National Telecom will provide free mobile data to users of the “MorChana” (Doctors Win) app, Digital Economy and Society Minister Buddhipongse Punnakanta said on Monday.
The application, launched on April 10 last year, records the user’s movements in order to track and trace new infections. The app also provides information on the risk of infection in different places, which are marked red, orange, yellow or green, based on exposure to the virus.
“Three mobile services under NT will provide free data when you use the application. They are NT Mobile, TOT Mobile and My [by CAT],” he said, adding that the MorChana app will not store users’ images or personal information like name, phone number, e-mail, address etc.
“In case there is a drop in internet connection, the application will save the user’s location and upload the travel information once connection is available,” he added.
National Telecom is the product of a merger between TOT and CAT Telecom, which was completed on January 7. The company provides new mobile connections under NT Mobile, and also deals with existing TOT and CAT Telecom customers.
Testing saliva samples will not only cut down costs, but will also make efforts to curb the virus more effective, said Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department.
Dr Opas, who is also secretary of the National Communicable Diseases Committee, said saliva tests will be easier, faster and more economical, especially in places like factories. Also, he said, such proactive steps will help boost confidence in the business industry.
Though Covid-19 screening by testing oral and nasal swabs through the RT-PCR method is still being widely used, saliva tests are also 90 per cent effective. If the virus is detected in the saliva sample, then the patient can undergo an RT-PCR test, he said.
“Provinces, especially those where many migrant workers are employed, may consider conducting saliva tests,” Dr Opas said.
Two cases of suspected Covid-19 have been discovered aboard the Royal Thai Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier, HTMS Chakri Naruebet. The suspected cases are among a 500-strong crew manning the carrier, which is docked at Sattahip naval base in Chonburi.
The two crew members were tested for the virus after visiting the Pa Daeng brew house in Sattahip district. On Sunday, medics at Abhakornkiatiwong Hospital in Sattahip were reportedly ordered to check all 500 Navy personnel stationed on the Chakri Naruebet.
The Navy has not yet confirmed whether any of the crew are infected with Covid-19, Thai media reported on Monday.
However, the Navy said that if the two suspected cases are confirmed positive for Covid-19, all crew on board the ship would be quarantined.
The Public Health Ministry aims to register the vaccine for Covid-19 in February and the first vaccination drive may start by the end of the month.
Speaking on progress in the procurement of the vaccine, Public Health permanent secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit said on Sunday that Sinovac’s inactivated vaccine was created using old technology that was safe. He said there were no reports of any serious side-effects from China’s vaccine.
He said import of the vaccines will be gradual. The first lot of 200,000 doses from Sinovac will arrive at the end of February, 100,000 doses on March 8, and 1 million doses in April. Then in May, there will be a large batch of vaccines from AstraZeneca — 26 million doses in the first lot, followed by another 35 million — totalling 60 million doses for about 30 million Thais.
Vaccines from both companies must be registered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are used. The first lot is expected to be registered on February 14, which is intended to coincide with the Valentine’s Day.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Disease Control Department (DDC), added that the first lot of vaccines would be for senior citizens aged 60 years and above, patients with underlying disease, and health personnel working on the frontline in maximum control areas [Samut Sakhon, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat].
“After receiving the vaccine, DDC and FDA will follow up by injecting patients for four weeks to ensure they don’t have side-effects. If there are concerns, the committee may stop the vaccination,” said Dr Opas. He said that the vaccines would be sent to around 11,000 local hospitals and health promotion clinics in each area to facilitate vaccination for the public.
Nakhon Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, said a few vaccines had been tested in Phase 3, such as Pfizer’s mRNA, which is 95 per cent effective, and requires two injections, 21 days apart. Moderna mRNA vaccine is 94.5 per cent effective. Both are registered in the United States with Pfizer registered in the United Kingdom as well.
There is also AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine, whose effectiveness is 62-90 per cent, depending on injection dose, registered in the UK, requiring two injections 28 days apart. The Russian vaccine is viral vector with 92 per cent effectiveness, two injections 24 days apart; inactivated vaccine of the Chinese company, with effectiveness at 79 per cent, requiring two injections 21 days apart. The inactivated vaccine from Sinovac has 78 per cent effectiveness, requiring two injections, 14 days apart. The vaccine is now in the registration process in China.
“Each vaccine has some side-effects, some of them quite common, such as fever, headache, pain near the injection area. No serious side-effects have been reported for all five vaccines. When more than a million vaccines are used, side-effects may be difficult to find though small numbers will gradually appear. In this case, vaccination in urgent conditions with severe outbreaks must weigh the results in terms of controlling outbreaks, reducing morbidity and the side-effects of the vaccine,” said Dr Nakhon.
Doi Inthanon saw only a few visitors after the national park closed Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail despite the cool weather.
Compared to the usually busy weekends, Saturday at the top of Doi Inthanon was quiet, with only a few sprinkling of tourists. Doi Inthanon National Park announced the temporary closure of the Pha Dok Siew Nature Trail due to the Covid-19 situation from January 9, while other areas remain open as usual.
Tourist statistics show 545 Thai people and 28 foreigners visited Doi Inthanon National Park on January 10, in 23 vehicles. Tourists travelling from 28 red-coded maximum provinces need to be quarantined 14 days before entering the area.
Tourists who want to cancel their accommodation due to the spread of Covid-19 can request a refund at least five working days prior to their scheduled stay at the park.
Reports of returnees from Myanmar spitting from their quarantine facilities onto houses below sparked an investigation by authorities in Mae Sot, Tak province, on Monday.
Chaiprik Tichianthanarak, sheriff of Mae Sot, led a team of health officials to the Phu Inn Hotel, which is being used as a Covid-19 state quarantine facility for Thais who have returned from Myanmar both legally and illegally.
Locals living nearby had reported that the returnees were coming out on to the hotel’s balcony to smoke and spit “floods” of saliva on to houses below. The returnees were also throwing garbage down from the hotel, said locals. These violations of basic hygiene rules threatened to spread Covid-19 into the community, said residents.
Chaiprik assured them that all initial Covid-19 tests on the quarantine-stayers had come back negative, adding that it was better the returnees were in quarantine rather than strolling about the community. However, he promised to deal with the complaints, especially those concerning hygiene.
An order banning teachers in a remote Chiang Mai district from receiving charity was cancelled on Monday, following controversy over a YouTube video that went viral last week.
The video showed YouTube influencer Pimrypie (real name, Pimradaporn Benjawattanapat) donating Bt500,000 plus a solar power system, wide-screen TV and shoes for poor local children in Mae Kerb village, Omkoi district. She explained that villagers in the Chiang Mai community lived in poverty, with no electricity or other basic utilities.
Released Friday on the eve of Children’s Day, the video went viral, with millions of comments praising Pimrypie but also attacking the government for allegedly ignoring the plight of this remote community.
On Saturday, the local Office of Non-Formal and Informal Education (NFE) banned Omroi teachers and educational staff from receiving or commenting about donations.
However, the NFE office reversed the ban on Monday afternoon, claiming it had misunderstood the issue.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 245 confirmed cases on Monday.
The cases included 14 people who had returned from Myanmar illegally (13 Thais and one Myanmar national). Some of them had travelled to the neighbouring country for gambling and other purposes.
Of the 11 people testing positive in quarantine facilities, two Thais had flown back from the United Kingdom, two Thais from Switzerland, one each from Turkey, Bahrain and Denmark, as well as a Dutch man from Hungary, a British man from the United Arab Emirates, a Somalian man from Malaysia and an American man from his country.
Of the cases, 147 were exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk places. Provinces with two-digit cases include Samut Sakhon (37), Nonthaburi (31), Ang Thong (19), and Bangkok (36).
Proactive testing led to 48 positive cases being found — 43 in Samut Sakhon (two Thais and 41 migrant workers), four migrant workers in Nonthaburi, and one Thai in Bangkok,
In addition, the source of infection of 29 cases is still being sought, most of them found in Rayong (11) and Chonburi (12).
Meanwhile, 138 patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has increased to 10,547 – 8,381 of which were contracted domestically, including 2,839 from proactive testing, and 2,141 were returnees. So far, 6,566 have recovered and been discharged, 3,914 patients are being treated in hospitals, while 67 have died.
According to Worldometer, as of Sunday midnight, the total number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 90.69 million (up by 612,214), 64.81 million have recovered, 23.93 million are active cases (108,541 in severe condition) and 1.94 million have died (up by 8,836).
Thailand ranks 128th on the global list of most cases, while the US tops the list with 22.91 million, followed by India 10.46 million, Brazil 8.1 million, Russia 3.4 million and the United Kingdom 3.07 million.
Figures of characters from horror movies appeared in parts of Pattaya on Monday night, giving the city a creepy air.
Photos were posted on the Facebook page of Trip Ka Dolls (trip with dolls) and quickly caught the attention of netizens.
Pictures of Annabelle and Chucky, characters from horror movies, emerged in various parts of the city, such as Walking Street, beach, Bali Hai cape and Pattaya railway station.
The post was shared over 6,900 times and received over 3,200 likes from netizens.
Chonburi, Samut Sakhon, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat are among provinces in the Covid-19 red zone and considered high risk for spreading the virus due to prevalence of activities like gambling.
The authorities have promised strict surveillance of people’s movements and hygiene practices in these provinces.
