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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018868

The Public Health Ministry reported on Sunday (August 14) that over the past 24 hours, 1,773 Covid-19 patients have been admitted to hospitals.

The death toll has risen by 30, while 2,576 patients have recovered and discharged from hospitals. 

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, 2022, stands at 2,396,990.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 4,620,425 – 4,567,639 of whom have recovered, 20,958 are still in hospitals and 31,828 have died.

Separately, another 1,272 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 1,863 their second shot and 15,268 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 142,180,033.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 594.86 million on Sunday, 567.93 million of whom have recovered, 20.48 million are active cases (45,689 in severe condition) and 6.45 million have died.

Thailand ranks 28th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 94.67 million, followed by India with 44.25 million, France with 34.21 million, Brazil with 34.16 million and Germany with 31.53 million.

Published : August 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018866

Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district was flooded on Saturday as the Sai River that marks the border with Myanmar overflowed.

The Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DDPM) said the river level began rising on Friday, reaching a depth of more than 6 metres under bridges.

On Saturday morning the river burst its banks and flooded Sailom Joy Market at the Mae Sai-Tachilek border checkpoint. More than 2,000 households were inundated, according to local reports. Some residential areas are under 1 metre of water.

Local officials and military personnel have deployed boats and six-wheel trucks to evacuate people living on the riverbank or stuck in the market. The riverbank has also been reinforced with sandbags to prevent further overflows.

Tachilek border market on the Myanmar side has also been inundated by the overflow.

The DDPM said tropical storm Mulan has triggered flooding in 11 northern provinces since Friday, with 2,312 households in 410 villages inundated. So far, there are no reports of deaths or injuries.

In Chiang Rai alone, floods have hit 1,081 households in 206 villages across eight districts – Khun Tan, Wiang Kaen, Mueang Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong, Mae Chan, Thoeng, and Mae Sai.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018865

Two blind brothers in Rayong are being hailed for overcoming their disability to provide support for their 75-year-old mother.

Their story was revealed by a reporter interviewing vendors at Pak Nam Prasae Market in the western province’s Klaeng district. The vendors praised the blind brothers, who work to support their mother Yupha Mungtorkij.

The reporter also spoke to the mother, who explained that both her sons were born blind.

The first son, Udomkarn, 49, sells lottery tickets while the second, Channarong, 48, has opened a Thai massage shop.

Yupha said both of them worked in order to reduce the burden on their family and repay their parents.

Yupha described how she was happy when both brothers set a goal of attending university. She was even happier when they received Bachelor of Education degrees from Suan Dusit University. They also sought career training from blind practitioners.

Yupha swelled with pride as she explained how her sons had overcome adversity, driven by the ambition to support themselves and their family.

The reporter also interviewed the elder son, Udomkarn. He paid tribute to the love and care he received as a child from both of his parents. Growing up in a loving family, he and his brother had taught themselves the skills they needed to survive in adulthood. Now, in return, they were helping to support the family. The kindness of his parents was irreplaceable, he added.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018862

A police complaint was filed against Prachuap Khiri Khan governor and five senior officials on Saturday for allegedly turning a blind eye to the release of wastewater on the beach.

Representatives of the Anti-Corruption Network’s local chapter filed a complaint at the Muang Prachuap Khiri Khan Police Station in which they accused the six officials of dereliction of duty under Article 157 of the Penal Code.

Apart from the provincial governor, the others accused are Prachuap Khiri Khan mayor, chief of the Provincial Office of Natural Resources and Environment, chief of the Marine Transport Office 3, director of the Wastewater Management Authority’s local office and director of the neighbour province Phetchaburi’s Marine and Coastal Resources Administration Office 3.

Chaisit Plangsrisakul, a member of the Anti-Corruption Network’s working group, said untreated wastewater was being released onto the beach near the town hall.

He said the group had taken some senior officials to the area in June, where they learned that the wastewater was coming from a hotel nearby. However, Chaisit said, nothing has been done since.

“The continuous release of wastewater has had a severe impact on the ecosystem of the coastal area, which is an important tourist landmark. But the relevant state agencies have paid no attention,” he said.

Vendors near the beach filed similar complaints in May, saying that the smelly dark water was being released from a wastewater pipe near the breakwater. They said the bad smell was driving away tourists and affecting their business.

A recent test conducted by the Regional Environment Office 8 showed that the wastewater had not been treated and violated safety standards.

Hua Hin, a popular destination with both local and foreign travellers, is some 90 kilometres from Muang district and both face the Gulf of Thailand.

Published : August 13, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018861

Thailand is planning to add the TDAP (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Acellular Pertussis) vaccine for pregnant women to its national immunisation programme.

National Vaccine Institute director Dr Nakorn Premsri said on Saturday that TDAP vaccine will protect pregnant mothers and newborn babies and reduce the risk of severe illness in babies too young be vaccinated.

Currently, the three TDAP vaccine shots needed to build strong immunity are administered to children during their first six months of life.

“Therefore, there is a six-month gap from when the baby is born until they receive the third shot, during which they are vulnerable to the three diseases, as the bacteria that cause them can be carried by family members,” said Dr Nakorn.

Vaccinating the mother while pregnant will reduce that vulnerability.

Nakorn added that the move has already been approved by the national vaccine committee and would undergo a cost-benefit analysis as the last step. He expects TDAP vaccination for pregnant women to become available before the end of this year.

So far, Thailand’s vaccination programme protects against 11 diseases: Tuberculosis, hepatitis B, tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis, Japanese encephalitis, measles, mumps, rubella (German measles), haemophilus influenzae type b (HIB), and Rotavirus gastroenteritis.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018860

Tropical storm Mulan has triggered floods in 11 northern provinces, the Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department (DDPM) reported on Saturday.

Thirty districts in Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Nan, Lampang, Phrae, Phitsanulok, Nakhon Phanom, Loei, and Prachinburi are affected, with 2,312 households in 410 villages suffering flooding. So far, there are no reports of deaths or injuries.

The DDPM said the floods have yet to subside in six provinces – Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Phayao, Nan, and Phitsanulok – where 1,885 households in 25 districts are inundated.

However, flood levels are falling.
The DDPM reported the following situation in each province:

• Chiang Rai (Friday): Flooded are 1,081 households of 206 villages across eight districts – Khun Tan, Wiang Kaen, Mueang Chiang Rai, Chiang Saen, Chiang Khong, Mae Chan, Thoeng, and Mae Sai.
• Mae Hong Son (Friday): Flooding in six villages across two districts – Pai and Pang Mapha. The department is surveying damage.
• Chiang Mai (Friday): Flooding in 77 villages across five districts – Fang, Mae Ai, Chiang Dao, Wiang Haeng, and Samoeng districts. The department is surveying damage.
• Phayao (Thursday): Flooded are 750 households in 68 villages across three districts – Mae Chai, Phu Sang, Chiang Kham.
• Nan (Thursday): Flooded are 54 households in 33 villages across six districts – Chiang Klang, Bo Kluea, Pua, Thung Chang, Mueang Nan, and Tha Wang Pha.
• Phitsanulok (Friday): Flash floods in Nakhon Thai district, where the department is surveying damage.

The DDPM is mounting rescue missions with local agencies. Damage will be surveyed and victims compensated in line with Finance Ministry policy, it added.

A flash-flood warning has been issued for communities located in hilly, low-lying or riverside areas in the North.

The Thai Meteorological Department forecasts isolated heavy rainstorms in the North over the next few days but less rainfall overall for Thailand.

The public can report flooding via the department’s 1784 hotline or Line ID @1784DDPM. Flood updates are available by downloading the “Thai Disaster Alert” mobile app.
 

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018858

The number of Covid-19 infections has peaked in the rainy season and will be far lower in October, a top virologist said on Saturday.

Dr Yong Poovorawan of Chulalongkorn University said Covid-19 Omicron cases will peak in the rainy season along with other respiratory diseases before starting to fall in September. The wave would subside further in October, in time for the reopening of schools.

However, it was impossible to tell the true number of Omicron cases because most had no symptoms, he added.

Yong also pointed out that vaccines cannot prevent infection but they do reduce the severity of the disease. He cited the US, where the infection rate has stayed level but the number of severely ill Covid patients has fallen.

He said that while previous infection offered natural immunity, hybrid immunity from also getting vaccinated gave more protection.

Meanwhile, the focus of efforts to combat Covid-19 had shifted from vaccine research to identifying how many people in Thailand are infected. Yong said that if 70-80 per cent of the population has already been infected with Omicron, the next dose could be administered next year or when a new variant emerges. Meanwhile, booster jabs were expensive so should be targeted at vulnerable groups.

Looking further ahead to how Thailand can control Covid-19 in the future, Yong said the country had spent a huge amount of money on vaccines in the hope of halting its spread but this was futile. He said Thailand would have to rely on its own knowledge rather than following other countries’ disease-control policies.

Yong said his team would research the infection rate in each age group by checking Covid antibodies from samples of the population in one province. He is currently seeking funding for this project, which is awaiting official approval. Yong said the sampling project was urgently needed as part of Thailand’s long-term plan to control Covid-19.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018857

An 18th victim of the Mountain B pub blaze in Chonburi’s Sattahip district succumbed to her injuries on Friday evening.

Siriwan “Mind” Wongsuk, 17, was pronounced dead at 9.14pm on Friday at Thammasat University Hospital in Pathum Thani.

She had sustained burns to 80 per cent of her body along with internal injuries. Doctors also had to amputate her right leg.

Her older sister, Sawaros Wongsuk, 27, said Siriwan had taken a break from her studies to look after their mother and had gone to the pub with two of her friends on the night of the fire last Friday.

Siriwan’s friend Promporn Poolsawat, 18, died at the scene, though the other friend survived because she had left early.

Funeral rituals for Siriwan will be held on Saturday at Wat Rangsee Sunthorn in Chonburi.

The nightclub caught fire at about 1am last Friday killing 13 people on the spot and injuring scores of others. Of the injured, 28 are still in hospital with 11 in serious condition.

Initial investigation showed that the pub was unlicensed and the owner has come forward to take responsibility.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018852

Thailand is the 4th most popular destination among Chinese travellers, the latest Global Times report shows.

Based on data collected from Variflight, the Global Times report said that outbound international passenger flights from China will likely grow by more than 200 per cent month-on-month in August as China has started easing travel restrictions.

A total of 2,845 flights are scheduled to fly out of China this month, up from 904 in July, and the top five destinations are South Korea, Japan, the United States, Thailand and France.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Friday that the government estimates that in the second half of the year, Thailand will see a surge in foreign arrivals thanks to the improving Covid-19 situation and the lifting of travel restrictions by several countries, including China.

“It’s a good sign that Chinese tourists still want to visit Thailand as they did before the pandemic. In 2019, Chinese tourists accounted for a fourth of total foreign arrivals in 2019 or almost 11 million visitors,” he said.

Thanakorn added that based on the Transport Ministry’s data, 1,055,608 foreigners had entered Thailand via different channels in July. This marked a 118.65 per cent increase from the average of arrivals in the first six months of the year, which stood at just 482,719 people per month.

“This proves that the easing of travel restrictions is working, while our disease control measures and public health system have ensured that travelling to Thailand is safe,” he said. “Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha thanks all parties for cooperating with the government and following disease control measures, which has resulted in a significant increase in foreign tourists.”

He added that ensuring all foreign visitors have a positive experience in Thailand will ultimately contribute to the revival of the tourism industry.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40018851

The Mineral Resources Department has warned that 16 provinces face the risk of flash flooding and landslides on Saturday.

The provinces at risk are Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nan, Tak, Phayao, Phrae, Lamphun, Lampang, Uttaradit, Phitsanulok, Phetchabun, Kanchanaburi, Loei, Chanthaburi and Trat.

The department said since the areas have received up to 150 millimetres of continuous heavy rain since Friday, which may landslides and flash flooding.

The department has also advised network volunteers to beware of the potential crisis and continue measuring the amount of rainfall as well as keep locals and related organisations updated.

Published : August 13, 2022

By : THE NATION