Third Wave of Covid-19

We are living under new Covid restrictions here.  Movie theaters are now closed, as are pubs, etc.  It’s not a complete lockdown yet, but the opening hours of supermarkets and convenience stores are shortened.  Take-out only at restaurants.  Masks mandated in public.  

The First Wave of Covid-19 here was in the spring of 2020, followed by a lull in its spread.  In the entire year of 2020, Thailand only had 61 Covid deaths, and sometimes no deaths at all for a couple of months. 

The Second Wave started in December 2020 before leveling off a bit by February 2021.  The main centers of this outbreak were a Burmese migrant worker ghetto and an illegal Thai gambling den. 

The present Third Wave seems to have spread, in early April, from a couple of Bangkok nightlife clubs that may not have been following strict pandemic protocols – and the rumor is that some of the owners are in big trouble.  This is a much more serious wave of the virus, and it has spread widely throughout the country. 

Whereas 2020 closed out at New Year with 61 total Covid deaths, as of today our total pandemic death toll is 276, heading fast for 300. 

(To keep some perspective, Thailand’s population is about the size of the UK, whose Covid death toll is way over 100,000.) 

Covid vaccinations here are in a slow roll-out, with frontline heath workers prioritized.  Local production of the top vaccines should be available by June and July, with other vaccines soon to be approved.  News is that Expats like me who are over 60 will get free vaccinations – although I don’t know the timeline; I will ask my doctor when I see him for a routine checkup in June. 

Tuk is working remotely from home and only rarely goes to the office.  She does Zoom conferences with her boss and management team.  (Our cat, Pinkie, has to be confined to another room during these events, since she obsessively wants to be a Zoom star and must be kept away from the camera and microphone.) 

I only go out to buy stuff every two days or so at local convenience stores, and maybe once a week to a big supermarket via taxi, for things I cannot get here.  I miss the cinemas, my meet-ups with libertarian friends, and live music at The Rock Pub – but as a life-long hermit, I can always muster the inner resources to be amused and maintain peace. 

-Zenwind. 

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