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Covid-19 vaccination drive to start at February-end

NationalJan 11. 2021

By The Nation

The Public Health Ministry aims to register the vaccine for Covid-19 in February and the first vaccination drive may start by the end of the month.

Speaking on progress in the procurement of the vaccine, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Sunday that Sinovac’s inactivated vaccine was created using old technology that was safe. He said there were no reports of any serious side-effects from China’s vaccine.

He said import of the vaccines will be gradual. The first lot of 200,000 doses from Sinovac will arrive at the end of February, 100,000 doses on March 8, and 1 million doses in April. Then in May, there will be a large batch of vaccines from AstraZeneca — 26 million doses in the first lot, followed by another 35 million — totalling 60 million doses for about 30 million Thais.

Vaccines from both companies must be registered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are used. The first lot is expected to be registered on February 14, which is intended to coincide with the Valentine’s Day.

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department (DDC), added that the first lot of vaccines would be for senior citizens aged 60 years and above, patients with underlying disease, and health personnel working on the frontline in maximum control areas [Samut Sakhon, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat].

“After receiving the vaccine, DDC and FDA will follow up by injecting patients for four weeks to ensure they don’t have side-effects. If there are concerns, the committee may stop the vaccination,” said Dr Opas. He said that the vaccines would be sent to around 11,000 local hospitals and health promotion clinics in each area to facilitate vaccination for the public.

Nakhon Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, said a few vaccines had been tested in Phase 3, such as Pfizer’s mRNA, which is 95 per cent effective, and requires two injections, 21 days apart. Moderna mRNA vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective. Both are registered in the United States with Pfizer registered in the United Kingdom as well.

There is also AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine, whose effectiveness is 62-90 per cent, depending on injection dose, registered in the UK, requiring two injections 28 days apart. The Russian vaccine is viral vector with 92 per cent effectiveness, two injections 24 days apart; inactivated vaccine of the Chinese company, with effectiveness at 79 per cent, requiring two injections 21 days apart. The inactivated vaccine from Sinovac has 78 per cent effectiveness, requiring two injections, 14 days apart. The vaccine is now in the registration process in China.

“Each vaccine has some side-effects, some of them quite common, such as fever, headache, pain near the injection area. No serious side-effects have been reported for all five vaccines. When more than a million vaccines are used, side-effects may be difficult to find though small numbers will gradually appear. In this case, vaccination in urgent conditions with severe outbreaks must weigh the results in terms of controlling outbreaks, reducing morbidity and the side-effects of the vaccine,” said Dr Nakhon.

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Lonely at the top on Doi Inthanon

NationalJan 11. 2021

By The Nation

Doi Inthanon saw only a few visitors after the national park closed Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail despite the cool weather.

Compared to the usually busy weekends, Saturday at the top of Doi Inthanon was quiet, with only a few sprinkling of tourists. Doi Inthanon National Park announced the temporary closure of the Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail due to the Covid-19 situation from January 9, while other areas remain open as usual.

Tourist statistics show 545 Thai people and 28 foreigners visited Doi Inthanon National Park on January 10, in 23 vehicles. Tourists travelling from 28 red-coded maximum provinces need to be quarantined 14 days before entering the area.

Tourists who want to cancel their accommodation due to the spread of Covid-19 can request a refund at least five working days prior to their scheduled stay at the park.

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Si Racha bears brunt of Covid-19 outbreak in Chonburi

NationalJan 11. 2021

By THE NATION

Chonburi’s provincial health office reported 20 new Covid-19 cases on Monday morning, taking cumulative cases in the province to 587.

Of the new cases, 18 were found in Si Racha district and two each in Sattahip and Phanat Nikhom districts.

As of today, most patients in the province were in Si Racha (271), followed by 223 in Bang Lamung where Pattaya city is located.

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Mae Sot locals complain quarantined returnees spitting, throwing garbage from balconies

NationalJan 11. 2021

By The Nation

Reports of returnees from Myanmar spitting from their quarantine facilities onto houses below sparked an investigation by authorities in Mae Sot, Tak province, on Monday.

Chaiprik Tichianthanarak, sheriff of Mae Sot, led a team of health officials to the Phu Inn Hotel, which is being used as a Covid-19 state quarantine facility for Thais who have returned from Myanmar both legally and illegally.

Locals living nearby had reported that the returnees were coming out on to the hotel’s balcony to smoke and spit “floods” of saliva on to houses below. The returnees were also throwing garbage down from the hotel, said locals. These violations of basic hygiene rules threatened to spread Covid-19 into the community, said residents.

Chaiprik assured them that all initial Covid-19 tests on the quarantine-stayers had come back negative, adding that it was better the returnees were in quarantine rather than strolling about the community. However, he promised to deal with the complaints, especially those concerning hygiene.

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Ban on charity lifted in poor Chiang Mai village after controversial YouTube video

NationalJan 11. 2021

By THE NATION

An order banning teachers in a remote Chiang Mai district from receiving charity was cancelled on Monday, following controversy over a YouTube video that went viral last week.

The video showed YouTube influencer Pimrypie (real name, Pimradaporn Benjawattanapat) donating Bt500,000 plus a solar power system, wide-screen TV and shoes for poor local children in Mae Kerb village, Omkoi district. She explained that villagers in the Chiang Mai community lived in poverty, with no electricity or other basic utilities.

Released Friday on the eve of Children’s Day, the video went viral, with millions of comments praising Pimrypie but also attacking the government for allegedly ignoring the plight of this remote community.

On Saturday, the local Office of Non-Formal and Informal Education (NFE) banned Omroi teachers and educational staff from receiving or commenting about donations.

However, the NFE office reversed the ban on Monday afternoon, claiming it had misunderstood the issue.

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249 new Covid-19 cases reported, including 14 who crossed Myanmar border illegally

NationalJan 11. 2021

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 245 confirmed cases on Monday.

The cases included 14 people who had returned from Myanmar illegally (13 Thais and one Myanmar national). Some of them had travelled to the neighbouring country for gambling and other purposes.

Of the 11 people testing positive in quarantine facilities, two Thais had flown back from the United Kingdom, two Thais from Switzerland, one each from Turkey, Bahrain and Denmark, as well as a Dutch man from Hungary, a British man from the United Arab Emirates, a Somalian man from Malaysia and an American man from his country.

Of the cases, 147 were exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk places. Provinces with two-digit cases include Samut Sakhon (37), Nonthaburi (31), Ang Thong (19), and Bangkok (36).

Proactive testing led to 48 positive cases being found — 43 in Samut Sakhon (two Thais and 41 migrant workers), four migrant workers in Nonthaburi, and one Thai in Bangkok,

In addition, the source of infection of 29 cases is still being sought, most of them found in Rayong (11) and Chonburi (12).

Meanwhile, 138 patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has increased to 10,547 – 8,381 of which were contracted domestically, including 2,839 from proactive testing, and 2,141 were returnees. So far, 6,566 have recovered and been discharged, 3,914 patients are being treated in hospitals, while 67 have died.

According to Worldometer, as of Sunday midnight, the total number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 90.69 million (up by 612,214), 64.81 million have recovered, 23.93 million are active cases (108,541 in severe condition) and 1.94 million have died (up by 8,836).

Thailand ranks 128th on the global list of most cases, while the US tops the list with 22.91 million, followed by India 10.46 million, Brazil 8.1 million, Russia 3.4 million and the United Kingdom 3.07 million.

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Quiet Pattaya turns creepy for a night

NationalJan 11. 2021

By The Nation

Figures of characters from horror movies appeared in parts of Pattaya on Monday night, giving the city a creepy air.

Photos were posted on the Facebook page of Trip Ka Dolls (trip with dolls) and quickly caught the attention of netizens.

Pictures of Annabelle and Chucky, characters from horror movies, emerged in various parts of the city, such as Walking Street, beach, Bali Hai cape and Pattaya railway station.

The post was shared over 6,900 times and received over 3,200 likes from netizens.

Chonburi, Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat are among provinces in the Covid-19 red zone and considered high risk for spreading the virus due to prevalence of activities like gambling.

The authorities have promised strict surveillance of people’s movements and hygiene practices in these provinces.

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Krungthai Bank changes closing hours of branches

NationalJan 11. 2021

By The Nation

To contain the spread of Covid-19, Krungthai Bank has adjusted the closing time of its branches nationwide to 6pm from Monday until further notice.

The bank said the move had been approved by the Thai Bankers’ Association, the Association of International Banks, and the Government Financial Institutions Association.

Customers can search for nearby branches via the website.

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300 migrant workers cured of Covid-19 in Samut Sakhon

NationalJan 11. 2021

By THE NATION

Nearly 300 migrant workers in Samut Sakhon province were free from Covid-19 after 14 days in quarantine, testing and are ready to return to work in the Central Prawn Market.

Samut Sakhon deputy governor Theerapat Katchamat revealed on Sunday that 292 migrant labourers who had been staying at the field hospital located at Samut Sakhon Provincial Central Stadium for Covid-19 treatment and quarantine would be allowed to go back to the Central Prawn Market in Mahachai subdistrict where they had been working earlier.

The market is one of the locations in Samut Sakhon which is believed to be a source of the new wave of Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand since December.

“All workers have completed their mandatory 14-day quarantine and received final testing to confirm that they are clear of the virus,” he said. “Furthermore, the province had received survival kits from the Thai Red Cross Society and has given them to every migrant to boost their morale.”

Theerapat added that migrant workers who wished to continue working at the market would need to fill a registration form and provide a valid passport as well as a certificate from the Ministry of Public Health stating that they were free of Covid-19 to authorities.

Meanwhile, Mana Paotui, Samut Sakhon public health officer, has said that officials have screened nearly 2,000 migrant workers who workex and resided near the Central Prawn Market since the first Covid-19 case had been confirmed in the area on December 17.

“So far around 700 migrants had tested positive for Covid-19 and had been sent to various hospitals in the province for treatment, while around 1,000 persons who tested negative were placed in quarantine as they had close contact with infected persons,” he said.

“On Monday around 300 more migrants will be discharged from the field hospital at the central stadium, which will free up over 600 beds for a new batch of patients.”

As of Sunday, Samut Sakhon reported 3,261 accumulated cases, 720 are Thais and 2,541 are migrants. Another 188 Thais and 175 migrants are under hospitalisation and one Thai person has died.

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Mixed narcotic suspected of causing six deaths in Bangkok

NationalJan 11. 2021

By THE NATION

A mixed narcotic called “K Nompong” is suspected of causing six deaths in Bangkok, and also severely affecting four others.

On Sunday, several cases of use of the narcotics were reported in Bangkok. In addition to these cases, seven other people were found unconscious after taking the same mixed narcotic.

According to a report, one of the victims was a nightclub dancer aged 22, who died in her residence located in the Bang Kho Laem area. Her boyfriend was found near her in a severe condition.

Police suspected that these people were suffering the fallout of consuming “K Nompong”, which is popular among teenagers. A pack of narcotics was reportedly found at the scene.

“K Nompong” is a mixture of ketamine, methamphetamine, heroin and a sleeping pill called “Rose”. It has been nicknamed “K Nompong” because it is made from ketamine and looks like milk powder (nompong in Thai).

On Sunday, there was a report that some teenagers in Sai Mai district of Bangkok had tried to kill others due to the hallucination effect of “K Nompong”.