Thailand reader question: Possibly testing positive for COVID-19 during an ASQ quarantine
Dear readers,
I have a question regarding testing positive for COVID-19 during an ASQ quarantine period (or after).
Because my girlfriend from Thailand is not allowed to come to the Netherlands by the IND at the moment, I will first have to go there to 'prove our relationship'. So I want to do this asap. I've already secured a CoE and things seem to be going well in that regard; i can travel in few days. However, I am somewhat concerned after a phone call with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
I asked about the current situation in Thailand (or specifically Bangkok where I want to stay) and accidentally got on the phone with a half-Thai woman whose husband developed corona-like symptoms in Thailand at the start of the pandemic. He was then transferred to a field hospital (not pleasant in itself compared to an actual hospital) and also immediately had to hand over a lot of cash for the stay and the COVID tests. He turned out to be negative, but then had a lot of trouble getting discharged because of some symptoms. It also took a lot of effort to convince the staff of the legitimacy of his insurance.
Now of course I have no plan to walk around COVID (figuratively I go completely in plastic on the plane), but that of course remains a risk. For your information, I have taken out “Sawadee” insurance with the Thai AXA, which explicitly also insures COVID costs. Mainly I am concerned about three things:
- The quality of a field hospital (can you charge phones there, are you treated well, etc.);
- The amount of the costs (suppose you have to stay there for 2 weeks until you are negative again, how expensive will that be?);
- The procedure to get fired again (maybe I'm impersonating, but I'm worried about "Kafka-esque" situations where you get stuck in the procedures).
My question is therefore: are there people with (direct or indirect) experience about what happens if you test positive during (or after) your ASQ quarantine? My ASQ hotel cooperates with the “Bangpakok 9 international hospital”, but it is not clear whether I will go there if I test positive, or go to a field hospital. A hospital is of course never fun and I don't expect a Disneyland experience, but is this still reasonably arranged, or will it really be a nasty experience?
I'm having a lot of trouble finding information about this so I hope to hear some experiences this way, so that I can still decide whether to continue with it or not.
Thanks in advance!
Regards,
Tom
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Question 1: No experience with that. Don't read anything about it in the newspapers either. I've asked those questions before: where do you keep your phone? ,clean clothes? How is the hygiene? we just don't know.
Question 2: Check whether this is covered in the policy. My Aetna insurance has sent an email to the insured that they cover covid including the Field hospital.
Question 3: no idea my friend was able to check out quickly after the quarantine and no positive test without further procedures.
It would be a mystery to me, if you are locked up alone in a hotel for 2 weeks, how you can get infected. Well, it could be done with a pcr test of more than 35 cycles !!!
You can expect anything in Thailand Knowledge of mine was negative at the first test, 2nd test too and when leaving the hotel it was positive. were unreliable You're good with it
The situation in Bangkok with regard to covid infections is quite intense. The media mentioned that hospitals and IC places are full and many people who are covid positive have been taken to the provinces (home) by special trains to relieve the health system in Bangkok.
The rule that existed that you are immediately admitted to hospital if you test positive for covid has been abandoned for some time in Bangkok, under pressure from the number of infections. Many people who are infected have to stay at home, sometimes media reports even when they should actually be in a hospital from a medical point of view. (people are dying of covid at home). Hard work is being done on more hospital beds in Bangkok, it is not clear whether there is room again at the moment. So not a good story.
From this background I assume if you (unfortunately) contract covid during the trip, you initially just stay in the hotel to work it out (in fact the ASQ is based on this possibility) What else would happen if that little chance of arriving with covid also, with a much smaller chance, would become serious, I don't know. The ASQ as it worked would then provide for hospitalization, but I have no idea if that would be possible at this time.
About the latter, I think it is best to inquire at the ASQ Hotel.
Dear Tony,
I live in Bangkok and as far as I hear the situation is not that bad at all. Of course it is serious when people die at home because they cannot receive hospital care, but that is not the general picture. There is also no great increase in deaths when I monitor the activities of 3 temples near me. In short: there is a lot of exaggeration in social media.
The problems are partly created by the government itself by also wanting to admit asymptomatic patients to hospitals. I think it is unique in the world. Normal is: sick at home with the right medicines. But there are not enough medicines, neither for the home nor for the hospitals. A new order was placed last week.
In addition to admitting asymptomatic patients, everyone from another red area must be quarantined. Where? Well, in the same hospital.
A procedure has been started since 2 weeks to return covid positives who show some symptoms to their birthplace. This is a good decision for three reasons and should have been made months ago:
1. fewer infections in densely populated areas such as Bangkok, Pathumtani and Samut Sakorn (and less in rural areas)
2. change from the demand for hospital beds in Bangkok etc. to the demand for hospital beds outside the red areas
3. The sick (who live and work in Bangkok but are not officially registered) are insured in their place of birth via the 30 Baht system, even if they are ill for a long time. In Bangkok you have to pay the hospital bill (or part of it) yourself. The result can be: people do not go to the hospital (they do not want to saddle the family with the bill) and die at home.
Conclusion: the situation in Bangkok is not dramatic and partly the result of government measures, combined with the laxity of the rural Thais living in Bangkok itself.
Dear Tom,
I have made the trip twice now, September last year and June 4 this year. I understand your concern and with so many questions you do indeed have to think carefully about what you are going to do. I have a very positive attitude and have therefore traveled twice with Emirates, which went exceptionally well and neatly. First time in Bangkok, 14 days, which I initially thought was not too bad, but after departure I was very tired for a few weeks. Maybe because of the confinement. This is the second time I have done Phuket sandbox and I can only say that it could just be a holiday. If you arrange for your girlfriend to have had two vaccinations before departure, you can stay in a hotel together. During my stay there were many families or friends. I have stayed in Paripas resort Phuket myself and can only say that it was very well cared for and that was arranged for 10000 bath for 14 days via Booking.com.com and the 3 tests were arranged via chat with the hotel. Fixed price 8000 bath for 3 tests. Then rented a car and drove to Bangkok myself without any problems. There was a quick check when leaving Phuket, nothing further. Spent an overnight stay in Bangkok and then returned home to Wang Sam Moo Udon Thani by private car. In the village they were initially afraid, but after a visit to the hospital the next day for testing, this turned out not to be necessary. After two vaccinations you can travel freely in Thailand. Please note that it is best to have the yellow book with you because they apparently have it everywhere in Thailand, even here in Wang Sam Moo. Please note that now that Thailand is dark red, your health insurance will not cover you. Furthermore, the healthcare here is very good, especially in Phuket and Bangkok. So yes, you run many risks in your life and luckily I can handle that well. Hopefully my story is of some use to you.
Groet
Jan
I'm not concerned at all. I have been living in Thailand (Chiang Mai) for 16 years and returned to Thailand via ASQ in December 2020 after being unable to return for 9 months after a short family visit. And of course I know all those things. I just wanted to give someone who seemed to be going for the first time a clear answer as to what might lie ahead. I didn't mean to make things worse than they are.
Of course I know the policy of the Thai Government. When I suddenly had a loss of taste 12 weeks ago, I naturally thought of covid and there was no hair on my head what thought to do a covid test. In Chiang Mai (at least at that time) you were required to be hospitalized if you tested positive for covid. And I thought I could do just fine at home. (I live alone) The fact that it turned out not to be covid afterwards was only an added bonus,
1. In the middle of this year I will have the ASQ trajectory continuous and if you test positive during the ASQ period, you will go to a private clinic with which your hotel has a contract. The name of the clinic is on the booking confirmation and in the advertisements of the ASQ hotels. As an asq participant you will not come to a field host post.
2. As far as I know, the axa insurance covers all costs after a positive test. To be on the safe side, check whether asymptomatic is covered in case of compulsory admission after a positive test. Otherwise, that's the time to remember that you have a headache and sore throat when the nurse informs you that your test result is positive. Axa arranges the payment directly with the private clinic. Thai insurance is this wrong.
3. Fortunately, I have no experience with this myself, but my ASQ hotel told me that in order to be discharged from the private clinic you have to test negative. As long as your test remains positive, you are reportedly not allowed to leave. You can inquire about this at the ASQ hotel. And the invoice must have been paid by the insurer or a guarantee must have been issued.