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70 per cent of Covid patients in Thailand infected with Delta variant
An estimated 70 per cent of Covid-19 patients in Bangkok are infected with the Delta variant, virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on his Facebook page on Saturday morning.
His post was based on a study in June of over 700 samples. The virologist added that the Delta variant spread easily, and it is hard to trace the origin.
On Saturday, Thailand logged 6,230 new infections and 41 deaths, pushing the country’s total caseload to 277,151 infections and 2,182 deaths.
People letting their Covid guard down even in red zone provinces, poll shows
A recent poll by the Department of Health revealed that only 65 per cent of people in red zones were wearing a face mask correctly, while the rest were either wearing them incorrectly or not wearing at all.
According to the announcement by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on June 28, 10 provinces have been categorised as red zone, or under the highest control level based on Covid-19 infection rate. The red provinces are: Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla.
“Failing to wear a face mask properly could contribute to increased infection at community level,” Department of Health director-general Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai said on Saturday.
“Please make sure that the mask fits snugly on your face and that no air is escaping from near the eyes or from either side of the mask. If you wear it correctly, you will feel hot air at the front of the mask, and sometimes will see the mask move in and out as you breathe.”
Suwanchai added that to increase protection while in crowded spaces, such as in public transport or when interacting with people that have high risk of infection, people can wear a cloth face mask on top of a sanitary mask.
“It is, however, not recommended to wear a cloth face mask first and then cover it with a sanitary mask, or wear two sanitary face masks, or wear another mask on top of an N95 mask. These ways will not only make it harder for you to breathe, but also offer no extra protection.
“People who should not wear face masks are children aged under 2 and people who have respiratory diseases,” he added.
Suwanchai said that besides wearing face masks, people should adhere to other disease control measures, like washing one’s hands regularly with soap and water or alcohol sanitizer, avoiding touching your face, staying at least 1-2 metres away from others, checking in and out via ThaiChana platform, and evaluating yourself via Thai Save Thai platform (https://savethai.anamai.moph.go.th/) before going to work every day to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
Foreigner arrested for allegedly firing in the air
A British man in Chonburi province surrendered to police after allegedly angrily firing his gun a few times in the air.
Pattaya police on Friday was informed at 7pm about the case that took place at Palm Oasis Villa in Bang Lamung district. Numerous officials were told to surround a rented house, where the alleged shooter was hiding.
Police met the house caretaker Thanasiri Duangkwan, 36, and maid Porntip Sophonthawinphong, 38.
The British man was identified as Alexander Michael Gerasimidis, 44.
The caretaker and maid told the officials that the man had threatened them with his gun, before he decided to shoot at the sky. The person added that Gerasimidis was drunk at the time and in a bad mood. They reportedly attributed his bad mood to a quarrel he had with a woman three days ago.
At around 12.15am on Saturday, Gerasimidis left his house and walked to his car. When the police showed up before him, he reportedly surrendered without resistance.
Thai Airways on Saturday revealed that around 1,300 seats have been booked in advance for visiting Phuket in July under the sandbox scheme.
The airline said that until September there will be flights once a week, flying directly from five European cities to Phuket. The flights are from Copenhagen, Frankfurt and Paris every Friday, and from London and Zurich every Saturday.
This was a way to draw foreign tourists back to Thailand, in a bid to boost the economy hit hard by the Covid-19 crisis.
The Phuket Sandbox opened on July 1. Under the scheme, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely in the province without having to quarantine.
After spending 14 days in Phuket and if they still test negative, the tourists can then travel to other parts of Thailand.
According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand on Tuesday, a total of 13,000 rooms in Phuket hotels and resorts had been booked by foreign tourists.
Thailand reports another day of 6,000-plus new Covid cases
Thailand on Saturday recorded 6,230 new Covid-19 cases and 41 deaths.
Of the new cases, 4,412 were found in hospitals, 1,520 through proactive testing, 294 in prisons and four patients were overseas arrivals.
Meanwhile, 3,159 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
Of the total 277,151 cases since the pandemic started, 217,499 have recovered and been discharged, 57,470 are still in hospitals, and 2,182 have died.
Meanwhile, another 275,533 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 69,576 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 10,572,292.
According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Saturday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 183.85 million, 168.27 million of whom have recovered, 11.61 million are active cases (78,081 in severe condition) and 3.97 million have died.
Thailand ranks 67th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.58 million, followed by India with 30.50 million, Brazil with 18.68 million, France with 5.78 million, and Russia 5.56 million.
Covid-19 call centre to get upgrade amid rising cases
The Department of Medical Services has joined hands with private agencies to improve the services of the 1668 Covid-19 call centre, amid concerns about the virus situation in Thailand.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page on Saturday morning, the demand for beds for Covid-19 patients had gone up five times.
Responding to the problem, the department has joined hands with Thai Contact Centre Trade Association and other private agencies for extending the call centre line in a bid to cope with people’s calls as much as possible.
In addition to the 1668 hotline, people who seek beds for themselves or their family members, can contact Line ID “@1668.reg.”
TATs “Colourful Phuket” campaign kicks off today to attract sandbox tourists
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), in association with Ministry of Tourism and Sports, has launched the “Colourful Phuket” campaign under the concept of “Bring Back the Happiness” to welcome Thai and foreign tourists visiting the island under the tourism sandbox programme.
Under the sandbox, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely in the province without having to quarantine. After spending 14 days in Phuket and if they still test negative, the tourists can then travel to other parts of Thailand.
The “Colourful Phuket” campaign will be held throughout July with a variety of activities that tourists can enjoy, including music performances, art exhibition and a gathering of delicious food trucks.
The opening ceremony will be held on Saturday at Patong Beach from 3pm. Visitors can witness a spectacular fireworks and fire baton show at the beach from 7.30-8pm.
On Sunday, a light and sound show will be held at Peranakannitat Museum, also known as Museum Phuket, from 7.30-9pm. Light will be projected onto the museum building to create remarkable images on one of Phuket’s notable landmarks.
TATs “Colourful Phuket” campaign kicks off today to attract sandbox tourists
Throughout July, events will be held at different areas of Phuket, starting with the first week (July 3-9) at Phuket’s Old Town and Patong Beach which include a music show, street food and exhibition of recycled art.
In the second week, activities will be held at Laem Phromthep from July 10-16 featuring surfing and outdoor yoga while watching the sunset view.
Third week activities include digital art and street music show at Patong Beach from July 17-23.
The “Colourful Phuket” activities will be recapped at Old Town in the final week from July 24-31.
TAT estimates that there will be over 548,600 visitors throughout the campaign, which will help generate THB5.51 billion revenue for the province.
TATs “Colourful Phuket” campaign kicks off today to attract sandbox tourists
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) on Friday submitted the contract draft for purchase of the Moderna vaccine to the Office of The Attorney-General.
The earliest the vaccine could arrive is the fourth quarter of the year, GPO director-general Dr Witoon Danwiboon said.
Witoon made the statement in response to a rumour that purchase of the Moderna vaccine had been delayed by the Office of the Attorney-General, prompting the office to clarify earlier this week that they had yet to receive a contract from the GPO.
The office added that normally it would take 1-5 days to approve the vaccine purchase contract.
“Zuellig Pharma is the sole authorised importer of Moderna vaccine in Thailand. The company has maintained that a total of 5 million doses will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022,” he said.
“It also estimated that the supply agreement would be signed in early August. The company will use the time in July to gather information on the vaccine budget and total doses needed from private hospitals and submit to the GPO.
“The procurement of Moderna vaccine is done by three parties: Zuellig Pharma, the GPO, and Private Hospital Association of Thailand, which has over 390 member hospitals throughout the country,” said Witoon.
“The three parties have met regularly to track the progress in the purchase process and plan the distribution to make sure that we receive the vaccine as soon as possible.”
Thailand may miss vaccination target for July-August due to undersupply of AstraZeneca
The director of the National Vaccine Institute, Dr Nakorn Premsri, said on Friday that the manufacturer of the AstraZeneca vaccine would be able to deliver only 5-6 million doses per month in July and August.
“We have reserved 61 million doses with AstraZeneca to be delivered within this year, or about one-third of their total manufacturing capacity of 180 million doses per year. However the company said that in July and August, they have to deliver the vaccine to other countries as well, so the supply to Thailand in the next two months could be lower than the 6 million doses delivered in June,” he said.
“If we want to achieve the vaccination target of 10 million doses per month, we will have to use vaccine from other sources.”
When asked about the possibility of getting AstraZeneca to supply vaccines only to Thailand, Nakorn said that such a move could affect international relations, especially with many Southeast Asian nations also relying on the supply of AstraZeneca vaccine to keep the outbreak under control.
Nakorn said Sinovac could be an alternative to make up for the shortfall in AstraZeneca supply to help achieve the 10 million inoculation target in the next two months.
“Although we have ordered 20 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, it is unlikely that the company will be able to deliver within the third quarter,” he said.
“We estimate the earliest supplies of Pfizer vaccine to arrive in around October or November.”
Rains ease across the country, but thundershowers forecast for some areas
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday that a low-pressure cell covers upper Vietnam and south of China, while the weak southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand.
Less rains are forecast for the country compared to earlier in the week, but some areas can expect thundershowers.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Hot day with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees Celsius, highs of 32-37°C.
Northeast: Hot day with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-27°C, highs of 34-39°C.
Central: Hot day with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 36-38°C.
East: Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-27°C, highs of 33-36°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 34-37°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 21-25°C, highs of 32-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 26-27°C, highs of 33-37°C.
TATs “Colourful Phuket” campaign kicks off today to attract sandbox tourists
TATs “Colourful Phuket” campaign kicks off today to attract sandbox tourists
