoes) is much higher. The numbers of sick and deceased as a result of the Coronavirus therefore do not say much.
The uncertainty in particular means that Corona is seen as a major threat: there is no cure for it (just as there is no cure for the flu) and there are no research results yet about the medium and long term. If the disease does indeed stop after two weeks, the virus will then die out, what is the best thing to do if you are tested positive. As long as there are no official answers, the uncertainty and the associated panic stories will remain.
Such viruses never last long…
Made in China so…
And “made in China” is in almost everything around the world these days. Hopefully this is (still?)
not for N-Cov2019..
Hopefully I would say….
Dear Mr Frank,
How many inhabitants are your data on and are they scientifically substantiated? I have my doubts about what you say!
For now, we know very little. An epidemic generally takes 3-6 months to reach its peak. The last pandemic (Spanish flu) lasted about a year.
The greater the chance of infection, the higher the number of victims. If every sick person would infect 2 other people, an epidemic would have an exponential course. Compare it to a chessboard.
Place cereal grains on each square. A1: 1 grain A2: 2 grains, A3: 4 grains etc. that gives 2 to the power of 63 plus 1 grains. There are not that many grains in the whole world.
Luckily it's not that fast.
Since nobody knows the correct numbers for the Wuhan virus, I don't think it's advisable to spout all kinds of nonsense based on hardly any knowledge of what's really going on. no one has that knowledge yet
The Chinese government is still withholding a lot of data The Thai government is just saying something. Completely unreliable.
Comparisons with the flu also make no sense.
The corona virus causes many forms of colds and sometimes diarrhea. In this case, contamination goes through the hands and through the air at a short (1,5 meters) distance. It is also reported that oral contamination has occurred. Face masks do not protect the wearer, but the environment. The sick must therefore wear such a mask. FFP2 and FFP3 face masks have a filter that blocks something.
It has been found that with professional treatment in optimal conditions, in other words doctors and nurses who know what they are doing and using the right equipment, there are almost no deaths.
173 patients treated by an Israeli team in Wuhan have all recovered.
Such expertise is not available in Thailand. That should be a reason to ask for help abroad. But yes, pride often kills many.
Precautions are indeed: washing hands many times a day, especially after touching strange doorknobs, telephones, toilets and avoiding crowded crowds, such as at airports, theaters, bus stations, train stations and large department stores. Taxis are also risky. Not an open tuk tuk.
However, since the vast majority of the Chinese are not ill, it does not seem desirable to put a stigma on the Chinese.
Indeed, let's hope that the virus mutates to a less aggressive form.
For now there is no vaccine. At the earliest at the end of this year.
Now it's time to wait. In Thailand it is not yet a state of emergency, but that could change in a few weeks.
And what about this then?
Fake? Just their job? Fluke? Outstanding and groundbreaking work?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zU7foznlrVo&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3ibIzCA2j3a23ivJroRYBZrAA260Hd4jG0vWJ3noj6Dhcbdz_F64q6eY8
You are rather condescending of the Thai doctors and knowledge. Can't recall Israel ever being plagued by virus outbreaks. So where does their knowledge come from then?
Because Israel always has to be on the lookout for a bacteriological or virological attack, it is normal that this country does a lot more research to protect and treat itself from foreign diseases…..Call it self-preservation…..Also for defense against poison gases they will probably also possess the most knowledge.
2 ^ 64 – 1 to be exact.
That's a lot of grains. Well 1.84 * 10^19
I don't know if there are any in the world.
I do know that you need a train of 1 000 000 km in length to transport them….
Of course I'm worried too. But I just live the way I've always lived. I have (despite my profession as a steward, or perhaps because of it) always avoided large groups of people. I only go to a shopping mall if it is unavoidable. I did that before the flu and I do it again now.
The worst thing is not even the chance of contamination, but that I should go into quarantine. If I contract corona, I hope to be able to stay home. We live in the countryside and therefore have little contact with large groups of people. But I would miss my cycling trips to Pak Nam Pran and Sam Roi Yot.
Yesterday on a sat TV station, an important virologist at ?
Not the number of registered infections is important, because THAT are the people who went to the hospitals due to major (er) problems. The actual numbers could be 4-6 fold, which could give .. 100.000 infections, all of which are “free” to infect others long before they notice anything.
We are waiting for a really deadly virus.
Would our (clucking) democracies be able to reduce or stop all travel activities sufficiently early enough? the less democratic countries to take their public responsibility in time?
There are more Coronaviruses.
https://nl.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirussen
Chris,
Sorry, I can't help it that currently 60% of new medical knowledge and applications come from Israel. To know how to fight a virus, you don't have to be infected with it, or do you think the Ebola vaccine was developed in the Congo?
There are also very good doctors in Thailand, but when it comes to research, Thailand is certainly not at the forefront, nor is China, incidentally.
If you believe in a propaganda film with n=1, that's up to you, but it doesn't work that way in science.
That's right, most cold viruses are a Corona virus.
Thailand's Ministry of Public Health said on Tuesday that it found six additional cases of coronavirus bringing the total number of cases up to 25, the most found outside of China.
On March 2, my wife and I will first go to Bangkok for 5 days, then to Hua hin for vacation.
Notice that opinions about the corona virus are divided. But does anyone have good suggestions on what I should or should not do.
Have face masks, gel, and cleaning wipes ready.
Are there places in Bangkok that you should avoid. Want to go to Chinatown, Grand palace etc.
Want to go on vacation and not look up the misery.
I think it's a bit of a strange question because it's been discussed so often on sites, news items, TV, radio, etc.
Face masks, which are for sale everywhere, do not stop viruses, but washing your hands often does help.
Don't go to places where many people gather and that has already said a lot. If you still want to go to Chinatown and Grand Palace, you automatically know that there is an increased risk of contracting the virus there. Chinatown is full of Chinese!
Goodbye.
It's nice to be different for the risk group, but the advantage is that people get a better exchange rate depending on payments from NL and it will get better when the situation worsens.
I wonder what is preferred by some and I think the exchange rate…..
The plague, scurvy, measles, smallpox, Herpes, TB, mad cow disease, foot and mouth disease, flu, H1N1, AIDS/HIV, cardiovascular disease, cancer, asthma, Mers, SARS. I'm probably forgetting a few, but I think Corona fits in this list.
They have a few things in common: because they were unknown at the time of the outbreak, everyone was concerned and perhaps frightened. We have most diseases under control, not 100%, but hundreds of thousands of people no longer die from them. Better knowledge, more research, better medicines.
A large number have to do with the way we humans (have started) to live: growing our food (genetic manipulation), breeding cattle (hormones), preparation of our food (e.g. microwave), hygiene. Many also with chemical agents of which we do not know the consequences in the medium and long term. I am convinced that our immune system is now many times better than the immune system of the people who lived hundreds of years ago. The rise in average life expectancy over the past 500 years says it all, I think.
Many will die from new diseases and variants of old diseases in the coming decades. That is 'the circle of life'. Many more people live much, much older in a healthy way than all the generations before us.
No Corona can change that.
Ten people with the corona virus have been discovered on that cruise ship that is in quarantine off the coast of Japan. A Korean tourist contracted the virus in Thailand. As far as the exchange rate is concerned, the baht is already rising again. Foreign Exchange manipulation is artificially inflated.