Delta variant now accounts for nearly 10% of Bangkok infections
A total of 496 cases of Covid-19’s Delta variant were detected in Thailand from April 7 to June 13, the Department of Medical Sciences revealed on Wednesday.
Bangkok is the epicentre of the Delta outbreak with 404 cases, said the department’s director-general Dr Supakit Sirilak. Ten of these cases were found in 3 or 4 hospitals in the centre of the city, he added. The Delta strain now accounts for 9.8 per cent of all infections in the capital.
Another 28 Delta cases were recently found in Pathum Thani, 8 in Nakhon Nayok, 3 in Sakon Nakhon, 2 in Phayao, 2 in Ubon Ratchathani, and one apiece in Chiang Rai, Phetchabun, Chonburi, Chanthaburi, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Loei and Buri Ram.
However, the Alpha variant first found in the UK is still the dominant strain of Covid-19 in Thailand.
Of the 5,055 Covid-19 samples tested since April 7, 4,528 or 89.6 per cent were Alpha.
Local cases of the Beta variant (South Africa) remain confined to Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district, which has added two more Beta infections to the 26 recorded earlier. Three other Beta cases were recently detected in a Samut Prakan state quarantine centre.
“The Delta strain is 40 per cent more infectious than the Alpha and requires close monitoring week by week,” said Supakit. He warned that Delta could account for half of all Thai cases in 2-3 months if the epidemic was not controlled. He added that Bangkok – especially a Laksi construction camp – had been linked with outbreaks of Delta in other provinces.
Meanwhile, the Department of Science reports that its study of 200 people inoculated with two doses of Sinovac vaccine shows it offers 100 per cent protection against the original virus but only 50-60 per cent against the Alpha variant.
Rayong factory told to pay 1.3bn baht compensation for poisoning farmland
A Rayong factory that leaked toxic heavy metals into surrounding farmland and waterways must pay more than 1.3 billion baht in compensation, the Pollution Control Department (PCD) said on Wednesday.
The Win Process Co Ltd factory located in Village No 4, Ban Khai District was investigated following complaints it was emitting wastewater and foul smells, said PCD director-general Atthaphon Charoenchansa.
Residents of nearby Nong Phawa village have already filed a lawsuit against the company with the Rayong court.
A PCD inspection in October 2020 found that hazardous substances had accumulated inside and outside the factory, a hazardous-waste processing and recycling plant.
Atthaphon said the factory’s wells were highly acidic and contaminated with heavy metals, which had leaked to the outside environment. As a result, the surface water near the factory had high acidity, heavy metal contamination, and volatile organic compounds. This indicated that the factory was discharging waste to the outside, he added.
The PCD said compensation was required to cover the following:
1. Loss of income for locals in the amount of 47 million baht.
2. Inability to utilise local natural resources, for which the Bangbut Subdistrict Administrative Organization will sue for damages.
3. Expenses for environmental rehabilitation in the amount of 1.32 billion baht.
The PCD said it will send the compensation demand within 15 days. If the company refuses or ignores the demand, the PCD will take legal action by filing a lawsuit with the Civil Court.
Songkhla shuts islands after discovery of pink cave sparks tourism frenzy
Songkhla health officials have closed Koh Noo and Koh Maew (Cat and Rat islands) from June 15 to 28 amid fears that a pending invasion of tourists could spread Covid-19.
Interest in the islands spiked recently after the discovery of a new natural attraction – a pink-coloured cave – on Koh Noo.
Visitors flocked to the islands to view the geological marvel last weekend after its discovery was revealed by Suebsakul Srisuk, secretary of the Songkhla Foundation for World Heritage.
The surge in arrivals sparked concern that Covid-19 could spread from mainland Songkhla, which is already suffering outbreaks in several areas.
A new cluster of infections was recently discovered in Muang district, close to some of the southern province’s main tourist attractions.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced in a televised broadcast this evening that Thailand will open its doors within 120 days. Here is his full speech:
“Today, with the rapid progress of our vaccine rollout, I want to inform you of the roadmap to our recovery from the Covid-19 crisis.
“It is now just over a month since we returned to consolidated management of the Covid crisis, which has allowed me to issue direct instructions to facilitate the integration of plans among our teams and committees. This will allow for a quick solution to problems that may arise in the implementation of such a large undertaking that involves so many different departments. We need to continue working as well as listening to expert advice and to all ministries, departments and sectors involved. This is how we worked when the pandemic started last year.
“This arrangement has helped us make some quick progress in negotiations with new vaccine suppliers. At this time, we are working with six suppliers, namely Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, as well as AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sinopharm.
“In addition, we have also been able to secure the supply of more doses. Today, we have reserved and signed contracts for 105.5 million doses to be delivered this year, which will put us ahead of our target.
“We will continue to seek additional vaccine supplies for next year. Based on our current plans, we will administer an average of around 10 million shots a month from July, so that by early October, nearly 50 million people will have received at least their first shot.
“The time has now come for us to look forward and set a date for when we can fully open our country and start receiving visitors because reopening Thailand is key to reducing the suffering of people who have lost their source of income.
“I am, therefore, setting a goal for us to declare Thailand fully open within 120 days from today and for tourist destinations that are already prepared to open even faster.
“Foreigners who are fully vaccinated should be able to enter our country without quarantine or any other inconvenient restrictions. And Thais overseas who have been fully vaccinated should also be able to return home without mandatory quarantine. Places of work and businesses should be able to operate normally without blanket restrictions, and domestic travel should also be allowed without restriction. The only exception will be if a truly serious situation develops or seems likely to develop. We will look into those situations on a case-by-case basis.
“I want every government department and provincial governors to make all preparations so people can return to earn a living once again within that [120-day] timeframe. And as part of this, I expect efficient management of our vaccination programme.
“To achieve our target of opening the country in 120 days, we will start off by relaxing some restrictions in Phuket and receiving visitors using the ‘sandbox’ model. I have pushed forward for this matter to be considered and decided upon in next week’s Cabinet meeting.
“Within this timeframe, I believe many other countries will also be relaxing their restrictions on the travel of their citizens and there should be a sufficient number of tourists who may be able to come to Thailand.
“I know this decision comes with some risk because when we open the country, there will be an increase in infections, no matter how good our precautions are. But, I think, when we take into consideration the financial needs of people, the time has now come for us to take that calculated risk.
“The priorities for our country must now advance to the next level.
“When we first entered the pandemic, my primary mission was to avoid a massive loss of life in Thailand. Preventing the loss of life is not just about protecting the life of the infected person; it is also about preventing long-term financial catastrophe for a family that may lose a breadwinner or everlasting hardship caused by the loss of fathers, mothers and grandparents who care for children in our society.
“To date, we have together managed to make our country one of the safest in the world.
“Another great problem that we avoided is the death of people from other illnesses who require hospital treatment and who would have been crowded out of hospitals by Covid patients and not be able to get their normal care.
“My next mission, with the progress of our vaccination programme, is to rapidly try and get Thailand back to running normally.
“Our national policy must now evolve and we must look on this virus just as we would on the many other diseases that are in the world and with which we must learn to live.
“We have seen that this virus is not going to go away quickly. We have to come to terms with the fact that it will continue to be around across the world and in Thailand for some time. We cannot wait for when everyone is fully vaccinated with two shots to open the country or for when the world is free of the virus. We must be ready to live with some risks and just try to keep it at a manageable level, so people can go back to earning a living. That is the policy I have set.
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“To be able to open our country in 120 days we must do everything possible to ensure our vaccines are delivered according to schedule, even though we know full well from other countries that vaccines may not be delivered as scheduled, with delays and shortfalls in the shipments. But we have to do a good job in managing this.
“In the near term, the top policy priority is for everyone to get, at least, their first shot as fast as possible because that first shot already enormously boosts your body’s ability to cope with an infection and can save your life.
“The longer-term solution for our county is that we have decided to build our own vaccine production facility. This enables us to keep our population vaccinated for as many years and as long as is necessary.
“Today, both Singapore and Taiwan have acknowledged that purchasing vaccines from international companies has been one of their biggest challenges in managing the Covid situation. And they too, like us, have decided to manufacture vaccines themselves.
“Our own vaccine production is the best long-term solution and it is a solution that we decided upon more than a year ago. It is the right decision, and I thank again, on behalf of the nation, all the various experts who recommended that direction for our country.
“As we move forward, we will face new situations when we open the country to visitors. I would like to applaud public health personnel, village health volunteers, and other related staff for doing their best to be ready for any new challenge we may face when we open our country, despite the enormous demands placed on them for so long.
“I know there are some risks but this is the right direction for Thailand.
“Ensuring the rollout of such a massive, nationwide inoculation programme within a few months is a truly historic mission that is unprecedented.
“As we move forward in implementing such a large undertaking at such speed and such geographic scope there may be some things that may need adjustment to meet new conditions as they arise in this constantly evolving situation. There may also be certain errors or inconveniences, and I ask for everyone’s understanding.
“I send my gratitude to all who have been working tirelessly for more than a year and a half. We can all see from our own experiences when we go for vaccinations how public health and other staff put their hearts into their work. Their manner, their words and their actions go far beyond just a job. Their work is based on the sincere desire to help their fellow citizens protect themselves.
Man panics after records show he got 2 different vaccine brands
A man in Chiang Mai panicked after his vaccination records showed he had received Sinovac for his first dose but AstraZeneca for his second.
Adul Duangsoi, a 51-year-old camera assistant, got his first jab on May 21 and the second on June 11. He felt fatigued for few days after receiving the second jab, so he checked his vaccination documents. He was shocked to find he had been inoculated with a different brand of Covid-19 vaccine at Nakornping Hospital.
He immediately called up friends, who all told him they got two doses of Sinovac.
Concerned about possible dangers to his health, Adul on Wednesday visited the hospital to demand an explanation. A doctor there first reassured him that receiving different Covid-19 vaccines would not harm his health.
The hospital then checked records and found that Adul had in fact received two doses of Sinovac vaccine. The hospital admitted its mistake and promptly handed Adul his corrected vaccination document.
Thailand to ban imports of plastic scrap within 5 years
The Pollution Control Department (PCD) has refuted reports that Thailand is an international dumping ground for plastic waste, saying importation of plastic scrap will be banned within 5 years.
PCD director-general Athapol Charoenshunsa insisted on Wednesday that the government had no policy of importing plastic waste.
“We have urged the Thai Customs Department and related authorities to return containers of plastic waste to their country of origin,” he said.
However, Athapol conceded that the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry allows imports of plastic scrap to feed the industrial sector, with 150,807 tonnes shipped last year and 44,307 tonnes from January to April this year. But he said importation is gradually being reduced to zero, while the government is now actively promoting domestic recycling of plastic waste.
“Both government and private agencies are campaigning for people to sort their plastic waste in line with the country’s recycling efforts,” said the PCD chief.
Thailand had also banned importation of electronic waste in September last year, penalising violators with fines and imprisonment, Athapol noted.
The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is now preparing a draft act on management of waste from electric appliances and electronic devices, he added.
Thais rally to ensure 4 Sukhothai sisters don’t lose their home
The family of four elderly sisters in Sukhothai may win an extension on eviction orders soon, their lawyer Kittinop Suwanroj said on Wednesday.
The lawyer has called on the provincial court to order a stop to their eviction, for which the deadline is Thursday (June 17).
Kittinop spoke to the press after meeting with the Sukhothai provincial prosecutor and the creditor who bought the house in 2019.
Thais rally to ensure 4 Sukhothai sisters don’t lose their home
The issue caught public attention earlier this week when the sisters, aged 94, 82, 80 and 77, begged the media to help them before the house they have lived in all their lives goes to a new owner.
The house in Sukhothai’s Sri Samrong district had been mortgaged for a loan of 450,000 baht by one of the sisters’ nephews, who failed to repay the loan. The 3 ngarn 97 square wah (approximately 1 hectare) property was then sold under court order for 980,500 baht to cover the loan plus interest. The remaining 365,000 baht was returned to the family.
The eldest sister, Proy (last name withheld), said she, her three sisters, her son and daughter, have spent their entire lives in this house and will have nowhere to go if they are thrown out.
A source revealed that since the story went viral, people have been donating money to the family so they can buy their home back. The family has so far received more than 800,000 baht in donations.
Mukdahan governor quizzed over ‘zombie’ public parks that cost THB29 million
Authorities in the northeast province of Mukdahan have vowed to renovate five new public parks that cost THB29 million before being left abandoned in 2018.
Reporters on Wednesday visited the five parks in the Mekong riverside town, in search of answers for why the multimillion-baht facilities remained closed.
In response, Mukdahan governor Veerachai Nakmat told them he had been informed that investment in the projects began in 2016 and construction was completed in 2018.
He said authorities would now renovate the parks before delivering them to local communities soon.
Rise in food deliveries sees Thailand drowning in plastic waste
With most people working from home, plastic waste in Bangkok has risen by 60 per cent, while the food-delivery business has increased by 200 per cent nationwide, the Thailand Environment Institute (TEI) reported recently.
Each food delivery comprises up to seven pieces of plastic, which is increasing the average amount of plastic containers in garbage from between 12 and 13 per cent to 15 per cent.
Plastic waste in the capital has risen by 60 per cent, of which only 19 per cent can be recycled. Currently, only 15 per cent of the country’s 2,600 or so waste-management units can tackle garbage properly.
Rise in food deliveries sees Thailand drowning in plastic waste
Trio of Leicester City stars invite foreign tourists back to Phuket
Three stars of Leicester City FC are inviting foreign tourists to shake off the lockdown gloom on gorgeous Phuket, as the holiday island prepares to reopen on July 1.
The FA Cup winners star in the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT)’s latest promotional video for the tourism sandbox programme beginning next month.
Under the sandbox scheme, foreign 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 staying on the island for 14 days and testing negative again, tourists will be free to travel to other provinces in Thailand.
Produced in partnership with Leicester City’s Thai owners, King Power Group, “Amazing Moments in Phuket” stars Leicester City’s James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Kelechi Iheanacho.
“The video is part of TAT’s “Phuket is now open” campaign to let the world know that we are ready to reopen and that foreigner tourists will be safe when travelling in Phuket,” said Thanes Phetsuwan, TAT deputy governor of marketing. “We are using sport as a medium to attract people. Under the concept “Amazing Thailand: Now even more Amazing”, the video reveals the many sports activities available in Thailand – including diving, surfing, cruising, parasailing, triathlon and more.”
The invitation to Phuket is being broadcast to viewers of BBC World News, Euro News and other international channels as well as by King Power and Leicester City media outlets. TAT says the video should reach at least 20 million viewers of traditional media and 24 million viewers of online media each time it is aired.
Thais rally to ensure 4 Sukhothai sisters don’t lose their home
Rise in food deliveries sees Thailand drowning in plastic waste
