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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004902

Phuket sees 292 flights, 21,545 passengers under sandbox travel scheme

As of August 15, a total of 292 flights touched down in Phuket since its tourism sandbox programme started on July 1, Transport Ministry statistics showed.

The statistics also showed that the flights brought in 21,545 passengers, 18,654 of whom are foreign tourists.

The sandbox scheme reopened Phuket to foreign visitors in a bid to breathe new life into its ravaged tourism industry. Vaccinated tourists can fly into Phuket and move around freely in the province without having to quarantine. After spending 14 days there and if they still test negative, the tourists can then travel to other parts of Thailand. The 14-day rule is now being reduced to 7 days to attract more international visitors.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) reported this week that the three airlines operating the most flights to Phuket are Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates.

According to CAAT, international flights to Phuket during the period came from 17 cities – Singapore (76), Doha (34), Dubai (28), Abu Dhabi (21), Tel Aviv (15), Kuala Lumpur (14), Frankfurt (13), London (7), Zurich (7), Paris (7), Copenhagen (5), Hong Kong (3), Phnom Penh (2), Vientiane, Taipei, Sharjah and Yangon (one each).

CAAT said that from August 5-17, Phuket saw 18 domestic flights operated by Nok Air to U-Tapao airport in Rayong province, carrying a total of 586 passengers.

Domestic travel to Phuket has been banned by the province since August 3 as a part of extra strict Covid-19 preventive measures, with exception to tourists under the sandbox programme and emergency vehicles.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004893

Thailand recorded 20,902 Covid-19 cases and 301 deaths on Thursday

Ministry of Public Health reported on Thursday (August 19) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 20,902 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 148 of whom have been found in prisons.

Death toll increased by 301, while 22,208 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country are at 989,859 with 8,586 total deaths.
 

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004891

15 rescue workers called in to get 230kg infected mother down from 2nd storey

Fifteen rescue staffers from Siam Nonthaburi Rescue Foundation helped transport a Covid-19 patient, who weighed 230 kilograms, to a community isolation centre on Wednesday night.

The foundation was called to a house on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok’s Don Muang district at 9pm to transport a family of three, who tested positive for Covid-19, to a community isolation centre to wait for hospital beds.

The family comprises a 65-year-old mother, a daughter and a nephew. Six staffers who first arrived at the scene could not get the mother, who lived on the second floor, down to the ambulance as she weighed around 230kg.

The staffers had to call the foundation head office to send nine more men along with high-elevation rescue equipment to help bring her down.

15 rescue workers called in to get 230kg infected mother down from 2nd storey

After the mother was successfully taken down to the ambulance, staffers sprayed the house and nearby areas with disinfectant.

A news source revealed that a community isolation centre had earlier sent an ambulance to the house to pick up the daughter and the nephew so they could be quarantined. But the two refused to leave the elderly women alone as she could hardly move and has many underlying health issues, which prompted the centre to call the rescue foundation for assistance.

15 rescue workers called in to get 230kg infected mother down from 2nd storey

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004889

Rains ease over Thailand, but lower South to see isolated heavy showers

With a weak southwest monsoon prevailing over Thailand, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf, less rain is likely across the country, but a low-pressure cell covering the Malaysian coast will bring isolated heavy showers to the lower South, the Meteorological Department said on Thursday.

Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 31-37 degrees Celsius.

Northeast: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 35-37 degrees Celsius.

Central: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-26 degrees, highs of 36-38 degrees Celsius.

East: Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-27 degrees, highs of 32-36 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (east coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-26 degrees, highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 26-27 degrees, highs of 35-37 degrees Celsius.

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004877

Factories ignoring bubble-and-seal procedures are infection hotspots, warns official

Factories that have been assessed according to the Thai Stop Covid (TSC) online platform are 4.5 times less likely to spark infection clusters, a top official from the Industry Ministry said.

Worawan Chitaroon, the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, said it was imperative that all factories use the TSC platform for self-assessment and follow the prescribed bubble-and-seal procedures to curb the spread of the virus.

So far, 20,032 factories have undergone the TSC assessment, accounting for just 31 per cent of the 64,038 factories nationwide. Of the factories assessed, only 66 per cent or 13,235 factories passed the criteria, Worawan said.

According to data collected between April 1 and August 17 by the ministry’s Crisis Management Centre, there were Covid-19 outbreaks in 749 factories with 53,135 people infected in 62 provinces. Phetchaburi led the list with 4,597 patients, followed by Chachoengsao with 3,648, Saraburi with 3,647, Samut Sakhon with 3,571 and Phetchabun with 3,487 patients.

Factory workers who have been infected usually take around 14 to 28 days to recover, mostly because they are young, in good health and some have been vaccinated.

Of the 749 factories affected, the highest number of infections were in the food industry with 136, followed by 103 in electronics, 65 in metal, 64 in garment factories and 57 in factories dealing with plastics.

An average of 13 factories report clusters daily accounting for more than 800 cases every day – a number that is expected to rise exponentially if serious steps are not taken.

Published : August 18, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004878

US military dismisses ‘fake news’ that Bangkok lab was origin of Covid

The US military has slammed as fake news online rumours that its medical mission in Thailand leaked the virus that triggered the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Recent allegations have used fake and manipulated documents to smear this research institution and the several hundreds of dedicated and professional Thai and American scientists who work here,” said a statement issued on Wednesday by the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences (AFRIMS), which is based in Bangkok.

“Over the past 60 years, the United States Army and the Royal Thai Army have worked shoulder to shoulder at the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in the battle against tropical diseases, said the statement, which was signed by Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Carter, US deputy director of AFRIMS.

“The work done here has saved hundreds of millions of lives in Thailand and across the world,” it added. “And, most importantly, our gold standard laboratory facilities are safe.”

Carter said research at AFRIMS is wholly focused on defeating diseases endemic to Thailand and Southeast Asia, including malaria, dengue, chikungunya, zika, Japanese encephalitis, and HIV.

AFRIMS is currently supporting the development of the Chulalongkorn mRNA vaccine, he added.

“In everything we do, AFRIMS follows all relevant Thai and US laws to maintain the highest standards of proper laboratory conditions. As a result, AFRIMS is one of the safest laboratories in the world.”

The US Embassy in Bangkok describes AFRIMS as “the largest of a global network of US Defense Department Overseas Medical Research Laboratories – with sister laboratories in Peru, Kenya, Egypt, and the Republics of Georgia and Singapore”.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004876

Rail Dept vows to upgrade Thai railway to international level

The Department of Rail Transport on Wednesday approved a draft document to establish international standards for Thailand’s electric train system.

The document contains three measures to upgrade the electrified rail service:

1. Standards for the design, installation, testing and verification of power distribution systems. The standards will apply to mainline commuter trains and intercity trains powered by AC electricity.

2. Standard requirements for transformers used in substations, to power the AC drive system or to power ancillary services for electrified main lines.

3. Standards for all rolling stock.

The Department of Rail Transport is also preparing international standards for civil infrastructure, mechanical and rail transport vehicles, electrical and signalling, and safety standards.

Published : August 18, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004875

Korat officials accuse Tesco store of concealing outbreak for 26 days

Health authorities in Nakhon Ratchasima have accused Tesco Lotus department store managers of concealing an outbreak of Covid-19 that spawned a serious infection cluster in the Northeast province.

Health authorities in Nakhon Ratchasima have accused Tesco Lotus department store managers of concealing an outbreak of Covid-19 that spawned a serious infection cluster in the Northeast province.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004874

PM’s order could sink controversial deal for Chinese ATKs

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO)’s deal for Chinese-made rapid antigen test kits (ATKs) came under question on Wednesday when PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insisted all ATKs purchased by Thailand must be certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The order threatens to disrupt the GPO’s purchase of 8.5 million ATKs manufactured by Beijing-based Lepu Medical Technology. The Lepu ATKs are not certified by the WHO and have been banned by the United States over concerns about their accuracy.

Ostland Capital won the bidding last week to supply the ATKs, offering each set at 70 baht in a contract worth 1.014 billion baht.

Earlier this week, the Rural Doctors urged the prime minister to halt the purchase, citing concerns about the quality of the Lepu test kits. The GPO countered that the Lepu ATKs had been approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Prayut on Wednesday ordered health agencies to speed up procurement of ATKs that met both Thai FDA and WHO standards.

The PM also instructed the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre and related agencies to urgently solve problems regarding vaccine procurement, community testing, and delays in getting infected people into the treatment system.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004867

PM says restrictions could be lifted next month amid signs of infection slowdown

PM Prayut Chan-o-cha on Wednesday announced Covid-19 restrictions could be eased next month amid signs the infection rate is slowing. However, tighter Covid-19 safety measures were needed to combat the outbreak of Delta variant, he said via Facebook.

Prayut acknowledged the daily caseload had risen above 20,000 since lockdown measures were imposed last month but said the number of patients recovering is now higher than the infection rate.

He said his main concern was the fatality rate, especially among the vulnerable group of elderly people and those with underlying health conditions. 
Thailand’s daily Covid death toll soared to a record 312 on Wednesday.

Prayut said the infection rate will likely reach its peak this month before dropping in September. This would allow authorities to adjust the control measures and relax some restrictions on businesses and activities, he added.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) recently extended lockdown measures in Bangkok and 28 other provinces until the end of August. 
The CCSA has meanwhile decided to elevate safety measures under the Universal Prevention method to be practised by every individual.

The 10-point Universal Prevention method is as follows:

1. Leave home only when absolutely necessary.
2. Stay at least 1-2 metres away from others outside.
3. Wear a face mask inside a cloth mask at all times, at home and in public, especially around elderly and high-risk groups.
4. Wash hands with soap or alcohol gel frequently, including before meals, after using the bathroom, after coughing, or after touching shared objects. 
5. Avoid touching your face mask, face, eyes, mouth and nose.
6. People aged over 60 or with chronic conditions must avoid leaving home if possible. If not, they should minimise the time they spend outside. 
7. Clean and sanitise frequently touched surfaces, equipment or physical environment.
8. Use separate personal items.
9. Eat freshly cooked food and do not share dishes or cutlery.
10. If you have Covid-19 symptoms or have been in close contact with an infected person or high-risk location, test yourself with an Antigen Test Kit or visit the nearest hospital.

“Please strictly follow these Universal Prevention measures amid this high-risk situation, and be patient,” said Prayut. He also expressed gratitude for the work of medics, front-line personnel, volunteers and every organisation involved in the battle against Covid-19. 

“We are seeking every solution to manage this crisis and revitalise the country and its economy as soon as possible,” he concluded.

Published : August 18, 2021

By : The Nation