#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011082

A third dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine will boost the antibody response against existing coronavirus variants, including Omicron, the vaccine maker said citing new data from its trials.

AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biotech company based in the United Kingdom, said on Thursday that when given as a third dose, Vaxzevria — previously known as Covid-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca — boosted the immune response to the SARS-CoV-2 variants of Beta, Delta, Alpha and Gamma.

A separate analysis of samples from the trial also showed an increased antibody response to the Omicron variant, it said in a press release.
The results were observed among individuals previously vaccinated with either Vaxzevria or an mRNA vaccine.

A separate Phase IV trial reported in The Lancet showed that a booster shot of Vaxzevria substantially increased antibody levels following first shots of CoronaVac made by China’s Sinovac Biotech.

Given the urgent global need for protection against Omicron, AstraZeneca is submitting this additional data to health authorities across the world as evidence supporting Vaxzevria as a third dose, irrespective of the primary vaccines.

Mene Pangalos, AstraZeneca’s executive vice president for biopharmaceuticals research and development, said this data shows that the Vaxzevria vaccine has an important role to play as a booster.

“Vaxzevria has protected hundreds of millions of people from Covid-19 around the world. Given the ongoing urgency of the pandemic and the vaccine’s increased immune response to the Omicron variant, we will continue to progress regulatory submissions around the world for its use as a third dose,” he said.

These studies show that a third dose of Vaxzevria after two initial doses of the same vaccine, or after mRNA or inactivated vaccines, strongly boosts immunity against Covid-19, said Prof Andrew J Pollard, chief investigator and director of the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford.

“The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is suitable as an option to enhance immunity in the population for countries considering booster programmes, adding to the protection already demonstrated with the first two doses,” he said.

Published : January 14, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011081

The ongoing shortage of breeding pigs and piglets will keep the price of pork high for about three years, Dr Somphon Issawilanon, a senior academician at the National Institute of Brainstorming, said on Thursday.

“Swine farmers have been struggling for the past few years due to the rising cost of animal feed which is mainly made from corn – the government-guaranteed price of which is far higher than the global price,” he said. “When Covid-19 hit Thailand, the demand for pork plummeted following lockdowns, causing many small farmers to abandon swine farming and eventually resulted in pig shortage.

“Furthermore, the African Swine Fever [ASF] has been found in several pig farms for quite a while. This is a serious disease with no vaccine and can wipe out a swine farm’s entire livestock over a short period,” he said.

“The only way of preventing the disease from spreading is to kill all animals in the farm, which then worsens the shortage. Therefore, it will take a long time before the supply of pigs can bounce back to normal.

“It is time for the government and Department of Livestock Development to admit that there is indeed an ongoing ASF outbreak, so we can solve the problem systematically,” he said. “The authorities can no longer pretend that the problem only exists in a few areas and try to limit the spread on an area-by-area basis,” Somphon said.

“ASF is now a widespread problem and is severely affecting the country’s pig supply. The government must be transparent about the outbreak and issue immediate measures to tackle the problem to mitigate the impact on the economy, instead of just fixing it superficially for political motives,” he added.

On Wednesday, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Sri-on said he has ordered the Department of Livestock Development to immediately investigate risky areas after a sample collected from a slaughterhouse in Nakhon Pathom was found to have traces of ASF earlier this week.

Chalermchai also insisted that the government did not cover up the discovery of ASF in Thailand and that it has notified the World Organisation for Animal Health of the local ASF instances.

Animal diseases or death from unknown reasons can be reported to the Department of Livestock Development via (063) 225 6888 or via the DLD 4.0 mobile application. Officials will investigate each case in person.

Related News

No cover-up of ASF case, agriculture minister insists

University chief veterinarian informed govt of ASF last year

Thailand detects African swine fever in Nakhon Pathom

Published : January 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011078

The Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul on Thursday announced the latest measures for Thais wanting to return home either under the Test & Go or sandbox schemes or by opting for alternative quarantine (AQ).

“Those who registered for the Thailand Pass before December 22, 2021, and have already received their QR code can enter Thailand under the Test & Go scheme. Under this scheme, they are required to take an RT-PCR test 72 hours before departure,” read the embassy’s Facebook post. “If they wish to change their travel date, an email must be sent to testgo@consular.go.th explaining why the date was changed along with a copy of the passport, vaccination certificate and payment evidence for the AQ hotel and plane tickets. Change in travel plans will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

Since the Test & Go scheme was suspended on December 22 in response to the surge in Omicron infections, people who have registered for the Thailand Pass after that date can only enter the country by quarantining at an AQ hotel or opting for a sandbox scheme.

The AQ method requires travellers to provide proof of advance payment of the hotel stay – seven days for the fully vaccinated and 10 days for the unvaccinated or those yet to get their second shot.

Those required to quarantine for 10 days will also have to pay for two RT-PCR tests.

The sandbox scheme, meanwhile, does not require an RT-PCR test, but candidates must be fully vaccinated and land in either Phuket, Samui or Krabi. They will be allowed to travel in Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi and three islands of Surat Thani under a sealed route for seven days. Travellers are required to produce proof of payment for SHA+ certified hotels in these provinces.

The embassy also added that Thai nationals under the age of 18 can enter Thailand under the following conditions:

• Those aged 12 to 17 who have received at least one Covid-19 jab can enter Thailand without an accompanying parent via an AQ hotel or through the sandbox scheme.

• Those who are unvaccinated must be accompanied by a parent and quarantined based on the parent’s vaccination status (seven or 10 days).

• Children below the age of 11 are not required to be vaccinated but must be accompanied by parents and the quarantine period will be based on the parent’s vaccination status.

• No RT-PCR tests are required for young travellers in both age groups.

Related News

Foreign Ministry announces instructions for Thailand Pass applicants

Holders of Thailand Pass can still enter, says Anutin

The latest on travelling to Thailand

Published : January 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011077

356 rai of lands and 341 buildings in Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom will be expropriated to build a road that links the two provinces, said a news source from Department of Rural Roads on Thursday (January 14).

“The new road will be 12 km. long and starts from Nakhon-In Road in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district. The six-lane road will run through three districts, seven subdistricts and 28 villages and eventually links with Salaya Road in Nakhon Pathom’s Phutthamonthon district,” said the source. “The department has set the project’s construction budget of 4.4 billion baht and earmarked additional 2.7 billion baht as expropriation cost.”

Department of Rural Roads expected to finish the expropriation process within 2024. The construction will take 3 years and the new road will open for public use in 2027.

The National Environment Board had earlier approved the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study of the project on December 17 of last year, after the Royal Gazette on September 16, 2020 had announced the areas to be expropriated to build the road.

Related News

Cabinet okays Bt10bn to expropriate land for Khon Kaen-Nakhon Phanom railway

Transport Ministry to expropriate more land for high-speed rail

SRT earmarks Bt10.25 billion to acquire land for Northeast double-track project

Published : January 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011076

Even though most of the current Covid-19 vaccines provide little protection from the highly-transmissible Omicron variant, it is still necessary to get the jabs, expert virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said on Thursday.

“The Omicron variant has a shorter incubation period. When a human body is exposed to the virus, it cannot build up its immunity in time despite being vaccinated, which eventually leads to infection,” the virologist from Chulalongkorn University said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“However, Omicron has a mutation in its spikes that stop it from fully evading the body’s immunity,” Dr Yong pointed out. “This means a vaccine can help build immunity over time and prevent the infection from becoming severe, hence significantly reducing hospitalisation and fatalities.

“To fight against Omicron, people must get booster shots at the right time to keep their immunity at a high level and mitigate symptoms in case of infection,” Yong said.

Related News

Omicron on track to replace Delta soon: Dr Yong

Six-month interval between prime, booster jabs necessary for high immunity: Yong

There’s evidence Omicron variant can spread quickly: Yong

Published : January 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011068

Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (January 14) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 8,158 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 242 of whom have arrived in Thailand from abroad.

Death toll increased by 15, while 3,942 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,308,615 – 2,211,922 of whom have recovered, 74,795 are still in hospitals and 21,898 have died.

Separately, another 52,332 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 128,885 their second shot and 361,472 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 108,313,948.

According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 320.96 million on Friday, 264.11 million of whom have recovered, 51.31 million are active cases (96,654 in severe condition) and 5.54 million have died (up by 7,299).

Thailand ranks 26th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 65.24 million, followed by India with 36.57 million, Brazil with 22.82 million, the UK with 14.97 million and France with 13.24 million.

Published : January 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011067

The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday (January 14) that the westerly and southeasterly winds cover the upper North of Thailand while the high-pressure system covers upper Thailand and the South China Sea. Cool weather and morning fog are forecast in upper Thailand with isolated rains in some areas of the North.

Mountaintops in the North and the Northeast are cold to very cold with temperature ranging from 7 to 16 °C. All transports should take caution due to poor visibility.

The Department also mentioned that the northeast monsoon across the Gulf of Thailand and the South brings isolated light rains to the South.

During January 15-18, the westerly trough is expected to move pass the upper North and the upper Northeast and causes isolated thundershowers and gusty winds in the area.
 

The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:

North: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 17-21 degrees and highs of 29-35 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 7-16 degrees Celsius.

Northeast: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 17-20 degrees and highs of 30-33 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-16 degrees Celsius.

Central: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 20-22 degrees, highs of 33-34 degrees Celsius.

East: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 19-23 degrees, highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high and over a meter high offshore.

South (east coast): Partly cloudy with isolated light rains; temperature lows of 21-25 degrees, highs of 30-33 degrees Celsius; waves 1-2 meters high and about 2 meters high during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Partly cloudy with isolated light rains; temperature lows of 21-25 degrees, highs of 32-34 degrees Celsius; waves less than a meter high and about a meter high offshore.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : January 14, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/in-focus/40011057

The Subcommittee for Resolving the Covid-19 Situation in Bangkok approved new guidelines on Thursday for treating infected people as quickly as possible.

Those who have been assessed and have moderate symptoms or are at risk of more severe symptoms will be referred to a hospital, field hospital or a specialised hospital as soon as possible, initially set for no more than 12 hours.

Those who will be referred to hospital for treatment should have the following symptoms:

1. A fever higher than 39 degrees Celsius lasting more than 24 hours.

2. An oxygen saturation value less than 94 per cent.

3. Breathing faster than 25 breaths per minute (for adults).

4. Those aged more than 60 years, patients with seven underlying diseases, and women who are 12 weeks pregnant or more.

5. Children with symptoms as described in items 1-2, with difficulty breathing or rapid breathing, drowsiness, and no interest in eating.

If a person is asymptomatic or has mild symptoms, he/she will be asked to go into home isolation. Medical staff will deliver medicines and necessary items within 24 hours.

Published : January 13, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011051

Crocodile meat is flying off the shelves in Thailand as the soaring price of pork and chicken force consumers to change their diet.

Acrocodile farm in Nakhon Pathom province is offering its meat via Facebook at Bt70 per kilogram.

But there is a catch. The offered price applies to purchases of at least 30 kilos – small purchases are priced at Bt105 a kilo, according to the owner of Hia Sak Farm in Nakhon Pathom’s Kamphaeng Saen district.

That’s still a bargain compared to the price of pork, which has skyrocketed to around 230 baht per kilo as pig production falls.

The farm began selling to local consumers after Covid-19 restrictions prevented the export of its meat to mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, said the owner.

Local demand for crocodile meat has risen sharply in line with the soaring pork price, he added.

Customers on his Facebook page said they were turning to crocodile meat for its affordability and flavour. “It tastes like chicken. Very delicious,” one netizen said.

Pork is currently being sold at Bt190 to Bt260 per kilo – up to 30 per cent higher than a year ago. The price has jumped Bt20 to Bt40 over recent months due to a sharp drop in local pig supplies attributed to a suspected outbreak of African swine fever.

The rise is also having a knock-on effect on chicken prices, which have increased about Bt5 per kilo.

Published : January 13, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40011050

Crowded dormitories and apartment buildings have spawned new Covid-19 clusters in Bangkok as more unvaccinated residents fall victim to the virus, a senior public health official said on Thursday (Jan 13).

Dr Suthat Chottanapund, director of the Urban Institute for Disease Prevention and Control, told a press conference that a significant increase in new cases has been found at dormitories and residential buildings, such as the Police Flats.
 

“Residents should avoid risky areas and follow the safety measures strictly,” said Suthat, whose agency is part of the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Disease Control.

On January 12, the city logged 939 new cases with three fatalities and more than 300 patients being treated, he said.

He added that more than 60 per cent of people dying from Covid-19 were unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated.

Along with crowded residential buildings, night entertainment venues operating as restaurants also pose infection risks due to poor ventilation, Dr Suthat said.

The official said Bangkok has readied field hospitals for a new surge in Covid-19 cases. He advised those who test positive to call 1330 for registration and treatment.

Published : January 13, 2022