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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000767

Ministry wants all 600,000 teachers jabbed before Thai schools open on June 1

Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong has unveiled a two-phase plan for students and teachers after the start of the 2021 academic year was delayed by the Covid-19 outbreak until June 1.

Under phase one (May 17-31), the ministry will arrange learning activities for both teachers and students in the two weeks before the semester starts. Children will be given opportunities to learn essential life skills from contemporary events or real experience. Mentoring teams will advise teachers on how to organise the activities, which could include learning about the Covid-19 situation.

Phase two will begin at the start of the semester on June 1. It will feature five forms of study: Onsite learning at school, on-air or learning via DLTV, on-demand through various mobile applications, online learning through the internet, and on-hand learning at home with workbooks and worksheets. However, the ministry said most schools will focus on onsite learning.

The KruPrompt (Teacher Ready) website will provide a platform for teachers to access learning materials and exchange information in preparation for the new school year, said Trinuch.

The public school system currently contains about 8 million students, who are considered at high risk of transmitting Covid-19.

As such, the Education Ministry wants Thailand’s 600,000 public-school teachers to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before the new semester starts.

Published : May 13, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000807

PM says 150m jabs will be used to vaccinate whole country – foreigners included

Thailand will acquire a total 150 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to fully inoculate the whole country starting with high-risk groups, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha revealed on Wednesday.

“The priority goal from June is to administer the first of the two doses [to as many people as possible] since we know this will greatly reduce the chance of infection and severity of symptoms,” said the PM, as he visited a vaccination station at Central Plaza Ladprao shopping mall in Bangkok.

Thailand’s vaccination rollout has got off to a sluggish start, with barely 1.6 million of more than 16 million at-risk people registering for a jab so far.

After targeting outbreaks in Samut Sakhon and Bangkok’s Klong Toei this month, the vaccination drive will widen to the at-risk group of people over 60 and those with chronic health conditions, in June. Meanwhile, frontline workers including delivery staff, public transport workers, salespeople and tourism and restaurant workers would also be prioritised for jabs in order to aid rapid economic recovery, Prayut said.

Vaccination would then be opened to the general public, he added.

Fourteen vaccination stations have been set up in Bangkok with another 11 to follow, in a model that will be expanded to other provinces soon.

Prayut also reiterated that the vaccination rollout will also cover all foreigners residing in Thailand. The country will acquire another 50 million doses to take the total to 150 million. Two doses each are needed to inoculate all of Thailand’s 70 million residents.

The government expects Siam Bioscience to begin producing 10 million doses of locally made AstraZeneca vaccine monthly by June.

“The government will cooperate with all parties to work against time to protect all Thais from Covid-19 in this constantly changing situation, said the prime minister. “There may be new and more virulent variants, so I encourage everyone to get vaccinated against Covid-19 to get Thailand out of the crisis and strengthen the economy again,” he added.

Published : May 13, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000806

Whale shark freed from fishing nets in Phang Nga

Fishermen in Phang Nga province release a whale shark that accidentally got caught in their nets on Monday.

Whale sharks can usually be spotted near Koh Tao island in Surat Thani.

The whale shark is being sighted in the Andaman Sea quite frequently now due to the lack of tourists.

Published : May 12, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000805

Corrections Dept admits close to 3,000 inmates infected

Of the infected prisoners, 1,795 were found in the Bangkok Remand Prison, and 1,040 in the Central Women’s Correctional Institution.

All prisoners were moved to a field hospital of the department.

This morning, Anti-establishment leader Panusaya “Rung” Sithijirawattanakul, who spent eight weeks in the Central Women’s Correctional Institution over lese majeste charges, announced on that she has tested positive for Covid-19.

On Tuesday, she was at Bangkok Remand Prison where her fellow protestors Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak and Chai-amorn Kaewwiboonpan were released from detention.

Published : May 12, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000803

PM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in June

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha led government officials to oversee preparations of a vaccination station at Central Plaza Ladprao in Bangkok Chatuchak district on Wednesday.

Vaccination points are being launched across the capital in a joint effort by the City Hall and the Board of Trade. They will operate daily from 8am to 5pm, offering vaccination and symptom-monitoring by medical staff.

PM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in JunePM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in June

Fourteen vaccination stations are being prepared in Bangkok at the following locations:

1. Central Plaza Ladprao (run by staff from Ramathibodi Hospital)

2. Central Plaza Pinklao (Vajira Hospital)

3. Iconsiam (Siriraj Hospital)

4. True Digital Park (Siriraj Hospital)

5. Samyan Mitrtown (Chulalongkorn Hospital)

6. SCG Bangsue (Department of Medical Services)

7. The Mall Bang Kapi (Nopparatrajathanee Hospital)

8. The Mall Bang Khae (Siam University’s faculties of medicine and nursing)

9. Thanya Park (Bangpakok Hospital Group)

10. Asiatique (Bangpakok Hospital Group)

11. Robinson Lifestyle Latkrabang (Bangpakok Hospital Group)

12. Tesco Lotus Minburi (Bangpakok Hospital Group)

13. Big C Bangbon (Bangpakok Hospital Group)

14. PTT Station, Rama II (Bangpakok Hospital Group).

PM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in JunePM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in June

The Board of Trade will set up an additional 11 vaccination points to bring the total in Bangkok to 25.

PM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in JunePM inspects Bangkok vaccination point ahead of rollout in June

Once up and running, the 25 points will be able to vaccinate 38,000-50,000 people per day. All the vaccination points will operate for seven months in a bid to achieve herd immunity by inoculating at least 70 per cent of the city’s residents.

Published : May 12, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000802

Governor’s strategy helps Lampang locals overcome fear of Covid jab

All Thais have been urged to sign up for their Covid-19 vaccine via the Mor Prom (Doctors Ready) application since May 1 and so far, some 2 million people have registered nationwide.

However, the province of Lampang has proved to be a success story so far, with more than 220,000 of the 740,000 local residents signing up for the jab.

The strategy

Provincial governor Narongsak Osottanakornsaid the only way to get people to register was to get rid of their fear of side effects from the vaccine. So to achieve this, he dispersed local volunteers and public health staff to explain the benefits to people in “clear, simple and easy to understand language”.

“People were also told that this vaccine has been procured by the government and that if they did not get their jabs now, it would become difficult to get one in the future,” he said.

He also said that another big problem was that most elderly people did not know how to register for the vaccine. So, to overcome this problem he set up a 24-hour hotline to advise people on the registration process and also sent out volunteers to help in person.

“Up to 90 per cent of the registrations had been completed thanks to the call centre and volunteers,” Narongsak said, adding that volunteers were only paid THB1,000 a month for their hard work.

Targeting herd immunity

Narongsak said the aim is to inoculate up to 70 per cent of the local population, and that vaccines will be administered at both provincial and private hospitals.

“We expect to vaccinate 5,000 people daily, which will see some 150,000 people inoculated in 30 days,” he said, adding that it would be even better if 6,000 jabs could be administered daily.

Published : May 12, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000800

Drug-crazed knifeman chases Pheu Thai group through Bangkok neighbourhood

Police have charged a man with threatening Pheu Thai Party members at knifepoint as they distributed face masks and hand sanitiser in a Bangkok neighbourhood on Tuesday.

Officers from Tha Phra station arrested Ronnarong Suntriyaporn, 42, at a house in Soi Jaransantiwong 4 in Bangkok Yai district for allegedly taking drugs and attempted assault.

The arrest came after residents of Wat Tha Phra community alerted officials on Tuesday evening that an intoxicated man was wielding a knife and causing a commotion.

The drama erupted as a group of five Pheu Thai members went door to door in the community, handing out free Covid-prevention supplies.

“We knocked on the door of one house, which was later revealed to belong to Ronnarong’s girlfriend, and he answered the door,” said one of Pheu Thai members.

“Looking intoxicated, he grabbed a knife and chased after us as we ran away.”

Drug-crazed knifeman chases Pheu Thai group through Bangkok neighbourhood

After the group fled, Ronnarong reportedly ran back to the house and locked himself in. Police arrived and took around two hours to persuade him to drop the knife and turn himself in. There were no reports of injuries from the incident.

Police say they found 1.92 grams of methamphetamine and drug-taking equipment in Ronnarong’s possession. He was taken to Tha Phra station for a drug test and to be charged.

Drug-crazed knifeman chases Pheu Thai group through Bangkok neighbourhood

Published : May 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000799

Covid infects 22 members of Thailand women’s volleyball team

Twenty-two members of the national women’s volleyball team have tested positive for Covid-19 after being exposed to four infected sports science staffers, the Thailand Volleyball Association announced on Wednesday.

The four staffers had been training the athletes at their camp in Nakhon Pathom province before they fell sick and were tested for Covid-19 at Nakhon Pathom Hospital, the association said. The tests came back positive on Tuesday (May 11).

“We immediately sent all 37 athletes, coaches and other staffers who came in close contact [with the infected staffers] for testing. Tests came back this morning and 22 of them are infected.”

The association added that Piyavate Hospital, their official medical sponsor, has already taken the 22 infected members for treatment in Bangkok, while the four staffers have been admitted at Nakhon Pathom Hospital.

Covid infects 22 members of Thailand women’s volleyball team

The mass infection has forced the team to withdraw from the FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League from May 25 to June 25 in Rimini, Italy.

“We would like to apologise to all the fans nationwide, and will take care of the affected athletes and staffers as though they are members of our family,” the association said.

Covid infects 22 members of Thailand women’s volleyball team

Published : May 12, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000798

Covid jabs available for all without appointment from June

The National Vaccine Committee on Wednesday gave the green light for residents nationwide to get a Covid-19 jab without making an appointment from June onwards.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the committee also approved boosting procurement of vaccines from 100 million to 150 million doses, as well as negotiations to acquire vaccines to combat Covid-19 variants.

Anutin said that to create herd immunity, the government will conduct mass vaccination of three groups from June onwards.

1. Those registered via the Mohpromt (Doctors Ready) application.

2. Those requesting vaccination as a group, such as factories or enterprises.

3. Those unable to book a jab online or facing problems with vaccination registration.

Also, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is cooperating with the private sector to procure alternative sources of vaccine for employees, said Anutin.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC) plans to inoculate 70 per cent of all residents in each province, aided by monthly local production of 10 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses from June.

Bangkokians unable to book a jab or register online can get their vaccination at vaccination stations in Bang Sue Grand Station, Chamchuri Square, Central Plaza Ladprao and The Mall Bang Kapi, said DDC chief Dr Opas Karnkawinpong.

He indicated that around 30 per cent of jabs will be booked through the Mohpromt app, 50 per cent through hospitals and 20 per cent without appointments.

“Provincial Public Health Offices can conduct mass vaccination without waiting for permission,” he said. “People must evaluate any side effects from the jab via the Mohpromt app. If they don’t have the app, medical staff will conduct the follow-up.”

He added that the DDC will liaise with the Foreign Ministry to ensure the jabs are made available to foreigners in Thailand.

The department will also arrange vaccines for migrant workers at risk of infection in places such as large factories and markets, Opas said.

Published : May 12, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000797

Over 300,000 Buri Ram residents register for Covid jabs

More than 300,000 people in Buri Ram have registered for their Covid-19 jab via the BURIRAM IC online platform, the provincial public health office announced on Wednesday.

In a bid to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak, Buri Ram health authorities are calling on all residents over the age of 18 to evaluate their health and register for a vaccine via:

• Village health volunteers;

• The BURIRAM IC platform; or

• Hospitals or sub-district health departments.

As of Wednesday, 360,174 people had registered for a jab via the online platform. This data will be used to set up a vaccination plan in the near future.

“We call on people in Buri Ram to register for their Covid-19 via these specific channels before May 21,” a Buri Ram Provincial Public Health official said.

Published : May 12, 2021

By : The Nation