Thailand Now Sees WHO as an Unreliable Source of Information

After the Covid-19 pandemic, Thais now view the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an unreliable source on health issues, Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, a specialist at Bangkok’s Vichaiyut Hospital, said.

He pointed out that WHO is quite slow in providing information. Especially when they inform the public on certain issues, these tend to change constantly. The organization previously caused Thais to panic about PM2.5 dust particles using the United States as a standard, Dr. Manoon said.

On June 9, WHO said Covid-19 asymptomatic infections rarely spread the virus. But two days later, medical professionals in several countries countered the statement. Consequently the WHO was forced to change it.

Dr. Manoon also said that Thais have done the right thing by wearing face masks. Even before WHO saw it as an important means to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. The WHO was also late on its announcement to that effect.

He said 18 years in the US taught him that most doctors from many institutions such as the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention have their own measures. Especially to deal with public health issues since. The WHO’s advice and suggestions usually worked for developing countries.  Developed countries like Thailand have standards that are different from developing countries.

Regarding PM2.5 dust particles, World healths healthy standard is 25 μg/m3, but even the US could not follow that since the country’s annual PM2.5 level is 35 μg/m3. While Thailand has sets its own standard at 50 μg/m3 a year, he told Asia News Network .

Thailand Now 23 Days With No Local Covid-19 Infections

Thailand’s government on Wednesday reported there were no new Covid-19 coronavirus cases and the country has gone 23 days without any local infections.

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the health department, said there were no new cases among local people or quarantined returnees.

“We have been free of local infection for 23 days. Academics say the ideal infection-free period is twice the 14-day period, which is 28 days.

“Above all Please keep using face masks in order to make the record good for Thailand and the world,” he said.

The total Covid-19 cases remained unchanged at 3,135, 2,996 (95.57%) of whom had recovered. Eighty-one patients were at hospitals. Furthermore the death toll was also unchanged, at 58.

Dr Taweesilp said 41,345 returnees had been quarantined and 198 of them were found infected. At present, 10,285 remained at covid-19 quarantine facilities for covid-19 in Thailand.

Global Covid-19 cases in 211 countries

Despite there being no new coronavirus cases in Thailand, the spokesman warned that the government still needed public cooperation in using the Thaichana check-in and checkout app. Which would help quickly trace patients if infection recurs.

Only 197,381 shops out of about 1 million nationwide had registered to use of the mobile app. Furthermore only 333,919 people were using it, he said.

Global Covid-19 cases in 211 countries totaled 8.26 million, up by 144,206 in the previous 24 hours. With 445,986 deaths, up by 6,901. Furthermore about 52% of the total cases had already recovered.

“The new confirmed cases were very high, almost 150,000,” Dr Taweesilp said. Severe cases numbered 54,594.

The United States had the most cases at 2.21 million and the most deaths at 119,132.

Brazil also ranked second by the number of confirmed cases at 928,834. Even more it ranked first by the number of newly confirmed cases at 37,278, while the figure in the US was at 25,450, ranking second.

“Brazil raises concerns… Its cases are soaring,” Dr Taweesilp said.

India also ranked fourth with 354,161 cases but had the most new deaths at 2,006. Followed by 1,338 in Brazil and 849 in the US. Russia was third with 545,458 cases and also 7,284 deaths. Thailand ranked 90th, according to the World Health Organisation.