Armed forces volunteers assemble 1,500 beds at Bussarakham Field Hospital
Over 600 volunteers from the Armed Forces Development Command (AFDC) and its subsidiaries on Friday helped build 1,500 beds for Covid-19 patients at Bussarakham Field Hospital, which serves metropolitan Bangkok.
The capital is suffering a critical shortage of beds for severely ill Covid-19 patients. Bangkok recorded 2,267 new cases and 28 fatalities on Friday.
“We gathered here today in response to Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s intention to add more field hospital beds for patients in the red and yellow categories to cope with rising daily infections,” said Gen Narain Siriphuban, chief of the AFDC. “Volunteers are helping build makeshift beds from cardboard boxes that have been donated by people nationwide.”
Armed forces volunteers assemble 1,500 beds at Bussarakham Field Hospital
Red-category patients have severe symptoms that require respirators while yellow-category patients have moderate symptoms with underlying health issues that require close monitoring.
Once the 1,500 new beds are assembled, Bussarakham Field Hospital at Impact Muang Thong Thani will have a total of 3,700 beds to help reduce crowding at hospitals in the capital.
“The armed forces will always be at people’s side and will lend a hand whenever we can until the situation improves,” added Narain.
Armed forces volunteers assemble 1,500 beds at Bussarakham Field Hospital
Immunologist infected after 2 doses of Sinovac urges other brands for medics
An immunologist who contracted Covid-19 despite receiving two doses of Sinovac says medics should be vaccinated with a different brand.
On Friday, immunologist Dr Prapaporn Pisitkun explained on Facebook that she caught Covid-19 from a positive case despite having already receiving two Chinese-made Sinovac jabs.
Prapaporn said she had checked her neutralising antibodies (NAb) to monitor her immune response after vaccination.
Two weeks after her second dose, her NAb was high at 92.9 per cent. However, after two months her NAb dropped to 65.7 per cent.
She said that although her antibody level was not low, it was not high enough to protect her from the Delta variant.
Prapaporn noted there are two ways to generate herd immunity among people. One is vaccination and the other is allowing the virus to infect them so they build natural immunity.
If the government chooses the first option, adequate vaccine brands must be provided, or else herd immunity will be generated in the second way, said Prapaporn.
Sinovac registered just 50.4 per cent efficacy in Brazilian trials, barely reaching the 50-per-cent efficacy needed for World Health Organisation approval.
She said more doses of Covid-19 vaccine should be procured to boost the immunity of medics, and the vaccines should be mRNA brands such as Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
“Sinovac vaccine can protect us from severe illness and death. If there is no better choice, the Chinese vaccine is okay. However, people jabbed with Sinovac can still be infected and spread Covid-19 to others, which means the outbreak will not end and everyone will contract the virus,” she said.
Photo of Prayut flouting social-distancing rules in Phuket sparks argument
Facebook user Siriwan Ruksat on Friday posted a photo of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his entourage dining at a beachside restaurant in Phuket on Thursday.
Prayut was in the province to welcome tourists on the first day of the island opening under a sandbox scheme for fully vaccinated foreigners.
The restaurant that Prayut and his staff were spotted in is in Thalang district and faces the ocean. In the photo, Prayut and his team are eating and sitting close together, while some members of the party are without a mask.
This post sparked widespread criticism, with netizens slamming the PM and his entourage for violating disease control measures while leading a campaign that aims to promote Thailand as a safe destination.
“This is highly unacceptable. While restaurants in Bangkok are prohibited from allowing patrons to dine-in, the PM is out dining with no social distancing in Phuket,” one netizen posted.
Another netizen rose to Prayut’s defence, pointing out that Phuket is not a red zone so dining in does not break any rules, and urged critics to “stop attacking the government on every trivial detail”.
The original poster said that after the photo went viral, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said everybody in the photo was actually sitting a fair distance from one another and that they have all been vaccinated against Covid-19.
“Most importantly, there is no rule against dining inside restaurants in Phuket as the province has already relaxed disease control measures,” Anutin added.
Photo of Prayut flouting social-distancing rules in Phuket sparks argument
Third consecutive day of record Covid deaths as Thai caseload climbs
Thailand on Friday logged a third consecutive day of record Covid-19 deaths with 61 fatalities and 6,087 new infections, pushing the country’s total caseload to 270,921 infections and 2,141 deaths.
The figures were up from the 57 deaths and 5,533 cases recorded on Thursday.
Of the new cases, 3,905 were found in hospitals, 1,964 through proactive testing, 207 in prisons and 11 after arriving from overseas.
Bangkok again led the list with a record 2,267 cases, followed by Samut Prakan (522), Nonthaburi (327), Samut Sakhon (289), Pathum Thani (284), Chonburi (222), Yala (201), Pattani (169), Songkhla (167) and Narathiwat (124).
Meanwhile, 3,638 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
Of the total 270,921 cases since the pandemic started, 214,340 have recovered and been discharged, 54,440 are still in hospitals, and 2,141 have died.
Meanwhile, another 253,731 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 45,754 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 10,227,183.
According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Friday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 183.41 million, 167.91 million of whom have recovered, 11.53 million are active cases (78,709 in severe condition) and 3.97 million have died.
Thailand ranks 70th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.56 million, followed by India with 30.45 million, Brazil with 18.62 million, France with 5.77 million, and Russia 5.53 million.
An 84-year-old reportedly jumped to his death in Bangkok’s Ratchathewi area on Friday after his daughter, 57, succumbed to Covid-19.
Phaya Thai police received a report at 5am on Friday of the corpse of an old man lying at the foot of a building on Banthat Thong Rood.
The body was identified as that of Peng-gi Sae-Tia and inside the building, his daughter Pranee Hatthasothana’s body was found. Pranee was apparently bedridden from other chronic conditions.
Initial investigation shows the man, who is ethnically Chinese, committed suicide out of grief from the loss of his daughter.
12 frequently asked questions about the Phuket Tourism Sandbox
The government’s Covid-19 Information Centre posted on its Facebook page on Thursday answers to 12 frequently asked questions about the Phuket Sandbox programme, the tourism scheme aimed at reopening selected provinces to foreign tourists who have been vaccinated against Covid-19. The sandbox programme kicked off on July 1.
The Q&As are as follows:
Q: What is the Phuket Sandbox?
A: It is a sandbox scheme that aims to reopen Phuket to foreign visitors to rehabilitate the local tourism industry. Vaccinated tourists 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.
Q: Can visitors travel around Phuket on the first day of arrival?
A: No. Visitors must remain in their room on the first day and wait for the Covid-19 test result. If the result is negative, they can travel within Phuket. If the test result is positive, they will be sent to hospital for treatment.
Q: How can Thais living in foreign countries enter Phuket?
A: They must hold a certificate of entry (COE), a negative test result by RT-PCR method not later than 72 hours before arrival, a minimum $100,000 insurance coverage against Covid-19, evidence of payment for 14 days accommodation and three Covid-19 tests, and a certificate of vaccination with approved vaccines at required doses.
Q: What documents do I need to stay less than 14 days in Phuket?
A: Evidence of payment for accommodation and Covid-19 tests, and a plane ticket specifying the date and time you will leave the country.
Q: Can children under 18 years of age enter Phuket with their parents?
A: Yes, provided they have a negative test result by RT-PCR method not later than 72 hours before arrival.
Q: Do people in the sandbox zone have to wear a face mask?
A: Yes. They also have to strictly follow other disease control measures.
Q: Can I travel to other provinces after staying in Phuket for less than 14 days?
A: No. If you plan to stay less than 14 days, you have to leave immediately when your stay is up.
Q: Do I have to install tracing applications while staying in Phuket?
A: Yes. Visitors must install MorChana and Thailand Plus applications and allow their movement to be tracked.
Q: How can I travel from the airport to the hotel?
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A: SHA+ certified hotels will arrange transportation for their customers and will not stop at any venues other than the hotels.
Q: How many RT-PCR tests do I need?
A: In case of stay longer than 14 days, three tests in Phuket and another test before you leave if the destination country requires. In case of stays less than 14 days, two tests in Phuket and another test before you leave if the destination country requires.
Q: How can I travel to other provinces after I stay for 14 days in Phuket?
A : Present an evidence of your 14-day stay in Phuket and a record of RT-PCR tests to officials in the destination province.
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Q: If I have been given a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which only requires one dose, can I enter Phuket?
A: Yes. Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been approved in Thailand by the FDA.
Thailand drops in human trafficking rating to Tier 2 Watchlist
Thailand’s ranking in the world Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report dropped from Tier 2 last year to Tier 2 Watchlist this year, a report from the US State Department published on Thursday showed.
The report pointed out that the economic and social distress generated by the Covid-19 pandemic is a key factor driving trafficking in the world.
“A survey by Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and UN Women highlights that almost 70 per cent of trafficking survivors from 35 countries reported that their financial well-being was heavily impacted by Covid-19, and more than two-thirds attributed a decline in their mental health to government-imposed lockdowns triggering memories of exploitative situations,” the document read.
Thani Saengrat, Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the report was disappointing as it did not reflect the efforts Thailand has been making in dealing with trafficking issues. He added that the government has been monitoring this problem despite the ongoing crisis.
Along with Thailand, the other countries in Tier 2 Watchlist are Aruba, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Curaçao, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Haiti, Hong Kong, Ireland, Lesotho, Liberia, Macau, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Senegal, Saint Maarten, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Police warns against vaccine scam gang after 20 people defrauded in Udon Thani
Twenty people in Udon Thani province were scammed by a gang claiming to be a life insurance agency that could get them the Sinopharm vaccine at THB1,800 for two jabs, Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol Maj-General Yingyos Thepjamnong said on Thursday.
“The gang claimed that the vaccine came from the lot that the Federation of Thai Industries had ordered from Chulabhorn Royal Academy,” he said. “They created a Line group called ‘Vaccine Sinopharm’ and invited potential victims to join the group, which provided information on vaccine arrival date and schedule of transportation to hospitals on the vaccination date to lure the customers into believing that they will get the jab.”
After 20 victims transferred a total of THB36,000 to the agency, they checked with the listed hospitals and found that their names were not on any vaccination schedule, prompting them to file a police complaint.
“Further investigation revealed that the Line group has more than 1,000 members, so the number of victims could be more than 20,” said Yingyos. “There are also similar complaints filed in Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Khon Kaen, and Bangkok provinces where victims said that they had transferred the money to a life insurance agency which promised to get them the vaccine.
“All the victims reported that they had transferred the money to a Kasikornbank account in the Kaeng Khoy branch in Saraburi province, so we are suspecting that it could be the same gang,” he added.
“Please beware of this scam, and only reserve the vaccine from reliable agencies. Currently the Sinopharm vaccine must be reserved directly with Chulabhorn Royal Academy,” said Yingyos.
“If you have already transferred the money, you can file a complaint at the police station in the area where the money transfer took place,” he added.
Another 1 million doses of vaccine from China arrive in Bangkok
The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok said on Thursday that a new lot of 1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from China had arrived in Bangkok.
“So far, China has procured 13 lots of vaccine for Thailand, totalling 11.5 million doses,” the embassy said in a post on its Facebook.
“Today a grand gathering celebrating the centenary of the Communist Party of China [CPC] was held in Beijing. Under the strong leadership of CPC, China will continue to support Thailand in the fight against the outbreak and will continue to promote the China-Thailand relationship in the future.”
From February 28 to June 29, Thailand has administered over 9.67 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine; 6.91 million people have received the first jab, while 2.76 million have received the second jab.
Sinovac deliveries to Thailand this year
Armed forces volunteers assemble 1,500 beds at Bussarakham Field Hospital
Armed forces volunteers assemble 1,500 beds at Bussarakham Field Hospital
Photo of Prayut flouting social-distancing rules in Phuket sparks argument
