Covid resurgence in Thailand - Get a booster shot

[Gaybutton]

State and government hospitals will give the booster free of charge. I don't know if the same is true of the private hospitals or even if the booster is available at private hospitals at all.

So far there has been no talk about re-imposing any of the Covid restrictions - emphasis on so far.

The government hospitals in Pattaya and near Pattaya are:

Banglamung Hospital
669 Moo 5, Sawang Fah Road, Naklua Beach
Tel: 038-429-244/5

Pattaya City Hospital
261/40 Soi Buakhao
Tel. 038-103-900

Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital
163 หมู่ 1 Sukhumvit Rd, Sattahip(Highway 3, South of Pattaya and past Sattahip - just past intersection with Hwy 331)
038 245 700
Although a Naval Hospital, it is open to the public. It is used by many Pattaya expats.

Queen Savang Vadhana Memorial Hospital
290 Choemchomphon road, Siracha
(North of Pattaya - 30-40 minute drive)
Tel. 038-320-200

Information from the Pattaya City Expats Club
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COVID makes comeback in Thailand as booster fatigue leaves door open

June 2, 2023

Thai authorities are stepping up campaigns encouraging people to roll up their sleeves and get booster shots as COVID-19 makes a comeback.

The campaigns are designed to combat a new surge in cases, attributed to factors such as students returning for the new semester – but most importantly people’s declining immunity.

“The prime minister is worried about the elderly and vulnerable groups. They should take a booster shot every year,” said Anucha Burapachaisri, deputy secretary-general to the PM and acting government spokesperson.

He added that even young people should get booster shots, which are being offered for free at state hospitals.

“Don’t forget that COVID-19 can still be deadly,” he emphasized.

Deaths surging again

Deaths from the disease have soared more than threefold over the past month, according to official data.

Forty-two people died of COVID-19 in the week of May 21 and 27, said Asst Prof Dr Thira Woratanarat of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, citing official records.

“The number of COVID-19 deaths has risen by 320% in the last four weeks,” he announced on Facebook.

May 21-27 also saw COVID patients on ventilators soar to 253, up 220.25% from four weeks ago. The number of patients with lung inflammation also surged to 425 – an increase of 170.7% from the same period last month.

Thailand has recorded more than 4.7 million cases of COVID-19 and at least 34,043 deaths from the virus since the pandemic started in early 2020, according to Worldometers.info.

Bivalent vaccine now available

The Department of Medical Services is offering free COVID-19 vaccinations at many of its facilities, including Bangkok’s Lerdsin Hospital and Institute of Dermatology. However, not all of these facilities are offering bivalent vaccines, which target both the original COVID-19 strain and the current dominant variant, Omicron.

Bivalent vaccine is however available in the capital at Rajavithi Hospital, Priest Hospital, and the National Cancer Institute.

An overseas study found bivalent vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna to be 58.7% effective against hospitalization compared with 25% for the monovalent shots that preceded them. The bivalent formulas were also 61.8% effective against infection compared with 24.9% for their monovalent predecessors.

Subvariants at play

Three Omicron strains are behind the current waves of COVID-19 in China and Southeast Asia, according to the Center for Medical Genomics at Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital. These subvariants are XBB.15, XBB.1.16, and XBB.1.9.1.

“These subvariants may cause severe symptoms even among people who have already been vaccinated but failed to get a booster shot,” the center warned.

Prof Wasun Chantratita, who heads the center, said the three strains now dominant were not more virulent than the original Omicron. Instead, the increase in severe cases has come because vaccinees’ immunity has declined.

“Many people are no longer returning for booster shots,” he said.

Wasun said that measured on a scale of one to 10, the COVID waves driven by XBB.15, XBB.1.16, and XBB.1.9.1. would score just five in terms of concern caused, since none of them has been declared a “subvariant of concern”.

Precautions help

Thira said it was notable that 31 of the 42 COVID-19 deaths in the week of May 21-27 occurred in just two provinces – Chon Buri and Samut Sakhon. The former is home to the international tourism hub of Pattaya, while the latter is known as “Little Myanmar” for hosting a huge number of migrant workers from the neighboring country.

“It’s best to be cautious, live with our guard up, and protect ourselves as much as we can,” the medical expert advised. “For the wellbeing of ourselves and our families, avoid crowded places that do not have good ventilation, do not share utensils or food with people who are not from the same household, and clean workspaces you have shared with others. If you feel unwell, isolate yourself.”

The advice comes amid a general relaxation of COVID precautions such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, and avoidance of social gatherings as life returns to normal in Thailand.

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/covid-make ... door-open/

[Jun]

Forty-two people died of COVID-19 in the week of May 21 and 27, said Asst Prof Dr Thira Woratanarat of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, citing official records.

“The number of COVID-19 deaths has risen by 320% in the last four weeks,” he announced on Facebook.

42 people in a week
The Thai death rate is 7.5 per 1000 per year, which works out at about 10,000 deaths per week.
So 0.42% from covid.

To quote a 320% increase on a tiny number is also questionable.

Also, surely they ought to target the vaccination advice at the elderly ?

For comparison, in the UK, the under 50s are no longer entitled to boosters, as whilst the original vaccinations were helpful, the boosters are now doing more harm than good in this age bracket.
Also, the older you get, the higher the covid risk, but the lower the risk of vaccine side effects. So there is a clear net benefit for the elderly.

[gerefan]

42 people in a week
The Thai death rate is 7.5 per 1000 per year, which works out at about 10,000 deaths per week.
So 0.42% from covid.

Check your maths!!

But it is still below 1%

[Jun]

Where have I gone wrong ? Dodgy maths or unclear explanation ?

7.5 per 1000 annual death rate
Population 71.7 million
Total deaths = 71700000 x 7.5/1000 = 537750 deaths per year
At 52.4 weeks in a year, that's 10262 deaths per week, which is about 10000 per week
42/10000 = 0.42% of deaths from covid.

Or if I'm being more precise, 42/10262= 0.41%

[gerefan]

Mea culpa! Thought the Thailand population was 42 million.
Disregard all!!

[Gaybutton]

Disregard all!!

Sounds good to me. I don't know why you gents are quibbling about numbers in the first place. To serve what purpose?

To me it's all very simple. A resurgence of Covid in Thailand. People are getting sick and people are dying. Boosters are available and people need to know that and where to get it. Now decide for yourself whether to get a booster or not. What else is necessary to say?

[Jun]

Having finally caught covid (mild), I decided to compare covid booster age cut offs for autumn 2023:
UK: 65
Germany: 60
USA: 12 (+anyone over 5, who has not yet had a vaccine).

That's quite a difference. I thought all 3 countries had independent bodies to review the data and make recommendations independent of political interference. I'm reasonably confident that the UK body make decisions independent of politicians. The politicians merely ask them to consider the issue and decide if the available vaccines can be recommended or not.
I would have thought the US system ought to be properly independent of government as well, after Gerald Ford & the swine flu vaccine.

I understood the UK set the cut off at 50 last year, as the data showed under 50s are worse off with annual boosters. I presume they moved the limit to this time 65, based on evidence. The difference to the US is remarkable.

Does anyone know why ?

[Gaybutton]

I don't know anything about boosters and cut-off ages, but apparently the resurgence in Thailand was minor. There are no offers I know of for free boosters, no rule and regulation changes, and virtually no news about it.