Update Coronavirus in Thailand (3): First death outside of China
In the Philippines, the first fatality from the Coronavirus outside of China was reported on Saturday. It concerns a 44-year-old man from the Chinese city of Wuhan, he was one of two people in the Philippines who were infected with the virus. This has been announced by the Philippine Department of the World Health Organization (WHO).
On Tuesday, Thai people who are still staying in Wuhan and elsewhere in Hubei province will be repatriated. An Air Asia plane is going to pick them up. About 130 to 140 of the 161 Thai people have registered for the evacuation. When they arrive in Thailand, they are immediately quarantined.
So far, 19 infections with the new Corona virus have been discovered in Thailand. Seven patients have been treated and discharged from the hospital and twelve remain in the hospital for observation longer. Since the outbreak of the virus, 344 people have been admitted and checked: 39 of them had suspicious symptoms, which showed up during screening at airports, 305 went to hospital of their own accord. There were 70 people with only one seasonal flu, they were allowed to go home. The other 274 are still under observation in hospitals.
Major consequences for tourism in Thailand
Thailand's tourism industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. A ban on group travel from China will apply until the end of next month. But individual travelers also prefer to stay at home to prevent them from becoming infected.
Governor Yuthasak of the Tourism Authority of Thailand says that the number of Chinese tourists has fallen enormously. He expects the number to fall by 80 percent to 2,32 million in the first four months of this year, resulting in a loss of revenue of 98 billion baht. Thanavath Phonvichai, president of the UTCC, estimates that the outbreak is costing the country 132,8 billion baht in lost tourism revenues and export revenues.
Hotel bookings have plummeted in Pattaya. Travel agents in China have canceled bookings after China issued a ban on group travel.
(Studio623 / Shutterstock.com)
Update news about the Coronavirus in Thailand
- The Coronavirus has now claimed 304 victims. The Chinese health commission announced this on Sunday. On Saturday, February 1, there were 45 new deaths from the effects of the new virus, all in Hubei province. Of the 45 deaths, 32 have fallen in the capital Wuhan. The number of confirmed infections in China has risen to 14.380, an increase of more than 2.500 cases. Outside of China, a total of 23 cases of coronavirus infection have been detected in 132 countries until Saturday.
- The Japanese health ministry confirms that three people evacuated from Wuhan have been infected with the corona virus. One of those three, a 44-year-old man, had first tested negative for the virus. A total of 20 people in Japan have been infected.
- Fifteen people with Dutch nationality and two Chinese partners left Wuhan by plane around half past two in the morning Dutch time. This is reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry's aim is for them to arrive in the Netherlands on Sunday evening.
- Qantas Airways will end direct flights from Australia to China on February 9. That lasts until March 29. Cebu Air, the largest low-cost airline in the Philippines, will close on Sunday and keep the same end date.
- Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are the first US airlines to suspend their flights to China: Delta from February 6 to April 30, AA from Saturday to March 27.
- More than 300 coaches in Phuket have been standing idle in parking lots for a week because no more tour groups are arriving from China. Chinese tourists stay away from Phuket in large numbers. One retailer estimates that 70 percent have left. The usually busy shopping streets now offer a deserted appearance.
- South Korean popular boy group GOT7's concerts at Rajamangala National Stadium on February 15 and 16 at Rajamangala National Stadium have been canceled due to concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. Management says it has the safety of both fans and performers on the Keep Spinning world tour in mind. Fans of K-pop queen Taeyeon await reports on whether her concerts will take place on February 22 and 23 at Thunder Dome Muang Thong Thani.
- In addition to Australia and the US, Israel has also decided to ban foreigners from China. Vietnam has canceled all flights to China, Italy has banned flights from China, Quatar Airways is the first Middle Eastern airline to cancel flights to China.
Source: Bangkok Post and Dutch media
We plan to leave for the Netherlands again on March 12 and have a ticket for that date. I'm afraid of this virus, because it can spread very quickly. At the moment there are already more than 20 people. What do the readers think about this?
Gerard chaste
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I always find it interesting that the numbers of victims and deaths are always reported. According to another report, there are already over 400. If I am correct, with a population of 1,6 billion, that is about 0,0025% and with the world population you are talking about 0,00025%… How does that sound?
According to the German magazine "Der Farang" from Pattaya, the disease is even a barely contagious disease.
https://der-farang.com/de/pages/was-ueber-das-corona-virus-bislang-bekannt-ist-1
Most of them don't even pass it on to third parties anymore, which means that the expansion will come to a standstill on its own. Sars from 15 years ago was much worse.
The Chinese tourists staying back is not due to the corona virus, but to the people and how they have dealt with it.
What a panic these past few days, a hysteria on the various blogs.
You already have 400 deaths in Thai traffic in a week. And that on a population of “only” 66 million.
Viruses (especially viruses that people don't know about) are dangerous because they are unpredictable and uncontrollable. The comparison with fatalities in traffic is comparing apples and oranges. What happens in traffic is predictable and controllable.
For example, look at the outbreak of the Spanish flu: an estimated 20 to 100 million deaths.
Read this: https://www.ad.nl/nieuws/sterftepercentage-hoger-dan-bij-spaanse-griep-dus-zaak-om-uitbraak-snel-te-beteugelen~a2e3e0e0/
On Sunday, Marion Koopmans, professor of virology at Erasmus MC, explained on this site why the new corona virus is not just a flu. Despite the fact that the number of deaths is still nothing compared to that of a normal winter flu wave. "A virus from the animal world, which deviates from what we already know, can in exceptional cases spread like wildfire across the world."
Yes, that's right. When was the Spanish Flu? 1918 to 1919? Around 100 years ago. What was the medical world like then? How was hygiene then? How healthy were people then?
Now you can be helped. Better than then. It is certainly good that something needs to be done.
However, I think we won't have that condition anymore.
The disadvantage, however, is that the number of people who become ill in a population of around 7 billion can now be higher compared to the 2 billion at the time.
But even a million dead sounds like a lot, but it's still not a % of the world's population. One million children are born every five days.
We are an awfully large number of people in the world and any form of epidemic quickly becomes a pandemic. Every accident is a disaster. And the world population continues to grow.
That's why I don't think it's right to come up with the kind of numbers the press does. 10000 is a lot as a number, but at 7 billion it doesn't represent a damn thing.
Ehhmm, there are over 80.000 planes flying every day. 2 billion passengers per year. Given that, something that is now tiny will soon become a global problem. Don't forget the incurbation time.
Yes, medical science has now progressed, but if it becomes so large that there are still 3500 people waiting for you (a bit exaggerated, but if the hospitals cannot cope with the demand), then that will not be of much use to you.
It is good that precautions are taken and that all possible protocols are pulled out of the closet.
And for a comparison with SARS, take a look at thewuhanvirus.com. Scroll down a bit. Don't be alarmed by the graph...
I just watched another program… no, I don't have to play it down, but…. the virus is fairly stable (no changes within a year), the transmission must be direct from person to person and just like with the SARS virus ... you have to stand in front of someone who sneezes right in your face.
More than half of those infected do not even know they are infected and do not actually get sick.
The only dangerous thing about this disease is that you can get pneumonia. Normally it is a bacterium that causes this, but because it is a virus, it appears to be more difficult to combat.
And good measures are being taken, the Dutch who came from Huwan wore face masks (to protect OTHERS - the only reason to wear those masks)…
EINDHOVEN (ANP) - The seventeen people who arrive in Eindhoven from China on Sunday evening wear face masks. They are healthy, but have a small chance of carrying the corona virus. That said GGD doctor Ronald ter Schegget on Sunday. Ter Schegget receives the evacuees with his team of five other people and informs them about the reception in our country.
After arriving in Eindhoven and checking for any complaints, the seventeen adults – fifteen Dutch and two Chinese partners – are first taken to a central shelter. Where is not yet known. After that, they have to be quarantined for fourteen days.”
Methinks: measures yes, be careful too…. but panic? No. Think you should wear face masks yourself to prevent yourself from getting caught? Ridiculous. Then you have to wear a gas mask.
I am pleased that the Chinese government will now also take measures against eating wild animals. That's pretty much the cause of the whole thing. In my opinion, this is the best solution to prevent future illnesses.
But should you let the holiday go or not, despite the fact that there is no negative travel advice?
We leave for Thailand on February 20 for two weeks to visit our traveling daughter.
And you can possibly cancel this trip with a letter from your GP if there is more to it than just the corona virus.
You can be infected in Germany just as well as in Thailand. As long as no negative travel advice is issued, you cannot cancel the trip free of charge. Anyway, I would just go.
Everyone has their own opinion about face masks, washing hands is very important
well
Even in NL, people from China come and are still allowed to enter.
We will also be going to TH in a while. What I'm doing now is watching the live streams on YouTube, for example, which part you're going to in TH, and see hordes of people still partying and cafes are still quite filled in Phangan and Samui.
Have also recently looked at 2/2 flights to BKK, eg EY Etihad was certainly 80% full. And that way you can also check things yourself if you are in doubt.
As the situation is now, I will go, but definitely keep an eye on the news.
Good luck and happy holidays
How can you see the occupancy rate of your flight?
I myself have a ticket for the beginning of April. But a colleague told me that he enthusiastically booked to Krabi 5 days ago. But 3 days later he rebooked everything; to New Zealand then.
Make a booking for e.g. 4 Feb. Until you get to the seat selection and you will see the seats that are still free/occupied. Then close.
Some airlines only allow you to reserve a seat after you have paid.
The choice to go or not is only yours to make.
You can only cancel a trip with a letter from your GP if it states that you cannot travel.
It is possible that the insurance will want a second opinion, but I am not sure if they are allowed to ask for it.
The terms and conditions should say something about that.
We leave for Thailand on March 2 for a month, and we are not worried. Of course we do take hygiene measures, we wash our hands well and disinfectant gels. I think people in Thailand don't have to worry (yet). Only when the increase in the number of infected increases at an alarmingly rapid pace will the worries increase. But as long as that does not happen, we will not be deterred by the exaggerated news reports circulating in the media.
“Lt Gen Kongcheep said the government has instructed state agencies to prepare quarantine areas to contain the outbreak, and that the Defense Ministry will consider which military units are well-equipped to deal with the situation.”
This piece of text was unobtrusively published today in the “Bangkok Post” (an English-language Thai newspaper).
The article is about a hopeful treatment with a cocktail (sic) of anti-flu drugs and HIV virus tamers. Wait and see.
The phrase “… to prepare quarantine areas to contain the outbreak, …” in particular caught my attention.
Use of the plural “areas”. It is therefore not only about a quarantine zone for the Thai who will be repatriated from Wuhan. It's much more far-reaching.
And furthermore “… to contain the outbreak, …”. Lt Gen Kongcheep makes operational preparations. Would he (be allowed to) do that if everything is under control as Prime Minister General Prayut continues to claim?
Or the army chief Gen. Apirat (the boss of Lt Gen Kongcheep) and the government leader Gen. Prayut are already on a collision course … or the unlimited influx of Chinese has also already filled the N-Cov2019 reservoir in Thailand. If so, it should burst soon.
The first is the usual painfully amusing political nonsense.
The 2nd is a problem of a completely different order…
I am very happy that the Chinese government canceled the flights and kept the problem as close to themselves as possible. I am currently traveling in Thailand and do not get on the train or bus if there are Chinese people traveling with me. Wash my hands often and touch as few strange things as possible, such as handrails. So be a little careful. There is little to notice in the tourist places. Bankok, many more people wear a face mask, but I understand that this only helps to prevent the spread if you are already a carrier of the virus. It stops the splashes from coughing. As long as the reports here in Thailand do not become worrying, I will continue to travel around.
In my opinion, such interventions are inspired by mother nature.
Overpopulation on our planet must be stopped.
Not willingly, then maliciously and mother nature intervenes.
Saturday 01 February I was out and about in Thailand. Arrived at Don Mueang airport around 17.00 pm, rush hour, and then on weekends so usually very busy with coming and going passengers. Now, however, a quiet arrival hall with a handful of people. At the taxi I could walk right through while you normally have about 50 men in front of you. Suvarnabhumi airport the same evening it was busy as usual.
Friday, the day before, I sat in a fancy steakhouse in Pak Chong (entrance to Khao Yai park) next to a group of Chinese tourists (all without masks) whom I had also met earlier there at the Chocolate Factory. If I have become infected, I can report that I have encountered many people, traveled to the Netherlands via Dubai, and could have infected so many travelers from many countries. But I did wear a well-closing mask with filter, up to and including a stay of 3 hours in Dubai. On the flight to the Netherlands, only a few Asians had the masks on on arrival, the rest did not.