Bussarakham Hospital, a field hospital converted from Challenger Hall at Impact Muang Thong Thani exhibition centre in Nonthaburi province, has closed down after the last patient was sent home on September 20, Dr Kittisak Aksornwong, assistant public health permanent secretary and hospital director, said on Thursday.
The 3,700-bed hospital opened on May 14 to treat Covid-19 patients with mild to severe symptoms in Bangkok and its vicinity. It treated a total of 20,436 patients during the 130 days it was open, Kittisak said.
“In the early days after opening, the hospital admitted about 100 patients per day. At the peak of the delta variant contagion in July, the hospital saw 300-400 patients per day,” said Kittisak. “However, new infections in Bangkok have continually decreased in recent days, with only 5-6 people being admitted to the hospital daily since September.”
“Thanks to the lockdown measures, working-from-home approach, and the new strategy of sending new patients with mild or no symptoms into home isolation or community isolation, public and private hospitals in Bangkok and surrounding provinces are no longer overwhelmed, and we no longer need this field hospital,” added Kittisak.
“I would like to thank all personnel who have been working at Bussarakham for their hard work that ultimately helped improve the country’s Covid-19 situation,” he said.
Phuket Governor Narong Woonsiew on Thursday issued an order regarding screening measures for people who wish to enter the island via sea, air, and land channels.
The order stipulates that from October 1, people who, for at least 14 days before arrival, have received full doses of Sinovac, Sputnik V and Sinopharm vaccines, or one dose of AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines will be allowed to enter the island via Chatchai checkpoint, piers and Phuket International Airport. Those who have recovered from Covid-19 within the past six months will also be allowed in.
Visitors must also provide a negative test result via RT-PCR or antigen test method performed not more than seven days upon arrival. Children aged 6-18 will require only the test result.
Exceptions will be made for children aged under 6 who travel with their parents, and staffers travelling in ambulances and emergency vehicles.
Those who travel to the island under the Phuket Sandbox and 7+7 Extension programmes will not be affected by the new measures as they are already required to be fully vaccinated and perform testing every week.
All visitors to the island must download MorChana tracing application, or register at www.gophuget.com and present QR Code to officials at screening checkpoints.
Since early August Phuket has been barring all vehicles from outside the island in order to prevent imported cases from entering the province. Exceptions have been made for vehicles of rescue staff and financial institutions, transport of medical tools, chemicals, medicines, animal feed, agricultural products, fuels, petrol, parcels, machines, construction materials and auto parts.
Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai will meet with US Senator Tammy Duckworth, after the Congresswoman revealed that the US donation of Pfizer vaccine is on hold because the Thai government has not yet responded to the offer.
On Tuesday, Senator Duckworth told Thai Sang Thai Party leader Sudarat Keyuraphan that Thailand had not yet sent a response document to the US about the donation of 1 million Pfizer doses.
On Thursday, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson insisted Thai vaccine authorities were in close contact with US diplomats in Bangkok.
“The ministry is coordinating with the Department of Disease Control, which is the main department responsible for vaccination matters, and there has been constant coordination with the US Embassy in Thailand,” said Tanee Sangrat.
He added that Foreign Minister Don would meet with Senator Duckworth in person at the White House after he completes his mission in New York.
“In the meantime, there has already been close coordination, and the results of the donation talks will be announced soon,” said the spokesperson.
Senator Duckworth met with Sudarat on Tuesday in Washington DC and revealed that the US government is now ready to deliver the remaining one million Pfizer doses of its total donation of 1.5 million doses. However, the vaccine donation is on hold because the Thai government has not yet sent the response document, said Duckworth.
She also urged Thailand to enter the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) project, saying it would boost the supply of vaccine to Thai people.
Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (September 24) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 12,697 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 170 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 132, while 13,540 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country are at 1,537,310 with 16,016 total deaths.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday that a monsoon trough lies across the Central, the East and the lower Northeast, while the southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand.
Thundershowers are forecast across the country with isolated heavy to very heavy rains in the Northeast and the East.
People in risky areas should beware of overflows and flash floods, the department said. Waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand are about 1-2 metres high and over two metres high in thundershowers. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers, the department said.
Meanwhile tropical storm “Dianmu” over Quang Nam, Vietnam is expected to downgrade into a tropical depression and move to Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani provinces by today. It will bring isolated heavy to very heavy rains in the North, the Northeast, the Central and the East, the department added.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
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North: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-24 degrees Celsius, highs of 31-33°C.
Northeast: Thundershowers in 80 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy to very heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 28-33°C.
Central: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 33-34°C.
East: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy to very heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-27°C, highs of 32-33°C; waves two metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 31-35°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-25°C, highs of 33-35°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-25°C, highs of 31-32°C.
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) subcommittee on Thursday resolved to extend the state of emergency for another two months and postpone reopening the country from October 1 to November 1.
Gen Nattapon Nakpanich, chief of the National Security Council and chairman of the subcommittee, approved the proposal to extend the emergency decree until the end of November to control the spread of Covid-19. The decree had been due to expire at the end of this month.
The panel also resolved to delay the reopening of five tourist provinces for quarantine-free international travel. Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khiri Khan, and Phetchaburi were originally due to reopen on October 1 but the panel said this should be delayed until November 1.
The proposals will be presented for approval by a CCSA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday (September 27).
People living in the Chao Phraya Basin, especially those in Ayutthaya’s Phak Hai and Sena districts, have been warned of severe flooding.
The National Water Administration believes rain in the upper region of the basin will significantly boost Chao Phraya River’s level on September 29, with high tide in Nakhon Sawan’s Muang district and Chainat’s Sappaya district.
This will affect lowland areas in Ayutthaya’s Phak Hai and Sena districts, with heavy flooding expected until October 2.
Meanwhile, the Singburi provincial office announced on its Facebook page that the Chao Phraya dam will drain water at 1,950 cubic metres per second, which in turn will increase the river’s level by 50 centimetres.
Separately, authorities have warned of flash floods and potential landslides in 15 provinces, namely Chiang Mai, Lampang, Tak, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Uthai Thani, Chaiyaphum, Loei, Suphanburi, Kanchanaburi, Chanthaburi and Trat.
Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob presided over the launch of a project to install anti-Covid partitions in Bangkok taxis on Thursday.
The “Taxis with partitions in the New Normal” project aims to boost safety and confidence in taxi services.
Around 3,000 Bangkok taxicabs will be fitted with clear acrylic dividers between drivers and passengers, with no extra charge for users.
Saksayam said that every business sector must comply with Covid-19 restrictions to boost confidence in health prevention measures.
The high-quality acrylic partitions were provided by SCG Chemicals and designed not to obscure vision or affect operation or safety of taxis, said the Land Transport Department. Passengers will offer feedback via a QR code printed on the partitions before the department decides whether to roll out the taxi dividers nationwide.
A restaurant in Khon Kaen that tried to evade the ban on alcohol by disguising its drinks was caught out on Wednesday.
Police and soldiers raided the eatery, which is located near Khon Kaen University in Muang district, after locals reported it was serving alcoholic drinks in defiance of disease-control orders.
They found diners there supping on beverages served in opaque glasses. One sniff was enough to tell that the drinks were alcoholic, and the operator of the restaurant was arrested on the spot.
While alcohol is still banned in restaurants under tight Covid-19 restrictions, people are free to buy beer or spirits in shops and drink at home.
Bangkok, September 23, 2021 – A wide range of partners—including donors, international and regional bodies, and government and conservation organizations—aim to develop a partners’ group to more effectively collaborate and align planned counter wildlife trafficking investments in the region for greater impact.
These stakeholders also issued the Partners’ Dialogue Highlights, underscoring the importance of the One Health collaborative approach towards preventing pandemics as well as recovering from the current pandemic.
The Counter Wildlife Trafficking (CWT) Development Partners Coordination Platform for Asia was one of the results of the virtual Counter Wildlife Trafficking Partnership Forum from September 21-23, 2021, co-hosted by the United States and Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP).
U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Michael Heath gave remarks at the Forum, the capstone of the USAID Wildlife Asia regional program: “President Biden is prioritizing the environmental agenda at this crucial time when the world is facing a climate crisis,” he said. “As part of our environmental initiatives, our USAID Wildlife Asia program worked with national and regional bodies in Southeast Asia to end, neutralize, and disrupt transnational environmental crime. We are honored to facilitate this program with our long-standing partners, the ASEAN Secretariat and the Government of Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife Plant and Conservation, as we increase our counter wildlife trafficking efforts,” he continued.
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“Following the Chiang Mai Statement of ASEAN ministers responsible for Convention on International Trade and Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and wildlife enforcement on illegal wildlife trade in 2019, ASEAN has been moving forward to promote dialogue on issues related to global and regional wildlife trade policies, demand reduction and enhanced law enforcement,” said ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi.
Minister Varawut Silpa-archa, Thailand’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, said: “I sincerely believe that our endeavor will further our movement towards the achievement of ending the illegal trade in wildlife and will eventually contribute to the betterment of our natural resources and environment. I wish that our virtual forum today will advance our coordinated action towards a more sustainable and resilient future.”
Since 2016, USAID Wildlife Asia has been deterring wildlife crime and protecting endangered species from extinction by partnering with Southeast Asia countries to strengthen counter wildlife trafficking laws, arrest and prosecute criminals, and reduce demand for wildlife products through game-changing consumer campaigns. The program has also helped catalyze more effective and impactful collaboration and regional integration of counter wildlife trafficking efforts.
The U.S. Embassy announced plans to continue these efforts through a new program, USAID Reducing Demand for Wildlife, which will build on the successes of USAID Wildlife Asia. This includes efforts to implement the regional Plan of Action (POA) for the ASEAN Cooperation on CITES and Wildlife Enforcement (2021-2025) developed with USAID Wildlife Asia support. The program will also work to advance the outcomes of the Partnership Forum including strengthening partner coordination and cooperation in the region.
The forum was organized in collaboration with WWF, the Asian Development Bank, World Bank Global Wildlife Program, Global Environment Facility, and United Nations Development Programme.
From 2016 to 2021, USAID’s $24.5 million Wildlife Asia program also:
Pioneered evidence-based and targeted demand reduction campaigns, leading to a 50% drop in the proportion of people intending to buy wildlife products in Thailand, Vietnam, and China;
Advanced 10 progressive laws and policies towards counter wildlife trafficking that introduced dramatic increases in fines and sentencing for wildlife crime;
Mainstreamed the collaborative approach among law enforcement agencies to countering transnational organized wildlife crime, with officials from 137 law enforcement agencies from 24 countries trained across Asia and Africa; and
Leveraged $19.6 million in public-private partnership initiatives.
Bussarakham Hospital shuts down as number of Covid-19 patients declines
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