Ministry of Public Health reported on Sunday (November 7) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 7,960 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 427 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 53, while 6,950 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country are at 1,967,999 with 19,664 total deaths.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Sunday (November 7) that the weak high-pressure system covers upper Thailand. The northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South of Thailand. Thundershowers are likely in the lower South.
The strong high pressure area from China has extended to the South of China. It is expected to extend to cover Vietnam, upper Laos and the Northeastern of Thailand, today. From November 7 to 13, thundershowers with strong winds are first forecast in the area, and then temperatures decrease by 3-7 °C in the Northeast and 3-5 °C in the North, the Central including Bangkok and its vicinity, and the East regions.
The strengthening northeast monsoon across the Gulf of Thailand and the South leads to more rains while isolated heavy to very heavy rains are possible in the South. In the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman Sea, stronger winds are forecast with waves 2-3 metres high in the Gulf, above 3 metres high in thundershowers, and 1-2 metres high in the Andaman Sea.
People in the South should beware of the severe condition and its accumulation that may cause flash floods and overflows. Residents along the Gulf’s shore should watch for inshore surge. All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats in the Gulf keep ashore.
The 24-hour weather forecast for different regions:
North: Morning cool with isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 21-23 degrees Celsius, highs of 32-35 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-12 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Morning cool with scattered thundershowers; temperature lows of 21-24 degrees Celsius, highs of 33-35 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 12-14 degrees Celsius.
Central: Isolated thundershowers; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees Celsius, highs of 32-35 °C.
East: Scattered thundershowers; temperature lows of 24-26 degrees Celsius, highs of 32-34 °C; waves below 1 metre high.
South (east coast): Scattered thundershowers; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees Celsius, highs of 31-34 °C. Chumphon northward: Waves about 1 metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers. Surat Thani southward: Waves 1-2 metres high and above 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Scattered thundershowers and isolated heavy rain; temperature lows of 21-26 degrees Celsius, highs of 30-34 °C; waves below 1 metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Scattered thundershowers; temperature lows of 26-27 degrees Celsius, highs of 32-34 °C.
A group of 23 illegal Myanmar migrants, three of whom were dead and four seriously injured, were found stranded on the roadside in Kamphaeng Phet province on Saturday.
Initial interrogation revealed that the group had entered Thailand illegally via natural channels and had paid agents 7,000 to 23,000 baht per person to transport them in a pick-up truck from Tak’s border town of Mae Sot to job sites in different parts of Thailand.
“When the truck reached Kamphaeng Phet, it lost control while travelling downhill and overturned. Some of the passengers were thrown overboard,” said Si (last name withheld).
The 30-year-old illegal migrant added: “The agents then sent another truck to pick us up and it left us here on the roadside. Three of the passengers [two men and a woman] died before the police arrived.”
Kamphaeng Phet police rescue stranded illegal migrants, pick up 3 dead bodies
The group underwent Covid-19 tests before police transferred the injured and the dead bodies to hospital. Police have launched a manhunt for the so-called agents and are tracking the route taken to smuggle the migrants.
The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) announced on Saturday that in the first five days of November, as many as 2,853 people have been caught trying to sneak across different borders in Thailand.
ISOC spokesman General Sitthichai Makkunchorn said of the people caught, 1,807 were Myanmar nationals, 996 Cambodians, 24 Indians, 11 Chinese, five Laotians and 10 Thai nationals.
Kamphaeng Phet police rescue stranded illegal migrants, pick up 3 dead bodies
“These people are a threat to the public health system as they skip the Covid-19 screening tests made mandatory by the Department of Disease Control,” he said. “Officers have also arrested 63 Myanmar nationals and 28 Thais for helping bring illegal migrants into the country.”
Kamphaeng Phet police rescue stranded illegal migrants, pick up 3 dead bodies
Hundreds of tourists, both Thai and foreigners, flocked to Pattaya City to enjoy performances by their favourite bands when the Pattaya Music Festival 2021 started on Friday.
However, the show was interrupted for an hour when it started raining at about 7pm. Meanwhile, social distancing measures were strictly observed in viewing areas, while members of the audience were required to provide proof of being fully vaccinated against Coivd-19 and a negative antigen test result. All entrances were equipped with thermo scanners and alcohol hand sanitising gel.
Music lovers flock to Pattaya City as extravaganza kicks off on Friday
As part of the festival, concerts will be held every Friday and Saturday until December 11. This weekend (November 5-6), three stages had been set up in North, Central and South Pattaya beaches.
The second event (November 12-13) will be held at Jomtien Beach and Koh Lan.
Music lovers flock to Pattaya City as extravaganza kicks off on Friday
The festival will take a two-week break as Loy Krathong will be marked on November 19, and Pattaya’s long-awaited fireworks festival on November 26.
The third weekend of the festival on December 3-4 will be held at the Lan Poe Naklua Public Park before the extravaganza wraps up on the fourth weekend at Central Pattaya Beach.
Music lovers flock to Pattaya City as extravaganza kicks off on Friday
The Federation of Livestock and Aquaculture has called on the government to urgently help livestock farmers and food businesses struggling under the 20 to 30 per cent jump in animal feed prices.
The federation said the following steps will provide immediate help: • Cancelling the 2 per cent tax on imported soybean meal • Cancelling the 9 per cent tax on imported distillers’ dried grain with solubles • Reducing the proportion of corn used in animal feed and replacing it with imported wheat • Applying free-market mechanisms to manage demand and supply of raw materials in animal feed so it is in line with current factors and costs.
The federation said these changes will help cut down the losses sustained by farmers and businesses, and support the sustainable growth of the food industry.
Under the official 3:1 feed proportion, Thailand needs 8 million tonnes of corn yearly to keep its animals fed. However, Thailand only produces 5 million tonnes of corn and the rest has to be imported.
The federation said if the proportion was changed to 1.5:1, it would not only boost the capacity and competitiveness of Thailand’s frozen chicken sector but will also end the smuggling of corn from neighbouring countries.
Thailand also needs to import 2.5 million tonnes of soybean meal and seeds to meet its yearly demand of 5 million tonnes.
Thai livestock farmers cry for help as price of animal feed skyrockets
Meanwhile, the federation said its members consume 90 per cent of the animal feed produced locally and have been hit hard by the 20-30 per cent price surge since the third quarter of 2020 – the highest in 13 years.
The price of imported supplements, vitamins and minerals has also jumped by 20 to 30 per cent, which is affecting the livestock and animal food industry.
Somboon Watcharapongpun, president of the Thai Broiler Association, said policies governing the production of other industrial crops are transparent, unlike corn used for animal feed. For other industrial crops, market mechanisms are automatically applied when the price rises and people can opt for imports to solve the problem.
Kukrit Areepakorn, chief of the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association, said animal feed accounts for 60-70 per cent of the cost of breeding animals. Feed also plays a key role in the development of the food industry, especially soybean meal and corn. He said that livestock farmers are not just suffering from the surge in prices, but are also not able to sell or export their products normally due to the Covid-19 crisis.
Thai livestock farmers cry for help as price of animal feed skyrocketsThai livestock farmers cry for help as price of animal feed skyrockets
Of the 13,129 foreigners landing in Thailand between November 1 and 4, 10 have tested positive for Covid-19, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) reported on Friday.
Under the plan, visitors travelling by air from 63 low-risk countries do not have to quarantine provided they have received both jabs of an approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before flying and can produce a negative RT-PCR test result taken no more than 72 hours before boarding the flight.
“So far, 10 foreign visitors have tested positive upon arrival, or 0.075 per cent of all visitors,” said Dr Sumanee Watcharasin, director of DDC’s Risk Communication and Health Behaviour Development Office. “Most of the arrivals were via Suvarnabhumi Airport, followed by Phuket and Samui airports.”
The highest number of tourists landing in Thailand since it opened on November 1 hail from the United States (1,593) followed by Germany (1,592), the United Kingdom (1,006), Japan (935), Switzerland (624), Sweden (511), South Korea (499), Netherlands (363), UAE (350) and China (345).
“As of November 4, the vaccination rate in 17 tourist provinces stood at 80.9 per cent for the first jab and 62 per cent for the second jab,” Sumanee added.
“The rate of vaccination among people in high-risk groups [aged over 60 and/or suffering chronic conditions] in the 17 provinces stands at 77.4 per cent for the first jab and 64 per cent for the second jab.”
A reporter from the Thai language daily KomChadLuek was attacked and killed by a wild elephant in Chanthaburi’s Khao Khitchakut on Friday.
Parinya Kesarathikul, 46, was taking photographs of the heavily injured elephant, which panicked and charged at people nearby when it was hit with an antibiotics loaded dart. The elephant had sustained serious injuries after a fight with other members of the herd and had taken shelter in the swamp.
Patarapol “Lotter” Maneeorn, a veterinarian with the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, had discovered the injured elephant in October and warned the animal would charge at all moving objects within a 50-metre vicinity due to stress and panic.
Parinya was taken to Khao Khitchakut Hospital at about 6.30pm and succumbed to his injuries later.
The reporter, who had covered the region for several news channels before joining KomChadLuek online in 2018, also volunteered as a rescue worker in his free time. No personal information about Parinya was available at press time.
Injured wild elephant stomps KomChadLuek reporter to death in Chanthaburi
Ministry of Public Health reported on Saturday (November 6) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 8,467 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 880 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 69, while 8,288 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country are at 1,960,039 with 19,611 total deaths.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday (November 6) that the weak high-pressure system covers upper Thailand while the northeast monsoon prevails over the Gulf and the South. Cool weather in the morning is forecast in upper Thailand with thundershowers and isolated heavy rains in the lower South.
From November 7 to 13, another strong high-pressure system from China will extend to cover upper Thailand and the South China Sea, bringing thundershowers and strong winds in the area, followed by a decrease in temperature by 3-7 °C in the Northeast and 3-5 °C in the North, the Central including Bangkok and its vicinity, and the East regions.
The strengthening northeast monsoon across the Gulf of Thailand and the South will lead to more rains with isolated heavy to very heavy rains in the South. Waves in the Gulf will be 2-3 meters high and above 3 meters high in thundershowers. People in the South should beware of the severe condition and rain accumulation that may cause flash floods and overflows. Residents along the Gulf’s shore should beware of inshore surge. All ships should proceed with caution, and small boats should keep ashore.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:
North: Cool weather in the morning with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-23 degrees and highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-12 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Cool weather in the morning with thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-23 degrees and highs of 34-35 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 12-14 degrees Celsius.
Central: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius.
East: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 28-34 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 20-25 degrees, highs of 33-34 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high and 1-2 meters during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-26 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.
The 90 teachers and students from Mukdahan’s Khamsoipittayanasan, who tested positive on Thursday using the ATK kits, were released on Friday morning when their RT-PCR tests came out negative.
The disease control committee said it had tested 72 teachers and 1,202 students using the antigen test kits, and 90 tested positive. They were isolated at the Wat Phudantae field hospital and tested again using the RT-PCR method, which came up negative.
Parent Taweesak Nareenuch, 45, said he was glad his daughter had tested negative and that he could take her home.
Parents, teachers and students have been advised to monitor symptoms and inform public health officials if they develop a fever, phlegmy cough, sore throat or have trouble breathing.