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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000592

BMA inoculates 3,000 Klong Toei residents in bid to control cluster

Some 3,000 residents in Bangkok’s Klong Toei communities have been vaccinated against Covid-19 as of Wednesday in a bid to contain the cluster of cases in the crowded areas.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) dispatched two mobile vaccination units to Tesco Lotus Rama IV and Wat Klong Toei School on Tuesday after 304 people residing in or near Klong Toei slums tested positive for Covid-19 recently.

Of them, 193 people are residents in the 12 slums of Klong Toei, while 111 reside in condominiums or apartments near these slums.

Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said on Tuesday that to efficiently contain the cluster of cases in Klong Toei, about 70 per cent or 50,000 of the 80,000 people living in the area should be vaccinated.

Aswin also promised to have the infections in the area under control within two weeks.

BMA inoculates 3,000 Klong Toei residents in bid to control cluster

From Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday evening, 2,802 people had been vaccinated, while 208 had not been given their jabs either because they changed their mind or because they had high blood pressure or fast pulse (tachycardia).

BMA is planning to dispatch more mobile units soon and aims to vaccinate around 2,500 to 3,000 people per day until May 19.

Bangkok is still leading the list with 739 new confirmed cases on Thursday, which brought the total number of Covid-19 cases in the city to 16,048 since the start of the third wave on April 1.

BMA inoculates 3,000 Klong Toei residents in bid to control cluster

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000591

Shipment of million Sinovac doses lands in Suvarnabhumi

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) took delivery of 1 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine from China early this morning.

The shipment, which arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport, was transported in envirotainers in which the temperature was maintained at between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius.

So far, 3.5 million doses of the vaccine, also known as Coronavac, have arrived in Thailand. On May 14, another 500,000 doses will land here.

Shipment of million Sinovac doses lands in Suvarnabhumi

Published : May 06, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000590

18 deaths, 1,911 new cases logged on Thursday

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Thursday reported 1,911 new cases and 18 deaths.

Of the deaths, six were in Bangkok, three in Samut Prakan, two each in Chiang Mai, Nonthaburi and Samut Sakhon, and one each in Pathum Thani, Sing Buri and Yala.

The ages of those who succumbed to the virus ranged between 45 and 100, and most suffered from chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other complications.

Bangkok is again leading the list with 739 confirmed infections, followed by 273 in Nonthaburi and 143 in Samut Prakan.

Also included in the list of confirmed cases were nine returnees, four Thais and five foreigners.

The Thais included returnees from UAE, UK, Malaysia and Cambodia, while the foreigners included two Iran nationals from their country, two Brits from Brazil and Ireland, and a Ukrainian from Bangladesh.

Separately, 2,435 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.

As of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 76,811. Of these, 73,458 had been contracted locally, including 22,947 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,353 were returnees.

So far, 46,795 have recovered and been discharged, 29,680 patients are still in hospitals, and 336 have died.

Meanwhile, another 17,155 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 11,603 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 1,601,833.

Separately, according to Worldometer, as of 11am on Thursday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 155.82 million (up by 837,731), 133.21 million of whom have recovered, 19.36 million are active cases (110,301 in severe condition) and 3.25 million have died (up by 14,278).

Thailand ranks 99th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 33.32 million, followed by India 21.07 million, Brazil 14.93 million, France 5.7 million, and Turkey 4.95 million.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000588

Committee given 50 days more to study CPTPP

The Cabinet has granted the Committee of International Economic Policy 50 days more to study whether Thailand should join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) that groups 11 countries so far.

Deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said the additional days were granted after the previous study period ended on April 15.

“Thailand will discuss with other CPTPP members about the advantages of the agreement if the study concludes that we should join the grouping,” she added.

The CPTPP is a free-trade bloc involving Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000586

Nation Group, partners open online clinic to fight Covid-19

NationTV, Spring News and AIS have teamed up with more than 30 volunteer doctors, both domestic and overseas, to set up an online clinic to provide medical advice and diagnostics to people suspected of contracting Covid-19, Nation Multimedia Group Plc announced on Wednesday (May 5).

“The clinic will function like an online call centre, accessible via Facebook/covidcallcenter,” the company said.

“The team of volunteer doctors is led by Dr Suwanna Reungkanjanaset, former deputy dean at the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, who will work together with more than 30 doctors to diagnose patients based on their symptoms, as well as contact the Public Health Ministry to transfer those who need treatment to hospitals,” the group explained.

“Among the volunteers are Thai doctors who live abroad and have decided to lend their expertise to alleviate the shortage of medical professionals at home,” it added.

Nation Group, partners open online clinic to fight Covid-19

Staff from the AIS Facebook Call Centre will provide answers to basic Covid-19-related questions around the clock via the Facebook page, while volunteer doctors will work in shifts, providing diagnosis to those who have displayed symptoms and classify them according to the Public Health Ministry’s colour-coding guide, and then provide an appropriate course of action for each patient.

The guide divides patients into three groups:

Green: Asymptomatic patients or those having slight symptoms, such as a fever, cough, a runny nose, sore throat, pink eyes, rash, diarrhoea or loss of smell or taste.

Yellow: Patients at risk of developing severe symptoms, such as those above 60 years of age or those suffering from chronic conditions such as heart, kidney, cardiovascular or cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, cirrhosis and a weakened immune system.

Red: Patients who are unusually fatigued, have trouble breathing or have developed pneumonia.

Once the patients are diagnosed and classified, staff from NationTV and Spring News will contact related authorities to find suitable treatment facilities as well as forward the patients’ details to doctors there to ensure seamless treatment.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000578

Cabinet okays relief on electricity, water bills for May and June: source

A cabinet meeting has approved measures to help alleviate the financial burden of people amid this fresh wave of Covid-19 by reducing electricity and water bills in May and June, a news source said on Wednesday.

“Those who use less than 150 units of electricity per month will see a fee waiver for the first 90 units (for residential users) and 50 units (for small businesses) during May and June,” the source said.

“Meanwhile, water bills for residential and small business users will be reduced by 10 per cent for the two months.”

The cabinet estimates that these two relief measures will cost the government around Bt10 billion.

On Wednesday the cabinet also approved more cash handouts via the Rao Chana (We Win) and Rao Rak Kan (We Love Each Other) Covid-relief schemes. Each person who successfully registers for the schemes will receive a total of THB2,000 before the end of June, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000577

1,270 Bangkok slums may be Covid-19 time bombs

Slums, especially in Bangkok, could turn into Covid-19 time bombs that may spread unexpectedly if relevant departments do not control it in time.

The Community Organisations Development Institute (CODI) under the Social Development and Human Security Ministry has identified as many as 1,270 of these slum communities in the same environment as Bangkok’s Khlong Toei slum, where a recent Covid-19 outbreak occurred.

Of concern are also the large Klong Prem Prachakorn community, with more than 10,000 people, slum communities in the heart of Ratchathewi district and Wang Thong Lang district, with over 3,000 residents each, and the Yommarat Railway community with 5,000-10,000 people.

If officials strictly monitor these communities or confine them to their homes, the big problem would be income and food, which would be good enough reasons for them to refuse to stay home. They are already struggling to earn a daily average income of THB120-150 despite fear of Covid-19.

According to a survey, for these communities starvation is more frightening than the virus.

CODI deputy director Panthip Petchmak said that from a May 2 check of slum communities in Bangkok, more than 200 residents in 260 communities of 1,270 were found to have contracted Covid-19, while 700 needed to quarantine.

More may get infected as 90 per cent of people in these communities need to go out for daily jobs to earn a living.

CODI has now coordinated with community-level organisations to provide food, water and supplements to help contain the virus spread, while urging the government to speedily find a solution to stop the virus from spreading to other communities.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000576

Tourism stimulus schemes likely to be extended to year-end

Ministry still expects to go ahead with July 1 launch date of Phuket Tourism Sandbox.

The Tourism and Sports Ministry plans to ask the Cabinet to extend the August 31 deadline of two of its tourism stimulus campaigns to the end of the year, Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn said on Wednesday.

He added that the ministry is still maintaining the July 1 launch date of its all-important Phuket Tourism Sandbox campaign.

“As the Covid-19 situation is still escalating with an increasing number of new infections, we decided that the campaigns should be extended until the end of the year to attract more people to travel domestically when the situation improves,” he said.

The Rao Tiew Duay Kan (We Travel Together) travel subsidy campaign will start on May 7 and the Tour Tiew Thai scheme will hit the road on May 27.

Under Rao Tiew Duay Kan, eligible registrants will receive a 40 per cent discount on hotel rooms and restaurants. They will also get an e-voucher when checking into a hotel as well as a 40 per cent flight refund when they check out. The subsidy is capped at 2 million room nights and registrants must reserve rooms at least seven days in advance.

The new Tour Tiew Thai co-payment scheme will see the government covering up to 40 per cent of tour package costs for a maximum of one million people. The subsidy is capped at Bt5,000 per trip, while registrants can reserve trips that start from May until August (as per the original deadline).

Both campaigns are aimed at Thai nationals aged over 18.

Pipat also said the ministry is still maintaining the original July 1 launch date of its Phuket Tourism Sandbox as “the campaign will serve as a pilot programme for other provinces, therefore it needs to be implemented as soon as we can”.

Under this scheme, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely without having to quarantine.

Similar schemes will be run in other top tourist destinations such as Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga and Koh Samui later, once more people have been vaccinated and preventive measures are put in place there.

“About 200,000 residents in Phuket have already been vaccinated and we expect to inoculate another 750,000 in May-June to complete the goal of having at least 70 per cent of Phuket locals vaccinated before the campaign starts,” Pipat added.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000575

First quarter fuel consumption drops 7.7%

The consumption of fuel , including oil, petrol, diesel, aviation jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and natural gas for vehicles (NGV), dropped by an average of 7.7 per cent year on year during the first three months of 2021, the Department of Energy Business said on Wednesday.

“The significant drop came from the use of aviation jet fuel, which fell 73.9 per cent year on year to 4.6 million litres per day, followed by a 31.2 per cent drop in NGV usage to 3.3 million kilograms per day,” the department’s director-general Nantika Thangsupanich said.

“The drop in jet fuel consumption is due to the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the aviation industry to suspend services since last year, while the drop in NGV usage is mainly due to a decreasing number of NGV gas stations and vehicles that use NGV,” she pointed out.

Average gasoline usage in the first quarter was 700,000 litres per day, decreasing 9.7 per cent year on year, while average gasohol usage was 30.4 million litres per day, increasing 0.1 per cent year on year.

“The usage of both gasoline and gasohol in March increased to 33.9 million litres per day from 32.2 million in February and 27.3 million in January due to the easing of lockdown measures when the situation following the second Covid-19 wave started to improve,” she said.

Average diesel usage in the first quarter was 67.2 million litres per day, falling 0.6 per cent year on year, while average LPG usage was 16.4 million kilograms per day, increasing 2.5 per cent year on year.

“The petrochemical sector is the biggest user of LPG, at 6.8 million kg per day, increasing 12.5 per cent year on year, while the transportation sector saw the biggest drop in LPG usage to 1.9 million kg per day, decreasing 22.5 per cent year on year,” Nantika added.

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000574

Thunderstorms, gusty winds, even hail forecast for many areas across Thailand

Upper Thailand will experience hot weather along with thunderstorms, gusty winds, hail and isolated heavy rains in some areas, the Meteorological Department said on Thursday, advising people to avoid the outdoors, big trees, unsecured buildings and billboards, while farmers should prepare for crop damage.

The Northeast, the Central region including Bangkok and its vicinity and the East will also see hot weather and thunderstorms as a high-pressure system from China extends to the Northeast while southerly and southeasterly winds bring moisture from the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand to the lower North, the department said.

Meanwhile, the southeasterly and easterly winds prevailing across the Gulf of Thailand, the South and the Andaman Sea will bring scattered thundershowers to some areas, with isolated heavy rains possible in some parts of the South, it added.

Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Hot day with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area; gusty winds and hail are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 25-27 degrees, highs of 33-36 degrees Celsius.

North: Hot day with thunderstorms in 60 per cent of the area; heavy rains, gusty winds and hail are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees and highs of 32-37 degrees Celsius.

Northeast: Hot day with thunderstorms in 60 per cent of the area; heavy rains, gusty winds and hails are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 22-24 degrees and highs of 33-36 degrees Celsius.

Central: Hot day with thunderstorms in 60 per cent of the area; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees, highs of 35-37 degrees Celsius.

East: Hot day with thunderstorms in 60 per cent of the area; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees, highs of 32-36 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and over 2 metres during thundershowers.

South (east coast): Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-25 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves 1-2 metres high and over 2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 32-34 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : May 06, 2021

By : THE NATION