The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday that Covid-19 antigen test kits that provide a reading when placed on the tongue have yet to be approved for use in Thailand.
“These oral test kits are relatively new and there is still no information regarding their safety in the long term,” said Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, FDA deputy secretary-general. “We still need data on the risk of toxicity build up from repeated use, and the risk of chemical from the detector being washed out by saliva and flowing into the user’s throat.”
He also pointed out that this kit has not been approved anywhere for use on children under 12 due to the risk of them chewing on the detector.
“The FDA has only approved two types of antigen test kits for people to use at home – one that collects samples via nasal swabs while the other tests saliva,” he said. “Saliva collection varies from brand to brand and can range from spitting in a cup or rubber bulb to using a swab stick. However, the method of putting the detector directly in the mouth has yet to be approved.”
The FDA has also advised people to only purchase ATK kits that have an “approved by FDA” stamp and follow the instructions carefully.
A list of FDA-approved test kits for both home and professional use can be found at https://www.fda.moph.go.th/sites/Medical. Video clips showing how they can be used are also available here.
Sa Kaeo provincial authorities have been instructed to increase security measures along the border with Cambodia after the neighboring country reported first case of Omicron variant of Covid-19 earlier this week, said governor Parinya Phothisat on Thursday.
Khmer Times reported on Wednesday that Cambodia has detected its first case of Omicron variant on a 23-year-old local woman who returned from work in Ghana.
“The Sa Kaeo – Cambodia border is currently not open for the public yet. People from Cambodia wishing to enter Thailand via border checkpoints will need to undergo a 14-day quarantine with no exception,” he said. “After that, they must pass the RT-PCR test, which will take another 2-3 days to complete but provide a more accurate result than testing via antigen test kits (ATK).”
Parinya added that he has instructed police officers and border patrol soldiers in the province to establish checkpoints on every route that Cambodian migrants could use to slip into Thailand, especially the routes that lead to inner provinces.
Meanwhile, Chief of Defence Forces General Chalermpol Srisawat said on Friday that he has appointed his deputy to visit Sa Kaeo on Sunday (December 19) to monitor the border security to prevent against the smuggling of illegal migrant workers across the border at Khok Soong district, where several cases of illegal entry have been reported in the past months.
Ministry of Public Health reported on Friday (December 17) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 3,537 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 182 of whom have been found in prisons.
Death toll increased by 41, while 5,459 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.
Cumulative cases in the country are at 2,185,497 with 21,327 total deaths.
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Friday (December 17) that the high-pressure system over upper Thailand is weakening. Cool to cold weather is likely over upper Thailand, with a rise in temperature by 1-2 °C and morning fog. Mountaintops in the North and the Northeast are still cold to very cold with temperature ranging from 6 to 14 °C. People should take care of their health due to variable weather.
Meanwhile, the active low-pressure cell over Malaysia causes isolated heavy rains in the lower South of Thailand. People should beware of the severe condition that may cause overflows and flash floods. Waves in the Gulf are about 2-3 meters high and over 3 meters high during thundershowers. People along the Gulf shore should beware of inshore surges. All ships should proceed with caution and keep off thundershowers. Small boats should keep ashore until December 18.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours is as follows:
North: Cool to cold weather with morning fog; temperature lows of 15-18 degrees and highs of 29-34 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 3-12 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Cool to cold weather with morning fog; temperature lows of 14-21 degrees and highs of 32-33 degrees Celsius. Temperature on hilltops is likely to drop to 8-14 degrees Celsius.
Central: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 20-21 degrees, highs of 32-34 degrees Celsius.
East: Cool weather with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 21-24 degrees, highs of 32-35 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters offshore.
South (east coast): Cool weather in the morning with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-26 degrees, highs of 27-33 degrees Celsius; waves 2-3 meters high and more than 3 meters during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Partly cloudy with thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees, highs of 30-34 degrees Celsius; waves a meter high and 1-2 meters offshore.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Partly cloudy with light fog in the morning; temperature lows of 23-24 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius.
More than 80,000 police officers will maintain peace and manage traffic as people return to their hometowns for New Year, Royal Thai Police deputy commissioner Damrongsak Kittipraphat said on Thursday.
This year, more than 7 million vehicles are expected to head out of and into Bangkok during the December 29-January 4 period. People will start travelling from December 29 and will mostly return on January 3.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha is concerned about people in Bangkok and its vicinity who face the problem of PM 2.5 dust that has exceeded the health standard in some areas, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Thursday.
Following the premier’s concern, the Public Health Ministry is preparing to open an online pollution clinic and prepare dust-free rooms in public health service facilities for high-risk groups such as children and the elderly.
It is expected that the PM 2.5 dust problem in Bangkok and its vicinity will head above the standard during the period of December 15-18, but there is a chance the situation will improve during the December 19-21 period.
However, on December 22 and 23 there may be a chance that dust levels will rise further.
With cool-to-cold weather upon us and changing air pressure as well as more people travelling, the dust problem is returning, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday after a meeting with the Committee on Occupational Disease Control and Environmental Diseases.
As the PM 2.5 dust problem may last for at least 2-3 months, the ministry may urge various sectors to consider allowing their staff to work from home as well as ask them to maintain their vehicle engines to cut down on air pollution.
Department of Disease Control director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the meeting agreed on the need to monitor five diseases related to the dust problem, namely respiratory disease, heart disease, eye disease, skin disease and other diseases.
Each provincial environmental committee will consider a rating and environmental measures. If the dust level is higher than the health standard, each province may be ranked in colour groups of red, yellow, etc to show the density of dust.
The North may have more problems than other regions, but the situation is expected improve in April. Meanwhile, the northeastern region will be less affected, followed by Bangkok.
The Public Health Ministry will allow people aged 18 years and over and those who have never been vaccinated to be injected with any formulation, while those aged 12-17 can get two doses of Pfizer vaccine, Dr Wichan Pawan, director of the Division of General Communicable Diseases, Department of Disease Control, said on Thursday.
People who received Sinovac plus AstraZeneca in the August-October period are mainly encouraged to get AstraZeneca as a booster jab.
Those who received two AstraZeneca doses during the same period should consider Pfizer as a priority, and those who got two doses of an inactivated vaccine should go in for AstraZeneca as the booster.
The administrator of the MoH Prompt vaccination application is now discussing with the Public Health Ministry guidelines, dates and locations for people who need booster jabs and can register via apps.
Dr Wichan urged people to download the apps and register as soon as possible.
Guidelines for booster doses are expected to be revealed next week.
Siriraj Hospital is introducing 5G, Cloud, and AI technologies to improve its services to be more efficient and faster, bringing about new experiences for patients and serving as a model for the development of further Smart Hospitals in Thailand.
Today (16 December 2021) at 09.00 hours, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, presided over the inauguration of “Siriraj World Class 5G Smart Hospital” alongside Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, Prof. Dr. Prasit Watanapa, MD, Dean of Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University, Colonel Natee Sukonrat, Ph.D, Vice-Chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, Mr. Han Zhiqiang, Ambassador of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Thailand, Mr. Abel Deng, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., as well as Assoc. Prof. Visit Vamvanij, MD, Director of Siriraj Hospital, Assoc. Prof. Cherdchai Nopmaneejumruslers, Vice Director of Siriraj Hospital, and executives for the ceremony at Rachapanaddasirindhorn Auditorium Conference Room, Srisavarindira Building, Siriraj Hospital.
Prof. Dr. Prasit Watanapa, MD, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital Mahidol University, shared the background and development of implementing Siriraj’s Smart Hospital Project with 5G and artificial intelligence (AI) to build a model for “Smart Hospitals” in collaboration with its partners – introducing 5G, Cloud, AI, and Digital Disruption technologies for application in prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation to enhance the quality and productivity of medical services, bring about good experiences while using its services, provide people in remote areas with better opportunities to access advanced tertiary health care services, as well as minimize the disparity and serve as a model for new generations of medical services to the global public health industry. In addition, an Innovation Lab and other innovative platforms were also established to cultivate innovation projects in the future.
The Project comprises nine programs as follows:
1. Smart EMS with 5G and AI;
2. Smart Emergency Room with 5G and AI;
3. Pathological diagnosis system with 5G and AI;
4. 5G AI Platform for NCD;
5. 5G AI Smart Inventory Management;
6. Permission based block chain for personal health record;
7. Smart Logistic with 5G Unmanned car;
8. Multi-access Edge computing (MEC);
9. Hybrid Cloud
Each of these programs proceeded as planned with concrete results and it is expected that all programs will be completed according to their respective objectives. Siriraj is thus regarded as Thailand’s first hospital to develop a prototype project that applies and finetunes 5G technology to improve the efficiency of medical services, thereby becoming a Smart Hospital with 5G, Cloud and AI solutions – pioneering such medical services with efficiency, reliability, and trust for Thai people.
Colonel Natee Sukonrat, Ph.D., Vice-Chairman of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, addressed the NBTC’s support of the Project by saying that “The NBTC, as the regulatory body of broadcasting and telecommunications businesses, has a key mission for licensing frequencies to accommodate high speed wireless communications in the 5G era, to promote the national telecommunications infrastructure development, and introduce the extension and utilization of technologies to various sectors. This is in line with the government’s policy after the National 5G Committee resolved to approve the pioneer Smart Hospital project as a prototype project for 5G application and foresaw the potential of Siriraj Hospital – equipped with specialists and fully-integrated medical equipment – as being instrumental in development into a smart hospital to produce apparent results. Therefore, the NBTC and NBTC Office have set budgets for project implementation, coordination for frequency utilization, and transfer of state-of-the-art technology and know-how to support further applications in other hospitals nationwide in order to provide those in remote areas with more access to advanced health care services.”
Mr. Abel Deng, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei Technologies (Thailand) Co., Ltd., highlighted that “Huawei has collaborated with Siriraj Hospital to transform it into a world class 5G Smart Hospital, and introduced the Innovation Lab at Srisavarindira Building as part of its 5G infrastructure project for Siriraj Hospital last year. This signifies a model for upgrading Thailand’s public health industry in the future and contributes to Siriraj’s transition to becoming a Smart Hospital, in line with Huawei’s mission to Grow in Thailand, Contribute to Thailand.”
Mr. Han Zhiqiang, Ambassador of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Thailand, emphasized that as long as Thailand is in need and as long as China is capable, China is willing to go all out to help Thailand fight the pandemic. He further expressed confidence in the future of China-Thailand cooperation in smart healthcare. “China and Thailand’s 5G cooperation has become model in the region, helping Thailand become the first country in Southeast Asia to launch 5G commercial use. China is willing to work together with Thailand to address common challenges and drive economic development, and will continue to support Huawei and other Chinese companies in growing Smart Hospitals and bringing better lives for Thai and Chinese people.”
General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister, addressed the national policy on 5G technology movements, stating, “I am pleased and honored that Thailand is moving forward with 5G and AI technology and is being utilized in Siriraj’s 5G Smart Hospital. The Thai government understands the importance of technology, successfully drafting a plan for Digital Thailand, and today is an important start in the utilization of digital technologies and 5G in the medical field. This will help reduce processes for medical personnel, decrease overall risk, and will improve the effectiveness and efficacy of healthcare for patients. We will use Siriraj 5G Smart Hospital as a pilot project with the aim of expanding to other hospitals in the future. Today is a first step to successfully implement 5G technology for medical use. We would like to thank Ambassador of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Thailand for a land-lasting friendship and collaboration between Thailand and China. We admire Siriraj Hospital and Mahidol University, and would like to thank Huawei, NBTC, private organizations, and all other partners involved in this project. We hope the project will act as a blueprint for all Smart Hospitals in Thailand going forward.“
The exhibition “Siriraj 5G Smart Hospital” and the Innovation Lab will be open to the public until 12:00hrs on 17 December 2021 at the front of Rachapanaddasirindhorn Auditorium Conference Room, Siriraj Hospital.
This cross-sector collaboration will enhance and upgrade the services of Siriraj Hospital to progress it to become a smart medical center using digital technologies based on 5G, AI, Big Data infrastructure, and Cloud Edge processing for the purpose of patient tracking, disease diagnosis by AI on Cloud, data storage and analysis, and allocation of resources – all of which will help pave the way to fulfill the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital’s vision to become the “Medical Institute of the Nation, a Creator of Global Citizen Wellbeing”, and a Smart Hospital model for other hospitals in Thailand.
Songkhla’s iconic Samila and Chalatat beaches witnessed a “Big Cleaning Day” on Thursday to provide tourists with a clean, alluring environment during New Year.
Spearheaded by the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources and Songkhla Municipality, the event saw the mayor presiding over the ceremony at the Thai Pavilion on Samila beach.
More than 200 volunteers participated, including community leaders, business people, locals and those from the government.
The northeast monsoon normally whips the South in December, with strong waves and winds piling up trash on Samila and Chalatat beaches. The trash includes glass and plastic bottles, tree branches, logs and fishing nets, which spoil the beautiful beach and even impact marine and coastal resources.
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