Vaccination begins for vulnerable groups and their caretakers
The Public Health Ministry has started providing Covid-19 vaccine to people in vulnerable groups at Sirindhorn National Medical Rehabilitation Institute in Nonthaburi province.
“In the pilot phase, we expect to vaccinate 500 people who are visually impaired and aged over 60 years or having underlying health problems, along with their caretakers,” Deputy Health Minister Satit Pituthecha said on Friday.
“Sixty registered candidates will be invited to the vaccination unit per day starting from Thursday until the inoculation target is reached.”
Vaccination begins for vulnerable groups and their caretakers
Satit said the ministry had told the Department of Mental Health to provide vaccination to people who have mental issues, such as autism, Down Syndrome, attention deficit disorder, as well as their family members or caretakers who live in the same residence, starting from Saturday.
“The vaccine will be provided at Rajanukul Institute in Bangkok’s Din Daeng district. Eligible people must reside in Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan or Pathum Thani provinces and be aged over 18 years,” he added.
Vaccination begins for vulnerable groups and their caretakers
“The ministry will soon provide vaccine to people with other kinds of disabilities who live in other provinces to make sure that people in vulnerable groups are safe from Covid-19,” said Satit.
Statistics from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security indicated that as of March 31, over 2.09 million people with disabilities had registered with the ministry, or 3.21 per cent of total population. Of these, 49.8 per cent have movement disability, while 18.8 per cent are hearing impaired and 9.1 per cent are visually impaired.
Chiang Mai tightens screening measures for travellers from red zone provinces
The Chiang Mai Communicable Disease committee on Friday announced that people travelling from provinces in the red zone — highest control area based on number of Covid-19 infections — must register via CM-Chana application at least 24 hours before entering the province from June 1.
They must present the evidence of registration to officials upon entry.
The red zone provinces are: Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan.
“Visitors from these provinces must strictly follow the guidelines provided by CM-Chana platform via SMS during the entire time of their stay in the province,” the announcement said.
Meanwhile, Chiang Mai locals who return home from these provinces after work, study or delivery must quarantine themselves for 14 days, while those who need to enter Chiang Mai for a brief period or for product delivery will be observed by Chiang Mai disease control officers.
Chiang Mai reported six new infections on Friday, with cumulative cases in the province at 4,082 since the new wave started in April, 3,888 people have been cured and discharged, 171 people are undergoing treatment and 32 people have died.
Thundershowers forecast for Bangkok, isolated heavy rains in North, Central and South
Thundershowers are forecast for all regions of the country with isolated heavy rains in the North, the Central and the South, the Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday.
The southwest monsoon prevailing across the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand is weakening, the department said.
Waves 2-3 metres high and above three metres during thundershowers are expected in the Andaman Sea. All ships should proceed with caution, while small boats should keep ashore, the department said.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-27 degrees Celsius, highs of 32-36°C.
North: Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 34-37°C.
Northeast: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 33-36°C.
Central: Cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 34-37°C.
East: Cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-26°C, highs of 32-36°C; waves 1-2 metres high and over two metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-25°C, highs of 34-35°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 70 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 22-24°C, highs of 30-33°C; waves 2-3 metres high and over three metres during thundershowers.
Royal Academy to import 1 million Sinopharm doses next month
Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA) said on Friday it expects to import about 1 million doses of China’s Sinopharm vaccine in June.
The move comes after the FDA approved the vaccine for emergency use in Thailand, with Bio Genetech Ltd registered as the importer. The academy was granted the power to procure alternative vaccines as per an announcement in the Royal Gazette earlier this week.
The first batch of about 1 million doses is expected to be delivered by June, while the CRA will cooperate with the Public Health Ministry on vaccine distribution and insurance.
CRA secretary-general Dr Nithi Mahanonda said government and private organisations had already expressed interest in purchasing vaccine from the academy.
“We are considering offering vaccination to organisations or hotels and enable all sectors to operate their business,” he said.
The CRA will also seek other Covid-19 vaccines for study and research in a bid to contain the spread of virus as soon as possible, he added.
Meanwhile, CRA was negotiating a price for the vaccine based on production, delivery and storage costs.
Nithi insisted the academy would not make any profit from the Covid-19 jabs.
The Sinopharm brand is an inactivated vaccine, like Sinovac and Covaxin.
It is registered for use on people aged 18 and over, with 65 million doses administered so far in China, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Hungary.
Sinopharm is the sixth vaccine approved for emergency use by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which says it is 79 per cent effective against symptomatic Covid-19 infection. The vaccine can also be stored in a refrigerator at 2-8 degrees Celsius.
Royal Academy to import 1 million Sinopharm doses next month
No such thing as a ‘Thai variant’, says Mahidol scientist
The so-called “Thai variant” of Covid-19 reported in the UK this week did not actually come from Thailand, a leading Thai scientist said on Friday.
The C36.3 Covid-19 variant does not originate from Thailand because it has not spread in the country yet, said Dr Wasan Chantratit, head of Mahidol University’s Centre for Medical Genomics.
He spoke after Public Health England reported 109 cases of the new C36.3 variant from Thailand had been detected in the UK.
Dr Wasan explained that Thailand had found the C36.3 strain in a 33-year-old man on his return from Egypt in January. The man had recovered and C36.3 had been eliminated from Thailand, he added.
A Covid variant must have spread in a country before that country is named as its origin, Wasan explained.
“Also, we don’t know where the returnee travelled after being discharged and visiting Britain.”
Three kids left alone in Bangkok flat after mother hospitalised, grandfather dies of Covid
Officials are caring for three children who were left alone in a Bangkok flat after their grandfather died of Covid-19 and their mother was taken to hospital.
On Friday, officials from the Social Development and Human Security Ministry visited the children at their third-floor flat in Building 49 of the National Housing Authority project in Din Daeng district.
They evaluated the mental state of the children and made sure they had necessities including food.
“The children said their grandfather, who had also contracted Covid-19, passed away in the apartment shortly after the ambulance took their mother to hospital,” said Anukul Pidkaew, the ministry’s deputy permanent-secretary.
“We have coordinated with the National Housing Authority to disinfect the areas around the apartment.”
Anukul added that the youngest child, aged 5, also tested positive for the virus and was being admitted to hospital.
“Social workers will come in to check on the other two siblings regularly. We have also given them advice on how to stay safe from Covid-19 as they are in a high-risk group,” he said.
“The children confirmed that they can live by themselves in the apartment,” he added.
“The ministry is preparing shelters for people in vulnerable groups who have been affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, such as seniors, the disabled and homeless people,” said Anukul.
Those who required assistance should contact the ministry’s 24-hour hotline at 1300, he said.
Bankruptcy court delays hearing on THAI rehab plan till June 15
The Central Bankruptcy Court on Friday postponed the hearing on Thai Airways International’s rehabilitation plan to June 15.
The delay was to allow further consideration of creditors’ opposition to the plan, the airline said in a statement. Two creditors filed complaints against the plan.
On May 19, creditors holding 91.56 per cent of THAI’s debt accepted the airline’s restructuring plan to be reviewed by the court.
THAI has registered total debt of THB245 billion, much of it racked up in the decade before the Covid-19 crisis grounded international flights and wrecked airlines’ balance sheets.
Police say AK rifles stolen from Narathiwat base and sold to insurgents
Narathiwat police revealed on Thursday that a batch of AK102 assault rifles that disappeared from a military base last week had been stolen and sold.
Twenty-eight AK102s were reported missing from a territorial defence base in Muang district on May 18.
Police said some of the weapons had fallen into the hands of local insurgents and drug dealers, though six had been recovered and returned to the base.
Muang police chief Narin Busaman said a suspect in the case, named as Hazan Samae, had been arrested and had confessed to selling the assault rifles.
Narin declined to reveal information about other suspects, saying the police were afraid that leaked information would hinder the case.
Sinopharm’s Covilo vaccine has been approved for emergency use in Thailand, with Bio Genetech Ltd registered as importer, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Friday.
“Covilo is an inactivated vaccine that has been developed by Sinopharm’s subsidiary Beijing Institute of Biological Product Ltd,” said FDA secretary-general Paisan Dankhum.
“It has also been included in the World Health Organisation [WHO]’s Emergency Use Listing,” he said, adding that two doses of Covilo are required at an interval of 28 days.
Covilo, which the WHO says is 79 per cent effective against symptomatic infection, is the fifth Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in Thailand by the FDA.
The other four are AstraZeneca, imported by AstraZeneca (Thailand) Ltd and manufactured domestically by Siam Bioscience Ltd; Sinovac Biotech’s CoronaVac imported by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation; Johnson & Johnson vaccine imported by Janssen-Cilag Ltd; Moderna imported by Zuellig Pharma Ltd.
“All private importers are welcome to submit vaccine registration documents, while the FDA will consider the vaccine based on its quality, efficiency and safety as well as ensuring an appropriate risk management plan is in place after the vaccine is approved,” said Paisan.
Covilo is thought to be the vaccine of choice for Chulabhorn Royal Academy, which was granted the power to procure Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday as per an announcement in the Royal Gazette.
Meanwhile, the FDA chief also addressed controversy over a leaked letter from Accap Asset Co to the Royal Academy, saying that the company had tried and failed to sell millions of Sinopharm doses to the government.
“As for the rumour that a private company had proposed to sell 20 million doses of Sinopharm vaccine, our preliminary investigation revealed that the company, Accap Assets Ltd, has not filed vaccine registration documents with the FDA, which is a prerequisite for any importer of vaccine into the country,” said Paisan. “The only company that has filed for registration of Sinopharm vaccine in Thailand is Bio Genetech Ltd.”
Guide for foreigners living in or travelling to Thailand
As of May 6, the Thai government has restored the mandatory 14-day quarantine for both vaccinated and unvaccinated arrivals in the country, regardless of their nationality.
Thai embassies and consulates are issuing a Certificate of Entry (COE) for all travellers to Thailand, including those in the visa exemption list, as well as 60-day tourist visas and special tourist visas (STV).
Foreigners entering Thailand are required to have an ASQ hotel reservation and Covid-19 insurance.
At present, only semi-commercial flights are allowed to land in Thailand.
Foreigners allowed entry include diplomats and foreign workers, including their families, business representatives and experts invited by the government, permanent residents, foreigners with Thai families, students and their guardians, medical tourists and their attendants, business visa holders, Thai Elite Visa holders, APEC cardholders, STV and tourist visa holders, non-immigrant O retirement visa, non-immigrant OA and OX holders and migrant workers with official documents.
All foreigners are required to get in touch with their local Thai embassy to apply for a COE and for more information.
Until September 30, 2021, Thailand will allow a limited number of long-stay tourists under the STV programme. This long-stay visa is open to foreign nationals travelling to Thailand with the intention of staying long-term as a tourist.
Those eligible can get in touch with the Tourism Authority of Thailand Office or Thai embassy in their current location for more information.
Guide for foreigners living in or travelling to Thailand
Visa amnesty/extension
What is visa amnesty?
As of May 29, 2021, all foreign nationals living in Thailand affected by the Covid-19 crisis will be granted a 60-day visa extension.
Who is covered by the visa amnesty?
All foreign nationals living in Thailand legally with a visa exemption entry stamp, tourist visa, non-immigrant visa or yearly extension of stay.
What are the rules related to visa amnesty?
Visa or permit to stay that is still valid and updated by the local immigration office.
Foreigners holding long-term visas, such as a work visa, marriage visa or retirement visa are required to apply for their yearly extension at the immigration office as usual.
Foreigners do not need an embassy letter to be granted the automatic visa extension due to Covid-19.
Is the Covid-19 visa extension free of charge?
No, the Covid-19 extension of visa costs 1,900 baht.
Will the visa amnesty be extended?
There is no indication that this visa amnesty or grace period will be extended.
What happens when the visa amnesty is lifted or not extended?
When the situation is resolved and returns to normal, foreigners must leave Thailand on or before the permit to stay date in their passports is up or must apply for the proper type of visa at the immigration office.
Travel Ban
Most international flights are banned, though some semi-commercial flights are allowed to land in Thailand.
Foreigners qualified to enter Thailand must apply for a “Certificate of Entry to Thailand” before they book a seat on the available repatriation flight.
90-day reporting
If you are a foreigner staying in Thailand for a period longer than 90 consecutive days holding a Non-Immigrant Visa or Extension of Stay, you are required by Thai Immigration to report your current address every 90 days. You may file for the TM47 notification in person, by mail, online, or through an agent.
Consequences of visa overstay
During this Covid-19 crisis in Thailand, some foreign nationals may find themselves overstaying in Thailand either by mistake, miscalculating the length of stay, forgetting their visa expiration date or by unforeseen cancellation of their flights due to travel restrictions.
As a foreigner, you are strongly advised to avoid overstaying in Thailand. But if you do find yourself in Thailand on an expired visa it is very important that you act fast and in the right way.
Cancellation of Visa on Arrival
Travellers from the following countries are no longer allowed visa on arrival: Bulgaria, Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Fiji, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Malta, Mexico, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu.
Travellers from these countries are required to obtain a proper visa to travel to Thailand.
Though the visa on arrival for Russia has been cancelled, Russian passport holders may still enter Thailand for 30 days under the bilateral agreement.
Guide for foreigners living in or travelling to Thailand
Vaccination begins for vulnerable groups and their caretakers
Vaccination begins for vulnerable groups and their caretakers
Royal Academy to import 1 million Sinopharm doses next month
Guide for foreigners living in or travelling to Thailand
Guide for foreigners living in or travelling to Thailand
