Infection is as good as vaccine against Covid-19: virologist
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2022
Thailand’s top virologist believes an infection offers as much immunity against Covid-19 as vaccines do.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Dr Yong Poovorawan said more people in Thailand are building immunity against the virus via infection, judging by the drop in Covid-19 vaccines administered daily.
However, he advised people to get at least two shots and a booster jab to protect themselves from severe symptoms.
Dr Yong said that if a person picks up a Covid-19 infection after getting three jabs, they will have enough immunity to fight it off with little or no symptoms.
The virologist believes more than 50% of the Thai population has been vaccinated and this number should rise to 70% soon.
He also warned people at risk, namely people who are 60 and above, those with chronic disease, pregnant women and those weighing more than 90 kilos should get vaccinated or they may suffer severe symptoms.
Yong advised the authorities to study the population’s overall vaccination status and plan the dispensation of boosters next year.
Virologist calls for immunity study before devising Covid vaccination plan for next year
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2022
A study on people’s immunity is necessary to set up a vaccination plan for next year, as Covid-19 will become a seasonal disease, well-known virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Thursday.
In his Facebook post, he said most people had received their booster jab from nature — through Covid-19 infection.
However, he advised people to consider the side-effects thoroughly, as side-effects from Covid-19 infection would be more severe than from receiving the vaccine jab.
“Hence, receiving the vaccine jab is better,” he said, adding that people should receive at least three jabs no matter what the vaccine type.
Yong pointed out that hybrid immunity from the Covid-19 vaccine and infection is quite effective. He estimated that around 70 per cent of people in Thailand had been infected with Covid-19.
“This is why the severity of Covid-19 has decreased,” he said.
Yong expected Covid-19 to become a seasonal disease from now on as people get on with their normal life.
However, the elderly, pregnant women and patients with underlying diseases would be most vulnerable to Covid-19, he added.
“We have to study people’s immunity to set up a vaccination plan for next year,” he said.
“It is possible that vaccination next year will focus on those vulnerable to Covid-19 and children aged below two years,” he added.
Siriraj faculty researchers up the ante in battle against neglected tropical diseases like dengue
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2022
The Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, is working with international agencies to tackle neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), especially dengue fever.
According to the faculty, 24 per cent of the world’s population was affected by NTDs, such as leprosy, filariasis, tuberculosis and dengue fever. Meanwhile, 70 per cent of the global dengue fever cases were in Asia.
As many as 19,380 dengue fever cases were found in Thailand from January 1 to August 24 this year. Most patients were children and adolescents. During the period, 17 people reportedly died due to dengue fever.
The faculty’s former dean and consultant, Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa, said NTDs are largely ignored by mainstream medical science because they do not represent clear viable commercial markets for the private sector.
This continues to hinder the progress in medical research and development, and therapeutic solutions, he pointed out.
“NTDs continue to affect one in five people in the world. A staggering 1.7 billion people affected are from the poorest communities,” he said.
Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa
He said that collaborative efforts from individuals, organisations and governments were necessary to control, prevent and eliminate NTDs.
He added that the faculty had signed a partnership agreement with the Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDi) on January 25 to develop accessible and effective prevention and treatment for dengue fever for a period of five years.
“There is a long way to go, but the collaboration to tackle NTDs will never happen if we do not start and work together,” he added.
Prof Apichat Asavamongkonkul
Meanwhile, faculty dean Prof Apichat Asavamongkonkul said they have set up strategies to eliminate NTDs in the next four years, including cross-sector partnerships, building strong political will and generating resources necessary to eliminate the disease.
He added that there is an opportunity to apply our collective knowledge in endemic countries to form collaborations to address NTDs.
“Collaborations to address NTDs is very challenging, but we can do it,” he said.
Teenage women worldwide, and especially in Asia, smoke more electric cigarettes than men, the Action on Smoking and Health Foundation Thailand said on Tuesday, citing World Health Organisation data, as a behavioural expert expected Thai women to increasingly take to e-cigarettes.
Foundation president Prakit Vathesatogkit said more teenage women smoke e-cigarettes as manufacturers use over 16,000 types of aroma additives, plus there is no stench from burning while the devices are beautiful and small in size that they can be easily hidden.
“According to British data in 2020, up to 10.4 per cent of 600,000 pregnant women smoke,” Prakit said, adding that this proved nicotine in e-cigarettes can make people addicted easily.
He said smoking during pregnancy could put women at risk of miscarriage or premature birth while their babies could be at risk of low weight, disability or even death.
It’s harder to convince e-cigarette smokers to kick the habit than conventional smokers due to widespread misunderstanding that e-cigarettes are less dangerous, Prakit said.
“Hence, we urge parents, teachers and media outlets to create awareness of e-cigarette dangers among children in a bid to protect them from addiction.”
Meanwhile, Sarunya Benjakul, deputy chief of Mahidol University’s Department of Health Education and Behavioural Sciences, expected more and more Thai women to take to e-cigarettes even though the number of women who presently smoke these cigarettes is low.
Citing Department of Health data last year, she explained that 34.7 per cent of Thai men smoke e-cigarettes compared to only 1.3 per cent of women.
“Among teens aged 13-17 years, 18.7 per cent of males smoke e-cigarettes compared to 8.9 per cent women,” she explained.
Separately, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) said the National Telephone Quit Smoking Centre (Quitline 1600) had helped 17 per cent of smokers to quit the habit and saved social costs by up to 10,333 baht per smoker.
NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathat-aree said the office aims to attract 21,400 smokers to use the Quitline 1600 service annually.
“The NHSO will cooperate with the Department of Health to evaluate the Quitline 1600 operation,” he added.
Out with the old, in with the new: Six post-Covid office trends that focus on right location, better work atmosphere
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022
REDPAPER, a report providing an insight into data and trends in Thailand’s real estate industry by Frasers Property (Thailand), reveals six post-Covid work trends preferred by salaried employees from different generations.
The report, written in collaboration with Numbers 10 Research, shows people prefer “balance” and “value” in various aspects of life. It also highlights the attractive qualities of offices and buildings that motivate a full return to onsite work.
The study learned that preferences are given to green spaces, flexible working hours/workstations that meet individual needs, convenient locations that are reachable by either BTS or MRT as well as proximity to lifestyle venues to perfectly maintain a work-life balance.
Hence, the report recommends that companies improve their overall office atmosphere and consider the right office location to retain and attract New Gen employees.
It analyzes work trends and quality work environments that respond to the needs and lifestyles of employees of all ages after having worked from home during the pandemic.
According to the survey, more than 71% of employees are now required to work from the office, resulting in a shift from work trends from the pre-Covid period, and affecting people’s decisions on where to work today.
REDPAPER reveals the preferences of today’s salaried workers who look for ‘balance’ and ‘value’ in their professional and personal lives, reflected in six work trends:
1. Non-stressful Work; 2. Career Advancement; 3. Work-life Balance; 4. Upskill & Reskill Development; 5. Accessibility and Facilities; and 6. Time for Family.
By incorporating these trends, companies can improve their office environments so that employees are motivated to work in the post-COVID era. It is equally important to choose a quality office building in a convenient location that is accessible by different transportation options, with a pleasant atmosphere and areas for employees to relax to help reduce their stress from work. In addition, an emphasis should be placed on developing new knowledge, skills and work methods to increase the performance of employees, guaranteeing good results and happy work life.
REDPAPER also highlights the five most important things that office workers want in the workplace:
1. Green spaces to enhance the work atmosphere and improve air quality; 2. A flexible office policy without fixed hours of onsite work; 3. A pantry area for eating and relaxing during the day; 4. Open spaces with flexible seating or hot desking to create a pleasant work atmosphere with the freedom to choose a workstation; and 5. Well-allocated spaces to achieve efficient work.
This post-Covid survey reflects how employees of all ages are increasingly focused on two main factors – the office environment and location, which can offer balance in their lives while maintaining the lifestyle they have been familiar with since the work-from-home boom began. It further indicates that they are more likely to choose to work with a company that better – and more precisely satisfies their work preferences, especially for Gen Z, which includes those who have recently reached working age, and will be playing a crucial role in organizations in the future. All things considered, to retain and attract new-gen talents to join and stay with an organization, companies should focus on these two key issues in order to succeed and flourish despite the shift in working styles.
people in Asia view mental health as a critical concern, yet are unlikely to seek external support
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2022
October 10, was World Mental Health Day. FWD Group released the findings from its international mental health survey, one of the largest completed in Asia, to identify insights and ideas to help promote better overall emotional well-being.
FWD Group Holdings Limited (“FWD Group”) on Monday released the findings from its international mental health survey, one of the largest completed in Asia, to identify insights and ideas to help promote better overall emotional well-being .
In collaboration with Blackbox, an independent research company, the survey interviewed more than 10,000 people across 16 international markets between June and July 2022, including nine markets where FWD operates: Cambodia; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Malaysia; the Philippines; Singapore; Thailand and Vietnam.
Sim Preston, Managing Director and Group Chief Operating Officer, FWD Group, said, “While it’s great that mental health is gaining more and more awareness, especially in Asia, the stigma and cost of treatment remain barriers for people to seek the help they need. Published on World Mental Health Day, we hope this survey contributes insights and ideas that can help further raise awareness for this critical issue. As an insurer, we also look forward to making mental health protection more inclusive and focused on building mind strength, to enable people to celebrate living.”
While the survey found that 65% of people in Asia believe that mental health will become a critical issue in the coming year, only one-third of them prefer discussing their concerns externally. Given the cultural and societal stigmas associated with mental health, the survey findings showed that reframing mental health in a more positive way, such as ‘mind strength’, may reduce the stigma attached to the more traditional term and encourage more people in the region to open up about their challenges.
Cost of treatment was also identified as one of the most significant barriers to receiving care for mental health challenges in Asia, and 76% of respondents expressed their interest in exploring insurance options to address such challenges. The survey also uncovered that people in Asia worry about their families and jobs, which can lead to a higher rate of mental health challenges.
“Our survey showed that contributing factors to mental stress include concerns about a wide range of family responsibilities, coupled with work-related stress, rising inflation and post-pandemic adjustment. Given we also know that people may not be comfortable seeking help externally as individuals, the family assumes a particularly important role. Opening up and addressing these challenges as a family unit first instead of individually, can make a difference as people may feel more comfortable,” added Joanna Chu, Group Head of Product Proposition, FWD Group.
Overall key findings of the survey include:
Mental health issues will become more prominent around the world, yet stigma remains 65% of people in Asia believe mental health will be one of the most critical issues in the coming year
74% of people said they had experienced (16%) or known someone close (28%) and distant (30%) to them who had suffered from mental health challenges
People in Asia place a higher value on self-help rather than seeking outside assistance, only 34% prefer discussing issues openly with others
31% of people in Asia believe renaming “mental health” can help people to open up
Inflation and the future of children/family are top concerns leading to mental health challenges today Concerns around inflation (47%) cause more mental health challenges than post-pandemic adjustment (30%)
People in Asia worry about their jobs (31%) and family-related concerns, including the future of children/family (34%) and increasing family responsibilities (32%)
People in Asia are interested in insurance options for mental health 76% of people want to explore insurance to assist them in dealing with mental health challenges
The cost of treatment is one of the most significant barriers to receiving mental health care in Asia; 40% of people in Asia say the cost of treatment is the biggest impediment to seeking outside help
Expert virologist lists 15 lessons Thailand learned from Covid pandemic
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2022
THE NATION
There are 15 lessons to be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic, a top virologist said earlier this week.
In a Facebook post, Dr Yong Poovorawan said that when a new disease emerges, it has an impact on a person’s health, body and life. Initially, people will start panicking because they do not know about the disease, but eventually, they learn to live with it once a treatment has been found, he said.
As per Dr Yong, this pandemic presented us with 15 lessons, namely:
• The more dangerous a disease is, the less it spreads. For instance, he said, SARS which has a death rate of more than 10 per cent, only spread to some 20 countries. In comparison, Covid-19 which has a mortality rate of about 2 per cent, spread more widely.
• Initially, people infected by Covid-19 developed severe symptoms, but the virus began mutating and weakening after spreading more widely. Dr Yong said, the virus will never completely disappear, but we will learn to live with it.
• It is necessary to study the virus, instead of paying attention to rumours and beliefs. He said research on the Covid-19 virus is very important and will be beneficial to the country in the long run.
• Thailand has been far better at controlling the spread of the disease than countries in the West because people here are more used to washing hands, maintaining distance and wearing masks.
• Scores more people in Thailand opted for jabs because they believed it would help prevent infections. In fact, many people reserved vaccines even before learning about their efficiency. Unfortunately, many people succumbed to the virus because they either chose not to get vaccinated or did not get vaccinated in time.
• Vaccines certified by the World Health Organisation have similar efficiency to inactivated, virus vector and mRNA vaccines.
• The mix-and-match formula applied when vaccine supplies were limited has proved to work despite initial criticism.
• Immunity against the virus depends on the number of doses, not the type of vaccines. The virologist said people should get at least three or four shots for better immunity.
• People can still get infected despite being fully vaccinated, but the symptoms will be less severe. He believes that 70 per cent of the Thai population has contracted Covid-19.
• Thailand has bought far too many doses of Covid-19 vaccines, which are now expiring. Hence, he said, people should go ahead with their shots.
• There is a lot of bullying in Thai society, which is why many specialists are afraid to share their knowledge. He said people should also learn to tell fake news from real news and avoid sharing rumours.
• Most specialists read other people’s studies and pick out their favourite parts, which may cause confusion.
• Thailand should support the study of new emerging diseases as that will help save a lot of money spent on seeking solutions, especially medicines.
• The development of vaccines in Thailand is limited and can be produced in small numbers. If Thailand improved its labs and factories, it could produce vaccines for the international market.
• People in Thailand have survived this crisis because they cooperated in preventing the spread of the disease. Now, that the virus has been downgraded to a “communicable disease under surveillance”, we will need to learn to live with it. It’s better to brainstorm rather than insult one another, he said.
Covid XBB variant can evade immunity better than others, Chula lecturer warns
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2022
THE NATION
The Covid-19 variant “XBB” can evade immunity better than other variants, Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine lecturer Thira Woratanarat warned on Facebook on Wednesday.
Thira cited the study “Imprinted SARS-CoV-2 humoral immunity induces convergent Omicron RBD evolution” by Chinese researchers from Peking University.
According to the study, XBB originates from the BA.2 subvariant, which can resist immunity better than other subvariants.
The XBB variant should therefore be monitored, Thira advised.
He speculated that daily Covid-19 infections in Thailand could be around 20,000 cases.
Meanwhile, daily deaths connected to the virus are 10 on average, which places Thailand 15 highest in the world and number 10 in Asia.
He advised everyone to keep protecting themselves and wear face masks “properly” to reduce risks.
Thira noted that the number of cases in several European countries is rising, while those on other continents are stable but might also increase in a couple of months.
In contrast, he said the number in Asia is falling, except in Singapore where it is increasing.
Chula medical expert warns of long-Covid threat, urges people to continue wearing masks
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
THE NATION
Thailand could face a serious wave of long Covid after the change in Covid-19 policy from Saturday, Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine lecturer Thira Woratanarat posted on Facebook on Friday.
He warned of a crisis from more chronic diseases and long-term health expenses.
He said society may not become aware of this problem in the short and long term as people might think that it was caused by other factors.
They might not think that it was caused by Covid-19 and believe they could recover on their own with patience and despite financial limitations.
Thira said that the number of losses in the past year was evidence that a lot of people were affected by the infection.
He cited research in Singapore that patients’ congenital diseases could worsen and lead to death.
He warned people to live carefully and always protect themselves while also monitoring their health after being infected.
He said that long Covid could affect several body systems according to the research, including the brain, nervous, and cardiovascular systems.
He suggested that the best way to avoid getting long Covid, which could cause lifelong disability, is to avoid getting infected by always wearing masks.
ViMUT Hospital launches in-home emergency alert, response system for seniors
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2022
Bangkok’s ViMUT Hospital has launched an in-home emergency alert and response system to serve seniors. The hospital said ViMUT Life Link will help meet the needs of families whose younger members go out to work every day.
The 24-hour service, which costs from 1,0000 baht per month, connects senior citizens with on-duty doctors and nurses.
Life Link is designed to respond to health risks and unexpected accidents that befall elderly residents at home, said ViMUT.
Hospital director Dr Santi Ueanoraset said the service was introduced in response to Thailand’s ageing society and ViMUT’s commitment to becoming a holistic hospital serving seniors with the full range of healthcare services.
Life Link offers two separate emergency response service systems, the Emergency Button and the Help Trigger.
Pressing the Emergency Button activates the Smart Home Base Unit to connect the patient with the 24/7 emergency response team. Emergency nurses will then talk to the patient to see what help they need. If they require hospital treatment, an ambulance will be sent out right away.
The Help Trigger is a wearable emergency button with a system that automatically detects falls. Once activated, the device automatically sends the patient’s GPS location to ViMUT Alarm Centre for immediate assistance.
The Life Link service also offers online health screening and the ViMUT Tele Nurse for symptom tracking and health guidance. The online services are designed to reduce unnecessary travel to hospital. Life Link is available in three packages – Silver, Gold and Platinum – starting at 1,000 baht per month.
Prof Dr Prasit Watanapa
Prof Apichat Asavamongkonkul
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