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23 January
The first case of Wuhan Virus was reported in Thailand.
28 January
Thailand now has the second-highest number of infections outside of China. There have been 8 confirmed cases of Wuhan Virus. Five have fully recovered and been released, and three are recovering well in hospital. So far there have been no fatalities outside of China. Luckily Thailand has excellent health care. I will be a lot more worried if and when the virus spreads to undeveloped and overcrowded countries such as India or Pakistan. So far Thailand has been handling the situation very well, with the biggest concern being the drop in tourist yuan due to the limitations on tour groups arriving from China.
29 January
It's been hard to find P95 or P99 face masks at pharmacies in Bangkok. Luckily, my girlfriend's sister is a pharmacist, and she was able to get several masks for us before they sold out. Nowadays, everybody in Bangkok is wearing the most heavy-duty virus filtration mask that they can get. The best ones have special filters on them. It's good to be safe, but this type of mask makes it hard to breathe, and it makes me sound like Darth Vader whenever I have to catch my breath!
30 January
The spread of the virus seems to have slowed. There are currently 14 cases in Thailand. There still have been zero fatalities. I don't want to speak too soon, but things seem to be under control and the virus doesn't seem as severe as the media has made it out to be, especially in countries with strong medical infrastructure such as Thailand.
31 January
The first human-to-human case of Coronavirus has been documented in Thailand. A Thai taxi driver who picked some Chinese tourists up from the airport has been admitted to hospital and tested positive for Coronavirus. There still have been zero deaths outside of China, and Thailand is handling it admirably. So far all seems well in the kingdom.
My brilliant girlfriend, a super smart and super beautiful veterinarian, has been asked to write an article (in Thai) about Coronavirus in pets. Many people in Thailand have been asking for that, and her article will be published by her clinic and in some veterinary magazines throughout the country. Apparently, it is a relatively common virus that can affect our good furry friends as well, though severity varies by strain.
1 February
The Ministry of Tourism in Thailand is in a panic - not because they are concerned about the virus, but because they are worried about losing the Chinese tourist cash! The government wants to halt all flights from China, but the Minister of Tourism is "worried about hurting the feelings of the Chinese government". The government rejects the proposal to suspend visas-on-arrival for Chinese citizens.
2 February
Thailand still hasn't had a single fatality, which is encouraging. It's still nearly impossible to find face masks, but luckily my girlfriend's sister is a pharmacist. Last night she came home with a huge order of face masks for her pharmacy, and she left a box of 500 masks at home for us. I'm sure we won't need all of them, but it's good to be prepared, especially in the case of a future pandemic.
The thing that really scared us was when she drove to the supermarket and came back with a huge supply of soap, medical supplies, and canned food! Since she's a pharmacist at Bangkok's top hospital, she tends to know big news before we do. She said that she wasn't really worried about the virus, but more worried that people might start to panic and buy up everything at the stores if the disease continues spreading in the next few weeks. Thailand, after all, has the second-highest rate of infection (still significantly lower than that of China). It's good to be prepared anyways, but we still are not worried. Things are well in hand!
3 February
Thailand has announced that they have "cured" the virus by administering a high cocktail of antiviral drugs. It's not a perfect solution, but it allows the body to fight the virus itself. Positive news!
The virus is significantly more contagious than similar viruses such as SARS, MERS, Avian Flu, and Swine Flu, but far less fatal. We are all hoping for the best.
Overall, I'm not too worried.
I may or may not update on this topic again, depending upon the spread and severity of the virus in Thailand. Hopefully, I won't have to, and this will be the last you'll have to hear about Coronavirus from me!
The first case of Wuhan Virus was reported in Thailand.
28 January
Thailand now has the second-highest number of infections outside of China. There have been 8 confirmed cases of Wuhan Virus. Five have fully recovered and been released, and three are recovering well in hospital. So far there have been no fatalities outside of China. Luckily Thailand has excellent health care. I will be a lot more worried if and when the virus spreads to undeveloped and overcrowded countries such as India or Pakistan. So far Thailand has been handling the situation very well, with the biggest concern being the drop in tourist yuan due to the limitations on tour groups arriving from China.
 |
| A very bad translation! This is an encouraging message from a group of Thai doctors. They meant to say something like "we will get through this together", but chose an unfortunate use of phrasal verb! It's a well-meaning and kindhearted message, but with a poor use of phrase. This has been going around Thai social media much to the amusement of the farangs and fluent English-speaking Thais in the kingdom. |
29 January
It's been hard to find P95 or P99 face masks at pharmacies in Bangkok. Luckily, my girlfriend's sister is a pharmacist, and she was able to get several masks for us before they sold out. Nowadays, everybody in Bangkok is wearing the most heavy-duty virus filtration mask that they can get. The best ones have special filters on them. It's good to be safe, but this type of mask makes it hard to breathe, and it makes me sound like Darth Vader whenever I have to catch my breath!
The spread of the virus seems to have slowed. There are currently 14 cases in Thailand. There still have been zero fatalities. I don't want to speak too soon, but things seem to be under control and the virus doesn't seem as severe as the media has made it out to be, especially in countries with strong medical infrastructure such as Thailand.
31 January
The first human-to-human case of Coronavirus has been documented in Thailand. A Thai taxi driver who picked some Chinese tourists up from the airport has been admitted to hospital and tested positive for Coronavirus. There still have been zero deaths outside of China, and Thailand is handling it admirably. So far all seems well in the kingdom.
My brilliant girlfriend, a super smart and super beautiful veterinarian, has been asked to write an article (in Thai) about Coronavirus in pets. Many people in Thailand have been asking for that, and her article will be published by her clinic and in some veterinary magazines throughout the country. Apparently, it is a relatively common virus that can affect our good furry friends as well, though severity varies by strain.
1 February
The Ministry of Tourism in Thailand is in a panic - not because they are concerned about the virus, but because they are worried about losing the Chinese tourist cash! The government wants to halt all flights from China, but the Minister of Tourism is "worried about hurting the feelings of the Chinese government". The government rejects the proposal to suspend visas-on-arrival for Chinese citizens.
2 February
Thailand still hasn't had a single fatality, which is encouraging. It's still nearly impossible to find face masks, but luckily my girlfriend's sister is a pharmacist. Last night she came home with a huge order of face masks for her pharmacy, and she left a box of 500 masks at home for us. I'm sure we won't need all of them, but it's good to be prepared, especially in the case of a future pandemic.
 |
| stocked up on emergency supplies |
The thing that really scared us was when she drove to the supermarket and came back with a huge supply of soap, medical supplies, and canned food! Since she's a pharmacist at Bangkok's top hospital, she tends to know big news before we do. She said that she wasn't really worried about the virus, but more worried that people might start to panic and buy up everything at the stores if the disease continues spreading in the next few weeks. Thailand, after all, has the second-highest rate of infection (still significantly lower than that of China). It's good to be prepared anyways, but we still are not worried. Things are well in hand!
3 February
Thailand has announced that they have "cured" the virus by administering a high cocktail of antiviral drugs. It's not a perfect solution, but it allows the body to fight the virus itself. Positive news!
The virus is significantly more contagious than similar viruses such as SARS, MERS, Avian Flu, and Swine Flu, but far less fatal. We are all hoping for the best.
Overall, I'm not too worried.
I may or may not update on this topic again, depending upon the spread and severity of the virus in Thailand. Hopefully, I won't have to, and this will be the last you'll have to hear about Coronavirus from me!
Resources:
This live interactive map from my very own Johns Hopkins University is currently tracking the spread of the virus. While a lot is still unknown, the prognosis seems fairly positive. So far, Thailand has handled the situation remarkably well, and as of today there have been no deaths from the virus in the kingdom. Everyone who has been treated has recovered and been released.
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