Cool temperature and winds have led to a surge in PM2.5 dust particles in Bangkok, making the Thai capital 18th among cities with the lowest air quality.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s drainage and sewerage department reported that Bangkok’s temperature was 26 degrees Celsius and relative humidity was 84 per cent at 7am on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Department also recorded that the PM2.5 level in Bangkok and its vicinity at 7am was in the range of 17-48 micrograms per cubic metre.
However, www.Iqair.com revealed that at 7.36am Bangkok’s air quality index was 153, making it 18th among world cities with the poorest air quality.
The situation saw some improvement as the number dropped to 103 around 11am and Bangkok improved to 27th.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported seven new cases in state quarantine and one death over a 24-hour period on Sunday.
All the patients were asymptomatic.
A 32-year-old Thai woman returned from the United States on October 30 after taking a connecting flight in the United Arab Emirates. She tested positive on November 4 in a state quarantine facility in Chonburi province.
Two people — a 61-year-old Canadian businessman and a 56-year-old Thai woman — travelled from Canada, took a connecting flight in Germany, and arrived on October 31. They tested positive on November 5 in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
A 49-year-old Russian cargo plane crew member arrived on November 2 and tested positive on November 4 in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Samut Prakarn province.
A 24-year-old Czech businessman travelled from Austria on October 31 and tested positive on November 5 at an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok.
A 53-year-old American businesswoman arrived on November 5 after taking a connecting flight in South Korea. She tested positive on her arrival date in an alternative state quarantine hotel in Bangkok. She said that she had been infected previously.
A 39-year-old Burmese driver tested positive at the Thailand-Myanmar border checkpoint on November 4 and was deported to Myanmar for further treatment on the same day.
Meanwhile, 10 patients have recovered and been discharged.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand increased to 3,837 (881 in state quarantine), 123 are in hospital, 3,654 have recovered and been discharged and 60 have died.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am the total number of confirmed cases increased to 50.25 million (up by 598,002), 35.5 million have recovered, 13.45 million are active cases (91,778 in severe condition) and 1.25 million have died (up by 7,436).
Thailand ranks 149th for most cases in the world, while the US has the most number with 10.1 million, followed by India 8.5 million, Brazil 5.65 million, Russia 1.75 million and France 1.74 million.
Bangkok’s air quality has seen a deterioration which can affect sensitive groups, the latest readings show.
The Air Visual application reported on Sunday that Bangkok’s air pollution level according to the US Air Quality Index (AQI) standard stood at 112, with the level of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrograms in diameter (PM2.5) at 41mcg per cubic metre (µg/m3), placing it at 27th on the list of cities with the worst air in the world.
AQI is a standard that indicates the quality of air and level of pollution. Level 0-50 means good air quality, 51-100 is moderate quality, 101-105 will start affecting sensitive groups, 151-200 is slightly harmful to health, 201-300 is highly harmful and 301-500 is extremely dangerous.
Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Department reported that air quality in Bangkok and its perimeter is currently fluctuating between very good to moderate with PM2.5 at around 17-48 µg/m3 detected by 69 air quality stations.
The Thai safety limit for PM2.5 is 50mcg per cubic metre of air while the safety limit for AQI is 100.
As of Sunday, the five cities with the worst air quality were: 1. Delhi, India 363; 2. Lahore, Pakistan 261; 3. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 191; 4. Zagreb, Croatia 185; 5. Wrocław, Poland 183.
The cities with the best air quality were: 1. Canberra, Australia 0; 2. Sydney, Australia 2; 3. Salt Lake City, US 2; 4. Skopje, North Macedonia 5; 5. Moscow, Russia.
Nakhon Ratchasima has eight confirmed cases of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), Governor Wichian Chantharothai said on Saturday.
“The infection is still at a manageable level, while I have ordered public health officials to visit local communities to explain the disease symptoms, how to protect oneself against it and what to do if an infection was found in the community,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamin, Nakhon Ratchasima public health officer, added that currently there were 30 patients suspected of contracting RSV who were being monitored at Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital.
“Most of the suspected cases are children 2-5 years old, including the eight patients who were confirmed to have contracted RSV,” he said. “However, their symptoms are still not serious and they have low risk of spreading the virus to other children, as they have yet to attend any schools or nurseries.
“There is a rumour circulating in social media that the RSV situation in the province is escalating and the hospitals are at full capacity, with calls to announce a lockdown of schools and nurseries immediately,” he added. “We urge people not to panic because of this rumour, as Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital is still capable of treating additional RSV patients, while there is still no report of infections from schools or nurseries.”
Narinrat explained that RSV is a virus that causes respiratory tract infections and is commonly found among children under five years and those aged above 65.
“The virus usually spreads around the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the cold season. It can enter the body via conjunctiva, nose, mouth or via hand contact,” he said. “Children with underlying heart and lung problems might suffer breathing problems if they contract RSV and might require hospitalisation and even a ventilator to reduce distress.
“Parent can help reduce the risk of their children contracting RSV by keeping them healthy during the cold weather, drink lots of water, have them wash their hands frequently, as well as sanitise their houses regularly,” he said. “It is also advisable to wear sanitary face masks when entering public or crowded places and avoid sharing personal items such as cups, spoons and bowls with others.”
Three beauty queens from the Miss Grand Thailand pageant have urged the National Police to follow up the case of alleged forest encroachment by Palang Pracharath member of Parliament Pareena Kraikup.
On Friday, the Miss Grand Thailand page on Facebook posted that three beauty queens had met commander Pol Maj-General Pitak Uthaitham of the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division, to cheer him and his subordinates up.
The petitioners included 2020 pageant winner Patcharaporn Chantarapadit, first runner-up Indy Johnson and second runner-up Patchaploy Ruendaluang.
The beauties also asked the National Police to follow up the case of MP Pareena, who allegedly encroached on the national forest reserve in Ratchaburi province.
The land encroachment allegation against Pareena made national headlines in February when the Royal Forest Department filed charges against her after months of investigation revealed that her Khao Son 2 chicken farm in Rangbua subdistrict of Jombeung district allegedly encroached on 711 rai, 2 ngarn and 93 square wah (approximately 115 hectares) of protected forestland.
The new Ong Ang Walking Street in Bangkok is now open to the public every Friday to Sunday from 4pm to 10pm.
On Friday, Bangkok Governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang posted photos of the walking street on his Facebook page.
The move aims to stimulate the community’s economy and generate revenue from tourism. The walking street’s event theme will be changed every week.
This week’s theme is cosplay, which allows people to cosplay as cartoon characters, animals, etc, while the event also features music performances, street art exhibitions and a variety of products from retailers.
People can visit Ong Ang Walking Street by taking the MRT train ride to Sam Yot station.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration reported 12 new Covid-19 cases, including one domestic case, over a 24-hour period on Saturday.
The domestic case was found in Krabi province. He was an Indian male, 37, who worked as a restaurant staff in the province.
The Indian man was reportedly found infected when he went for a health checkup for his work permit. He lived in Thailand, and had not move to other areas.
Later, Krabi Hospital said that his second and third tests were negative. However, the hospital will quarantine him and test him again.
Nine patients were found in state quarantine and two patients were sent back to Myanmar.
The patients in state quarantine included two each from France and the US and one each from the United Arab Emirates, India, Mexico, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.
Most of the patients were foreigners. Four of the new cases were Thai nationals coming from the UAE, the US and Switzerland.
The two people sent back to Myanmar were drivers aged 29 and 45.
The total number of confirmed cases in Thailand has risen to 3,830 (875 in state quarantine), of whom 126 are in hospital and 3,644 have recovered. The death toll has risen to 60.
As of Saturday morning, the number of confirmed cases globally according to Worldometer had increased to 49.65 million. Of them, 35.25 million have recovered, while 14.4 million are active cases (90,806 in severe condition) and 1.24 million have died (with 9,082 new deaths).
Thailand ranks 149th among countries with most cases. US still has the most cases with 10.05 million, followed by India 8.46 million, Brazil 5.63 million, Russia 1.73 million and France 1.66 million.
Songkhla Zoo lured its meerkats to forecast the US presidential election on Friday.
Veterinarian Wanchai Tanwattana, the zoo chief, said that zoo officials set up pictures of former vice president Joe Biden and US President Donald Trump inside the meerkats’ cage to draw their attention before allowing them to eat ants and termites.
After the official released the meerkats, they spent a long time before choosing Biden’s picture.
“We just aimed to lure the meerkats to forecast whether Biden or Trump will become US president, so do not think too much,” Wanchai said, adding the election result would be announced soon.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has picked Thailand among four countries who have demonstrated efficient management of the Covid-19 outbreak to share their experiences and policies with other countries via video conference, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday.
“Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa and Uzbekistan were selected by WHO as countries that had successfully handled the Covid-19 situation using public health measures such as aggressive testing, contact tracing, patient investigation and intensive quarantine,” he said.
“In the case of Thailand, we also have received positive cooperation from the public in following public health measures. This resulted in Thailand having a relatively low number of domestic cases, while most of the infections have come from overseas.”
Anutin added that Thailand has been strictly following WHO’s Guidance for Conducting a Country Covid-19 Intra-Action Review (IAR), which was developed to guide countries to conduct periodic review of their national and subnational Covid-19 response, so countries do not miss critical opportunities for learning and improvement to better respond to the Covid-19 outbreak in their countries.
“The IAR that we performed on July 20-24 revealed that Thailand’s success in handling Covid-19 derived from the government’s decisive policies based on a strong public health foundation, as well as cooperation from all sectors that helped minimise the spread of Covid-19 in Thailand,” said Anutin.
Dr Narinrat Pitchayakamin 
Anutin Charnvirakul 
