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CCSA announces 305 new cases, mostly contracted domestically

NationalJan 07. 2021

By The Nation

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced 305 confirmed cases and one death on Thursday (January 7).

The confirmed cases include two in state quarantine and an illegal border crosser.

Of the cases, 135 were exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk places, including 40 in Samut Sakhon, 47 in Bangkok, three in Ayutthaya, one in Suphanburi, two in Ang Thong, two in Singburi, two in Lopburi, one in Khon Kaen, three in Nakhon Pathom, six in Pathum Thani, one in Ratchaburi, two in Chiang Mai and 25 in Samut Prakan.

Meanwhile, 109 cases were found via proactive testing in Samut Sakhon (two Thais and 107 migrant workers).

In addition, the source of infection for 58 cases is still being sought, and they include one in Suphanburi, one in Khon Kaen, two in Bangkok, eight in Chanthaburi, 27 in Chonburi, one in Trat, 13 in Rayong and five in Samut Sakhon.

The two returnees who have tested positive in quarantine facilities include a Thai woman who flew back from Turkey and a Russian woman who flew in from her own country. A Thai woman was also caught sneaking across the border from Myanmar on January 5 and was sent to Mae Sot Hospital.

Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin CCSA spokesperson said an 88-year-old cancer patient in Rayong succumbed to the virus on Wednesday. He had been infected by his son, who visited him on December 22.

He tested positive on January 3, and succumbed on Wednesday when his symptoms began worsening and his body stopped responding to treatment.

Meanwhile, 103 patients have recovered and been discharged.

The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 9,636 – 7,551 of which were contracted domestically, including 2,684 migrant workers, and 2,085 were returnees.

So far, 4,521 have recovered and been discharged, while the death toll has risen to 67.

According to Worldometer, as of midnight on Thursday, the total number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 87.64 million (up by 781,103), of whom 63.13 million have recovered, 22.61 million are active cases (108,003 in severe condition) and 1.89 million have died (up by 14,518).

Thailand ranks 130 in the global list of most cases, while the US tops the list with 21.85 million, followed by India 10.39 million, Brazil 7.87 million, Russia 3.3 million and United Kingdom 2.83 million.

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MBK Centre installs air disinfection system to keep virus at bay

NationalJan 07. 2021

By The Nation

MBK Group has invested Bt1.3 million to set up a UVC air disinfection system at MBK Centre in a bid to contain the spread of Covid-19 and gain customer confidence.

Satit Saisorn, group senior executive vice president of the Operations Division at MBK, said the Covid-19 outbreak raised awareness among people that it is necessary to take care of their health as the virus can be transmitted through the air and by other people.

He said the UVC air disinfection system can destroy bacteria, viruses, fungi and other germs.

“Also, it helps filter particles less than 10 and 2.5 micrometres in diameter, which are the cause of many diseases,” he said.

He added that the company would check the air quality inside the shopping mall every six months to ensure people’s safety.

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New joint venture takes on project to cool Chula University

NationalJan 07. 2021

Aphichat Sramoon

By THE NATION

Team Consulting Engineering and Management Public Co Ltd (TEAMG) has created a joint venture called Chula District Cooling to install and manage a cooling system for Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Dr Aphichat Sramoon, chief executive officer of TEAMG, said the joint venture with BCPG Public Co Ltd and Keppel DHCS Pte Ltd was established with a registered capital of Bt50 million.

The system, which will see buildings in the campus cooled by chilled water, is part of the “Chula Smart City Project”.

“TEAMG was chosen for the project in July 2020, and construction will begin in late 2021 and be ready to recognise revenues by late 2022,” Aphichat said.

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Buriram reports first new Covid-19 case, Chiang Mai sees four more

NationalJan 07. 2021

By THE NATION

Buriram reported its first new Covid-19 case on Thursday, while Chiang Mai saw the number of its patients increasing by four.

Buriram Governor Thatchakorn Hatthathayakul confirmed the first new case this morning, making his province the 55th with a confirmed case in this new wave.

The infected person is a woman aged 42. She had returned to her home in Buriram from Pattaya city.

She owned a food stall in Chon Buri and had reportedly visited gambling dens in that province to deliver food.

The patient went to Nang Rong Hospital in Buriram after coming down with fever, cough, a sore throat and snot. She also lost her sense of smell.

Meanwhile, Chiang Mai authorities announced four more Covid-19 cases on Thursday morning. The four had reportedly visited a local entertainment venue called “Warm Up”.

Officials urged those who visited the venue any time from December 31 to January 3 to visit a hospital immediately for a checkup.

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Covid-19 cases likely to rise sharply due to holiday travel: Chula lecturer

NationalJan 07. 2021Thira Woratanarat

By The Nation

The number of Covid-19 cases in Thailand is expected to rise sharply at the end of this week due to people travelling during the New Year holidays, Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine lecturer Thira Woratanarat said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

He pointed out that everyone could be at risk of contacting Covid-19 and not just those who visited risky areas.

Thira advised people who travelled during the holidays to see a doctor immediately if they experience any symptoms related to the dreaded virus.

He said it would be hard for the government to curb the spread of Covid-19 as soon as possible because it was not strict enough in restricting people from travelling, while there are many daily activities which would cause the virus to spread.

“For a short-term solution, it would be great if people could report their symptoms via a smartphone application as this would help the government monitor the situation and test people in risky areas,” he suggested.

Thira also advised people who have to go outside to strictly abide by rules and measures to prevent Covid-19 from spreading further.

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Gay couple caught for ‘hiding’ dead man

NationalJan 07. 2021

By THE NATION

Police officers in Bangkok’s Nong Khaem district arrested a gay couple on Thursday for dropping off a corpse on Mahacharoen Road on Wednesday.

The corpse, found on Wednesday morning, was identified as insurance agent Chalit Nensap, 33.

On Thursday morning, police arrested Rungroj, 43, and Satapapong, 48, (surnames withheld) at a house near Bangkok’s Taweewattana Canal.

During interrogation, the two suspects said they had invited Chalit to a party and he had died from overdosing on methamphetamine.

They said they were afraid of being hit with drug charges, so decided to wrap the naked corpse in blankets before getting rid of it, even though the location they chose was not that far from their home.

The couple will initially be charged for concealing a corpse.

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Over a million Thai gamblers racked up Bt11.4 billion in debts in 2019

NationalJan 07. 2021

By THE NATION

The majority, or 76 per cent, of 44,050 respondents aged over 15 years across Thailand said they have gambled before, while about half said they had started when they were less than 20, with the lowest starting age recorded at 7 years, said a study by the Centre for Gambling Studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Economics.

According to the research, which studied Thais’ gambling habits and the resulting effects in 2019, some 96 per cent of respondents said they have known or are related to someone who gambles regularly.

The study estimated the number of gamblers by region as follows:

Northeast: 10.9 million people, an increase of 404,100 people from the last study in 2017;

Central: 5.58 million, increasing by 259,100;

North: 5.2 million, increasing by 163,500;

Bangkok and perimeter areas: 4.62 million, increasing by 418,300 people;

South: 4.09 million, increasing by 204,600.

Thailand has an estimated 30.4 million gamblers.

“Although most are in the working age group, it is worrisome that around 733,000 children aged 15-18 also gamble, with an estimated Bt10.2 billion of money rotating,” the study said. “Meanwhile, 3.05 million in the age range of 19-25 years gamble, with some Bt58.8 billion rotating.”

The most popular gambling is carried out for government lottery, followed by illegal lottery, card games, football pools and high-low bets. However, football pools have the most money rotating, at around Bt160.5 billion, followed by illegal lottery at Bt153.1 billion and government lottery Bt150.4 billion.

The study also estimated that about 1.068 million Thais who gambled in 2019 have accumulated gambling debts of up to Bt11.46 billion, or Bt10,738 per person.

Meanwhile, 9.8 per cent of respondents said that gambling has negatively affected their daily lives as they have become indebted, are under stress, have arguments with spouses and family members, have lost time working or studying, and are experiencing deteriorating health.

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Massage parlours plead for govt help

NationalJan 07. 2021

By THE NATION

The Charawi Association for the Conservation of Thai Massage on Wednesday handed over a letter at Government House addressed to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is also chairman of the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, urging the government to help spa and massage parlour entrepreneurs who have been forced to shut down their businesses to prevent the new wave of Covid-19 from spreading.

“Since the first wave in Thailand, massage businesses have employed strict measures advised by the Public Health Ministry, including limiting the number of customers, rearranging the service area to abide by the social distancing rule and providing thermal screening,” said Pitak Yotha, a representative of the association.

“However, spa and massage businesses were one of the first groups ordered to shut down and also the last to be allowed to reopen, which is not fair.”

Pitak said there are currently about 1,700 spa and massage businesses in Bangkok and 15,000 in other provinces.

“As many as 11,000 businesses have reported permanent closure due to lack of money, while about 4,000 that are still open are following the guidelines laid out by authorities,” he said.

“We would like the government to relax its shutdown measures on massage businesses, or at least come out with relief measures, such as exemption on property rent until the situation improves,” Pitak said.

“Many spa and massage businesses have limited access to the government’s soft loans provided via financial institutes, while other campaigns such as ‘We Travel Together’ or ‘Let’s Go Halves’ are not specifically tailored for customers of spa and massage businesses,” he added.

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Air quality unhealthy in 11 areas of Bangkok, surroundings

NationalJan 07. 2021

By The Nation

Air pollution in 11 areas around Bangkok and its vicinity hit unsafe levels on Thursday morning, with PM2.5 readings coming in at 55-87 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), the Pollution Control Department reported.

Thailand’s standard for safe levels of PM2.5 (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter) is 50μg/m3.

The 11 areas are:

1. Kanchanaphisek Road, Bang Khun Thian district (72μg/m3)

2. Phutthamonthon Sai 1 Road, Taling Chan district (55μg/m3)

3. Thawi Watthana Road, Thawi Watthana district (74μg/m3)

4. Phet Kasem Road, Phasi Charoen district (55μg/m3)

5. Ma Charoen and Phet Kasem 81 Roads, Nong Khaem district (73μg/m3)

6. Ekachai Road, Bang Bon district (61μg/m3)

7. Rama II Road, Bang Khun Thian district (61μg/m3)

8. Omnoi subdistrict, Krathum Baen district, Samut Prakan (65μg/m3)

9. Mahachai subdistrict, Muang district, Samut Sakhon (87μg/m3)

10. Nakhon Pathom subdistrict, Muang Nakhon Pathom district, Nakhon Pathom (55μg/m3)

11. Bang Khae district (58μg/m3)

People in areas where PM2.5 pollution is bad have been advised to monitor their health and reduce time spent on outdoor activities, especially the elderly, children, and patients with respiratory diseases.

The PM2.5 situation can be monitored on the Air4Thai.com website or smartphone app, or via bangkokairquality.com.

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No barrier to vaccine import but FDA approval needed: Anutin

NationalJan 07. 2021

By The Nation

The government is not blocking the private sector from importing a Covid-19 vaccine, Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Wednesday. However, every step of the safety review process must be followed, he insisted.

He said that importing a vaccine must first be approved by the Food and Drug Administation (FDA) and the Department of Medical Sciences so it is effective and safe.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet approved purchase of an additional 35 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, bringing the total reservation to 63 million doses. The vaccine, expected by the end of January, is to be certified by the FDA before use.

Some two million doses of a vaccine bought from China will first be injected into 200,000 “vulnerable” people next month, like medical personnel, frontline health workers, village health volunteers and people with severe symptoms at risk of infection.

Health officials have not yet medically accepted the public use of test kits (rapid tests) to detect Covid-19, while the FDA has notified people to be careful of false negative results from the kits as these can lead to infections spreading. It instead asked the public to go to hospital for Covid-19 tests.