Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in Bangkok on Monday suspended emergency room services for 48 hours after staff tested positive for Omicron.
The hospital, which is run by the Royal Thai Air Force but serves the general public, said ER services will be closed from 8am on Tuesday till 8am on Thursday.
The ER ward and facilities will be cleaned and disinfected over the next two days. The announcement did not say how many ER staff had contracted the virus.
Children can trigger Covid-19 clusters, especially with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, expert virologist Dr Yong warned in a Facebook post on Monday.
He said children who pick up Covid-19 infections will have mild or no symptoms with a low risk of death.
“Children can become superspreaders as they will pass their infection on to their parents,” he said.
Yong predicted that Covid-19 clusters would soon be sparked in schools as children will finally get to interact with each other after spending so many months at home attending online classes.
“Hence the Covid-19 vaccines given to children must be highly effective to ensure they do not pick up infections and spread the virus on to others,” he said.
“Adults should also build their immunity against Covid-19 by getting vaccinated if they haven’t already been infected with the virus so children can go back to their normal lives,” he said.
The Royal Thai Navy on Monday reopened field hospitals in three of its bases to cope with the surge of new Covid-19 cases.
Navy chief Admiral Somprasong Nilsamai said the three field hospitals can accommodate 1,109 patients.
The first is located within the Air and Coastal Defence Command in Chonburi’s Sattahip district with 544 beds. The second is in the Marine Command, also in Sattahip, and has 180 beds, while the third is in the 16th Navy Training Field in Chanthaburi’s Ban Chanthaklem village with 385 beds. All three field hospitals will be overseen by the provincial public health offices. The facilities were initially opened early last year to deal with a surge in infections from the Delta variant but were temporarily closed when cases began dropping later in the year. The Navy chief added that he has instructed the Somdet Phra Pin Klao Hospital in Bangkok’s Thon Buri district and the Queen Sirikit Naval Hospital in Sattahip to get ready for an influx of Covid-19 patients. The two general hospitals, which are under the jurisdiction of the Navy, can conduct laboratory tests and are equipped with intensive care units and negative-pressure rooms for serious patients. The Navy’s Covid-19 emergency centre has also instructed its main agencies to set up 32 community isolation centres with a combined 2,335 beds to take care of naval personnel and their families who are either asymptomatic or have mild Covid-19 symptoms.
Chonburi authorities on Sunday introduced additional measures in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19, especially the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The four new measures announced by the provincial governor are:
• People are urged to work from home at least until the end of this month.
• Restaurants can operate normally, while those with an SHA Plus certificate or Thai Stop Covid 2 Plus standards in place can serve booze until 9pm. They are, however, required to ensure all staff members, including performers, are fully vaccinated and undergo a rapid antigen test daily. Diners are also required to be tested or provide test results taken within 72 hours. Operators who violate this rule will be forced to close their restaurants temporarily.
• Entertainment venues will remain closed. Operators who want to turn their bar, pub or karaoke joint into a restaurant are required to put in place all prevention measures and get approved by the Chonburi Communicable Disease Control Committee before January 15. If approved, these venues will be allowed to serve booze to diners
• Authorities in each district are responsible for monitoring, inspecting and controlling areas under their jurisdiction. Violators will be charged in line with the Communicable Disease Control Act.
Bangkok is set to open nine public parks this year, namely:
• 37-rai Thiantalay Phattana Phrueksa Phirom Park, Bang Khunthien district • 26-rai Chak Phupha Su Maha Nathee Park, Chatuchak • 98-rai park near Phutthamonthon Sai 3 Road, Thawee Watthana • 18-rai Suan Pa Niwet Onnut, Prawet • 14-rai Suan Pa Niwet Nong Khaem, Nong Khaem • 5.6-rai Suan Pa Ekkamai, Watthana • 2-rai park along Chao Phraya River, Klong San • 14-rai park in Soi Wachiratham Sathit 35, Phra Khanong • 5.4-rai Saeng Thip sports ground, Watthana
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration opened six new public parks last year, boosting green areas in the capital by 527 rai. Up to 40.87 million square metres of the capital is green, which works out to about 7.31 square metres per resident.
In a Twitter post on Sunday, the Department of Disease Control said that though most Omicron patients are asymptomatic, others can develop any of the following symptoms:
• Coughing 54% of patients • Sore throat 37% • Fever 29% • Muscle pain 15% • Runny nose 12% • Headache 10% • Breathing difficulties 5% • Loss of sense of smell 2%
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has instructed all event organisers to strictly adhere to Covid-19 prevention measures to avoid sparking new infection clusters.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, the BMA said the Bangkok Communicable Disease Committee on Friday has tasked related agencies with ensuring all prevention measures are adhered to when events such as weddings are held, especially since Thailand’s Covid-19 caseload is rising.
Event organisers are required to adhere to the following measures:
• No booze can be served
• Number of guests must be limited
• All attendees must wear a surgical or fabric facemask
• The venue must be fully ventilated
• Food cannot be served in buffets
• Social distancing must be observed
“These measures aim to curb the spread of Covid-19 and ensure safety among guests,” BMA said.
As many as 32 new Covid-19 cases were confirmed in Koh Chang on Sunday prompting a temporary closure of the Mu Koh Chang National Park.
The Trat provincial public health said on Sunday that 48 cases had been confirmed on Sunday, eight of whom had recovered. Of them, 15 were found in Koh Chang and 17 in Koh Chang Tai.
Since December 28, Trat has had 110 Covid-19 cases, 69 of whom were confirmed to have been infected by the Omicron variant. Of the 69 Omicron cases, 34 were in Koh Chang alone.
In a bid to tackle this, Koh Chang and Koh Chang Tai authorities have set up waiting centres for people with mild symptoms.
The Mu Koh Chang National Park, meanwhile, is closed to tourists and all activities have been cancelled.
Public Health Ministry reported on Monday (January 10) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 7,926 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 195 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 13, while 3,612 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
The country’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,277,476 – 2,197,479 of whom have recovered, 58,159 are still in hospitals and 21,838 have died.
Separately, another 12,766 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 32,977 their second shot and 93,142 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 106,475,122.
According to Worldometer, confirmed cases globally had risen to 307.89 million on Monday, 259.58 million of whom have recovered, 42.8 million are active cases (93,970 in severe condition) and 5.51 million have died (up by 3,306).
Thailand ranks 25th in the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 61.26 million, followed by India with 35.71 million, Brazil with 22.52 million, the UK with 14.48 million and France with 12.11 million.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Monday (January 10) that the weak high-pressure system covering upper Thailand and the South China Sea cause morning fog in the area while the westerly winds prevail over the North and the upper Northeast.
Cool to cold in the North and the Northeast, morning cool is likely in the Central and the East regions. On mountaintops of the North and the Northeast, cool to very cold is forecast.
The minimum temperature of the North mountaintops is in range of 5-15 °C while the Northeast ranges by 9-16 °C.
The weak northeast monsoon prevails across the Gulf of Thailand and the South with isolated rains for the lower South.
The 24-hour weather forecast for different regions:
North: Cool to cold with morning fog; temperature lows of 14-19 °C and highs of 30-35 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 5-15 °C.
Northeast: Cool to cold with morning light fog; temperature lows of 15-20 °C and highs of 32-34 °C; temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 9-16 °C.
Central: Cool with morning light fog; temperature lows of 19-21 °C and highs of 33-35 °C.
East: Cool with morning light fog; temperature lows of 19-24 °C, highs of 32-35 °C; waves below 1 metre high and about 1 metre offshore.
South (east coast): Isolated rains; temperature lows of 21-25 °C, highs of 31-33 °C; waves about 1 metre high in Surat Thani upwards, while 1-2 metres high and about 2 metres in thundershowers in Nakhon Si Thammarat downwards.
South (west coast): Isolated light rains; temperature lows of 22-26 °C, highs of 33-34 °C; waves below 1 metre high and about 1 metre offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with morning light fog; temperature lows of 22-24 °C and highs of 33-36 °C.
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