Royal academy ready to sell Sinopharm to state, private agencies
The Chulabhorn Royal Academy has set the price of the first dose of Sinopharm vaccine at 888 baht and is willing to allocate batches for state and private agencies under some conditions.
Dr Nithi Mahanonda, the academy’s secretary-general, announced on Facebook this morning that this rate covers transportation, storage and insurance for side effects.
However, it does not cover the jab administration fees charged by hospitals.
He also said the academy will allocate vaccines for government and private agencies, based on how important they are to the national economy and society.
Nithi also said that all staff, including foreigners, working for these agencies have the right to be inoculated. He also warned that agencies will be fined 15 times the cost of the dose if they are found to have charged their staff for the shot.
The agencies are also required to donate 10 per cent of their vaccine allocation to people in need. Details of this requirement will be announced later.
To get their allocation, agencies must contact hospitals linked to the academy.
35 deaths, 2,680 new infections recorded in Thailand
Thailand’s Covid-19 caseload came in at 35 deaths and 2,680 new confirmed cases over a 24-hour period on Wednesday.
Of the confirmed cases, 1,457 were patients admitted to hospitals, 932 were found via proactive testing, 280 prisoners tested positive, while 11 were overseas arrivals.
Bangkok again led the list with 1,096 cases, followed by 491 in Samut Prakan and 132 in Nonthaburi.
All returnees were Thai nationals – five from Cambodia, three from Malaysia, and one each from Japan, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates.
Meanwhile, 4,253 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 185,228. So far, 136,252 have recovered and been discharged, 47,644 patients are still in hospitals, and 1,332 have died.
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Meanwhile, another 428,459 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 43,669 were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccines administered in Thailand to 5,107,069.
According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 174.73 million (up by 359,127), 158.13 million of whom have recovered, 12.84 million are active cases (85,928 in severe condition) and 3.76 million have died (up by 10,219).
Thailand ranks 80th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.24 million, followed by India 29.08 million, Brazil 17.03 million, France 5.71 million, and Turkey 5.3 million.
Link between AstraZeneca shot, Bangkok death investigated
A 46-year-old Bangkok resident reportedly succumbed to complications after getting her Covid-19 jab. Her body has been taken to Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital for an autopsy.
At 20 minutes after midnight on Wednesday, Bang Khen Police Station received a report that Panyapas Ittithanawong had died at her home in Sinsap Nakhon Village in Bang Khen.
When police officers and medics arrived, Panyapas’ niece told them that her aunt had received the AstraZeneca jab on Tuesday at Thai Business Administration Technological College.
Upon returning home, she developed a headache and tiredness, for which she took two paracetamol pills at 6pm. Then at about 10pm she took pills for migraine but went into spasms 15 minutes later.
Though an ambulance was called, medics did not arrive in time.
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Her body has been taken in for an autopsy, while her relatives were scheduled to meet police and medics this morning.
Private firms allowed to purchase Covid-19 vaccines: CCSA
Local and private organisations have been allowed to procure Covid-19 vaccines, according to a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announcement published in the Royal Gazette on Tuesday.
The move aims to ensure that at least 70 per cent, or 50 million people nationwide, will be vaccinated in a bid to create herd immunity.
Under Covid-19 vaccine management guidelines, local and private organisations can procure vaccines from government agencies such as the Department of Disease Control, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the National Vaccine Institute, the Thai Red Cross Society and the Chulabhorn Royal Academy.
However, the procurement must be in line with laws and guidelines issued by the CCSA, the prime minister, provincial governors or provincial communicable disease committees.
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Meanwhile, both government and private agencies are required to cooperate on data sharing via the Mor Phrom (Doctors Ready) application to “ensure people’s safety and data management efficacy”.
Flout the mask rule for a 3rd time in public and you will be fined up to THB20,000
People who do not wear masks in public may face up to a THB20,000 fine if they are caught breaking the rule for the third time, according to an announcement by the National Communicable Disease Committee published in the Royal Gazette.
The move aims to ensure all people wear face masks in public to reduce the risk of contracting Covid-19.
The announcement will be suspended once the Covid-19 crisis is resolved or the state of emergency lifted.
Under the Communicable Diseases Act BE 2558 (2015), people who do not wear a face mask in public areas may face punishment as follows:
1. No more than a THB1,000 fine for the first time.
2. Over THB1,000, but no more than a THB10,000 fine for the second time.
3. Over THB10,000, but no more than a THB20,000 fine for the third time.
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In case the suspects do not agree with the punishment or fail to pay the fine within 30 days after being charged, communicable disease officers can submit the issue to investigation officers for legal action.
If there is repeated wrongdoing or wrongdoing by any person that may affect public safety, communicable disease officers can submit this issue too to investigation officers for legal action.
More rain is likely across the country with isolated heavy showers in the North, the Northeast, the Central region, the East and the South’s west coast as a monsoon trough prevails across the upper North and upper Northeast while the rather strong southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, the Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.
The department advised all ships to proceed with caution as waves in the Andaman Sea are 2-3 metres high and will be more than 3 metres during thundershowers.
Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees and highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 29-34 degrees Celsius.
Central: Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 33-36 degrees Celsius.
East: Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-28 degrees, highs of 28-35 degrees Celsius; waves 2 metres high and over 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-25 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 22-26 degrees, highs of 29-33 degrees Celsius; waves 2-3 metres high and over 3 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 25-27 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius.
Law to regulate social media content in the pipeline
A proposal for legislation to control social media content in Thailand was raised by the prime minister at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said.
Prayut cited recent legislation in India to regulate social media, including various blogs, the spokesman said.
India’s new rules require internet platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to erase content that authorities deem unlawful and to help with police investigations, including identifying the originators of “mischievous information”.
Burapachaisri said the Council of State will now study details of similar laws passed in other countries before proposing legislation to the Cabinet for regulating social media in Thailand.
Since the 2014 coup, the Thai government has tightened its restrictions on social media, threatening Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with prosecution unless the platforms deleted content it deemed unacceptable.
Forces keep vigilant eye out for illegal border crossers in 3 provinces
On Monday, border police nabbed as many as 238 people trying to sneak into Thailand, 133 from Cambodia alone. Most of the border crossers were migrants, some of whom have been put in quarantine, while others deported.
Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman, said people should keep an eye out for people trying to illegally cross the border and inform authorities. He said this was the only way to stop new Covid-19 strains from coming into the country, adding that the focus is on border areas in Sa Kaew, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces.
The Burapha border troop in Sa Kaew province reported that 338 border crossers were arrested in 52 rounds of patrol, mostly in Ta Phraya district.
Meanwhile, the Chanthaburi-Trat Army Division caught 35 border crossers in 16 rounds of patrol in Trat’s Khlong Yai district and 898 people in 125 patrols in Chanthaburi’s Soi Dao district.
Since April 1, 8,985 people have been arrested for either sneaking into the country or trafficking. Of them, 7,608 were caught in the border areas and 1,377 in inner Thailand.
Meanwhile, Taweesin said Bangkok still had the highest number of Covid-19 cases in the country, with 1,098 reported on Tuesday, followed by 269 in Samut Prakan.
The Health Department in the capital, however, reported that the caseload was mostly stable with 74 clusters in 35 districts.
Phuket has opened its first drive-through vaccination centre, to serve residents who face difficulties walking to get their anti-Covid jab.
Located at the island’s main vaccination centre, the 4,000-seater Saphan Hin Gymnasium, the drive-through service opened on Monday to residents aged over 60 and those with underlying health conditions.
Staff at the vaccination centre said they came up with the idea for drive-through jabs after realising it was difficult for many elderly or infirm people to get vaccinated in the gym’s main hall. Previously, all jab recipients had to walk from the car park to the gymnasium building then climb two flights of stairs to the waiting area.
When their name was called, they had to walk down for a health check before waiting in line for their vaccination.
The new drive-through service has won praise on social media, as eligible recipients no longer need to leave their car to get a jab. The injection is administered after a temperature and health check. Drive-through recipients must then wait 30 minutes to monitor for side effects.
The island aims to vaccinate 70 per cent of its population before becoming the first place in Thailand to reopen to foreign tourists on July 1.
Almost 1 in 5 Thais do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a recent public opinion poll.
In a blow to the mass vaccination programme that launched this week, 19.3 per cent of respondents in a nationwide survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) said they did not want the jab.
The opinion poll surveyed 46,600 people aged 18 and above in provinces across the country from May 17-22.
The survey found that 75.2 per cent of people would like to be vaccinated. Of these, 47.7 per cent were ready to get the jab now, 27.5 per cent said they would get it later, and 5.5 per cent had already been vaccinated.
Of the 19.3 per cent that did not want to be vaccinated, 16.4 per cent cited fear of side effects while 4.9 per cent said they were not convinced that the vaccine could prevent the disease. Another 4.6 per cent cited physical limitations such as disability, congenital disease or pregnancy, 3.6 per cent said they were able to protect themselves, and 3.2 per cent said they did not have enough information to decide on getting vaccinated.
Of those who want to be vaccinated, more than half (54.6 per cent) preferred a jab provided by the government, while 12.5 per cent opted for the Pfizer brand, 3 per cent for Moderna, 2.5 per cent for the Johnson & Johnson shot, and 0.9 per cent for Novavax.
The willingness to get vaccinated rose above 70 per cent in only six provinces: Phuket (80.2%), Trang (80%), Ranong (78.8%), Buri Ram (73.3%), Chonburi (71.8%) and Nonthaburi (71.2). The government is aiming to fully vaccinate 70 per cent of people in the country to achieve herd immunity before the end of the year.
Meanwhile, doubt about the vaccines’ quality was higher than 70 per cent in Kalasin (80.5%), Pattani (78.5%), Narathiwat (74%), Chiang Mai (72.2%), Khon Kaen (71.3%) and Satun (70.4%).
Those aged 18-29 were more likely to refuse vaccination than those aged over 30. In terms of occupation, students and the unemployed were most likely to say they did not want to be vaccinated or were not ready.
Only 45.3 per cent of respondents were confident about the quality of vaccines provided by the government. The other 54.7 per cent were not convinced, citing fear of side effects (41.3 per cent), belief that government-provided vaccines are not as effective as alternative vaccines (7 per cent), and conflicting information on vaccine efficiency (5.7 per cent).
Many respondents said the government should build confidence in vaccination and curb confusing information by having experts explain the benefits (48.3 per cent), screening information and blocking false news in the media or social media quickly (20.4 per cent), and allowing only the agencies responsible to provide information (18.8 per cent).
Meanwhile 90.5 per cent of respondents reported their lives had been impacted by the Covid-19 outbreak. The biggest problem was insufficient income to meet expenses (49.3 per cent). Asked what they needed most from the government, 67.8 per cent said help with living expenses.
Deputy government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul said the Cabinet acknowledged the results of the survey at its meeting on Tuesday.
