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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004920

Democrat Party asks why MRT Orange Line has come to juddering halt

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Democrat Party deputy leader Samart Ratchapolsitte questioned why each section of the MRT Orange Line had different bidding criteria and urged the authorities to open the line as soon as possible.

He also asked why the bidding criteria for the western section had been changed suddenly, bringing the construction of the line to a shuddering stop.

The eastern section of the 22.5-kilometre line runs from Thailand Cultural Central to Minburi. Samart said bidding for this line started in 2016 and the first round was to find bidders who met at least 70 per cent of the technical requirements and proposed the lowest price. This line is almost 80 per cent complete.

Meanwhile, bidding for the 13.4km line running from Bang Khun Non in the West of Bangkok to the Thailand Cultural Centre was set for 2020. The initial criteria for bidders was that they must meet at least 85 per cent of the technical requirements because this route includes an underground tunnel below the Rattanakosin island.

However, the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) changed the criteria just before the bidding deadline to 30 per cent technical and 70 per cent financial requirements.

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The MRTA did not explain why it had cut down technical requirements even though this section requires a great deal of expertise and experience.

Bidding for this section had to be stopped after the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTSC) filed a lawsuit against MRTA for changing the criteria.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004919

Record 301 deaths, 20,902 new infections in Thailand

Thailand crossed the 300 mark for a second day running with 301 deaths on Thursday and 20,902 new infections, 148 of which were found in prisons.

Meanwhile, 22,208 patients have recovered and been discharged over the past 24 hours.

Since the epidemic kicked off last year, Thailand has had 989,859 Covid-19 cases, 775,327 of whom have recovered, 205,946 are still in hospitals and 8,586 have died.

Separately, another 417,169 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 122,206 their second shot, and 8,936 their third shot, bringing the total Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 25,167,060.

According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Thursday, confirmed cases globally had risen to 210.13 million, 188.24 million of whom have recovered, 17.49 million are active cases (108,059 in severe condition) and 4.40 million have died (up by 10,553).

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Thailand ranks 34th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 38.07 million, followed by India with 32.32 million, Brazil with 20.46 million, Russia with 6.66 million and France with 6.53 million.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004918

100 Covid-19 deaths reported on Aug 18 had occurred earlier: DDC

Some 100 Covid-19 deaths had not been added to the Covid-19 caseload until Wednesday because the authorities had been waiting for final autopsy results, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) said.

Thailand’s daily caseload from Covid-19 hit a record high on Wednesday with 312 deaths and 20,515 infections.

Dr Chawetsan Namwat, the department’s director for emergency health hazards and disease, explained that the 100 deaths had occurred between April and August and had not been accounted for – as in the patients had either not been hospitalized or had died from unknown causes.

Dr Chawetsan also said that most of the people in this group were over 60 and had chronic diseases or had not been fully vaccinated.

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The doctor confirmed that all Covid-19 jabs, be they mRNA, viral vector or inactivated vaccines, can reduce the risk of developing severe symptoms and death.

“Therefore, vaccinating the elderly and people with chronic diseases is necessary,” he concluded.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : The Nation

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004915

Doctors Society to GPO: Comply with PM’s order, halt purchase of Chinese test kits

The Rural Doctors Society said on Thursday that the procurement of Chinese-made Covid-19 antigen test kits (ATK) by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) does not comply with the prime minister’s order on test kits.

The GPO had announced it would go ahead with the plan to purchase 8.5 million ATK sets from Beijing-based Lepu Medical Technology through Ostland Capital, which earlier won the bid at a proposed price of THB70 per kit, despite public criticism over product quality.

The criticism stemmed from news that Lepu’s ATK sets were banned in the United States due to a high risk of false results.

“Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha issued an order published in a cabinet resolution dated August 17 page 53 paragraph 6 that the antigen test kits the GPO is purchasing must be approved by the World Health Organisation [WHO] and by Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration,” the society said in a statement on its Facebook page. “Furthermore, the PM added that the ATK sets must have a high accuracy in testing the new variant of the coronavirus to ensure timely treatment for infected patients,” the statement said.

According to the list of WHO-approved Covid-19 test kits published on July 27, Lepu’s ATK was not on it. The document can be viewed here: https://extranet.who.int/pqweb/sites/default/files/documents/210727_IVDs_SARS-CoV-2_Assessment_EUL.pdf

“The Rural Doctors Society therefore urges the GPO to comply with the prime minister’s order and put a stop to this deal with Lepu Medical Technology to ensure that Thailand procures only high-quality devices that meet international standards,” the statement read.

“We believe that the purchasing contract is still in the drafting phase and could therefore be cancelled before any damage is incurred,” it added.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004912

Father of shot teen files complaint, believes shooter was a mere hooligan

The father of a 14-year-old boy, who was shot near Din Daeng police station in Bangkok, visited the station on Wednesday to file a complaint against the shooter.

On Monday afternoon, the Thalu Fah pro-democracy group had gathered at Victory Monument in a bid to march to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s residence to demand his resignation.

Crowd-control police blocked the group in Din Daeng before a violent clash broke out.

Reports say that after the protesters dispersed at curfew time, there was a gathering before the police station. The 14-year-old was shot in his right shoulder as he drove past the station on his way back home.

Chunhawan Homya, the father, said his son is now “safe”.

The teen told him he was attacked by a group of teenagers but that they were not among the protesters. So the father believes they could be mere “hooligans”.

Chunhawan’s lawyer said the case is not a hard one for Din Daeng police to solve as there are several CCTV cameras around the area where the boy was shot.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004902

Phuket sees 292 flights, 21,545 passengers under sandbox travel scheme

As of August 15, a total of 292 flights touched down in Phuket since its tourism sandbox programme started on July 1, Transport Ministry statistics showed.

The statistics also showed that the flights brought in 21,545 passengers, 18,654 of whom are foreign tourists.

The sandbox scheme reopened Phuket to foreign visitors in a bid to breathe new life into its ravaged tourism industry. Vaccinated tourists can fly into Phuket and move around freely in the province without having to quarantine. After spending 14 days there and if they still test negative, the tourists can then travel to other parts of Thailand. The 14-day rule is now being reduced to 7 days to attract more international visitors.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) reported this week that the three airlines operating the most flights to Phuket are Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Emirates.

According to CAAT, international flights to Phuket during the period came from 17 cities – Singapore (76), Doha (34), Dubai (28), Abu Dhabi (21), Tel Aviv (15), Kuala Lumpur (14), Frankfurt (13), London (7), Zurich (7), Paris (7), Copenhagen (5), Hong Kong (3), Phnom Penh (2), Vientiane, Taipei, Sharjah and Yangon (one each).

CAAT said that from August 5-17, Phuket saw 18 domestic flights operated by Nok Air to U-Tapao airport in Rayong province, carrying a total of 586 passengers.

Domestic travel to Phuket has been banned by the province since August 3 as a part of extra strict Covid-19 preventive measures, with exception to tourists under the sandbox programme and emergency vehicles.

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004893

Thailand recorded 20,902 Covid-19 cases and 301 deaths on Thursday

Ministry of Public Health reported on Thursday (August 19) morning that in the past 24 hours there are 20,902 new patients who tested positive for Covid-19, 148 of whom have been found in prisons.

Death toll increased by 301, while 22,208 patients were cured and allowed to leave hospitals.

Cumulative cases in the country are at 989,859 with 8,586 total deaths.
 

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004891

15 rescue workers called in to get 230kg infected mother down from 2nd storey

Fifteen rescue staffers from Siam Nonthaburi Rescue Foundation helped transport a Covid-19 patient, who weighed 230 kilograms, to a community isolation centre on Wednesday night.

The foundation was called to a house on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in Bangkok’s Don Muang district at 9pm to transport a family of three, who tested positive for Covid-19, to a community isolation centre to wait for hospital beds.

The family comprises a 65-year-old mother, a daughter and a nephew. Six staffers who first arrived at the scene could not get the mother, who lived on the second floor, down to the ambulance as she weighed around 230kg.

The staffers had to call the foundation head office to send nine more men along with high-elevation rescue equipment to help bring her down.

15 rescue workers called in to get 230kg infected mother down from 2nd storey

After the mother was successfully taken down to the ambulance, staffers sprayed the house and nearby areas with disinfectant.

A news source revealed that a community isolation centre had earlier sent an ambulance to the house to pick up the daughter and the nephew so they could be quarantined. But the two refused to leave the elderly women alone as she could hardly move and has many underlying health issues, which prompted the centre to call the rescue foundation for assistance.

15 rescue workers called in to get 230kg infected mother down from 2nd storey

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004889

Rains ease over Thailand, but lower South to see isolated heavy showers

With a weak southwest monsoon prevailing over Thailand, the Andaman Sea and the Gulf, less rain is likely across the country, but a low-pressure cell covering the Malaysian coast will bring isolated heavy showers to the lower South, the Meteorological Department said on Thursday.

Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:

North: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 31-37 degrees Celsius.

Northeast: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees and highs of 35-37 degrees Celsius.

Central: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-26 degrees, highs of 36-38 degrees Celsius.

East: Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 24-27 degrees, highs of 32-36 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (east coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 23-25 degrees, highs of 31-35 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

South (west coast): Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-26 degrees, highs of 31-34 degrees Celsius; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.

Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 26-27 degrees, highs of 35-37 degrees Celsius.

Source: Thailand Meteorological Department

Published : August 19, 2021

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40004877

Factories ignoring bubble-and-seal procedures are infection hotspots, warns official

Factories that have been assessed according to the Thai Stop Covid (TSC) online platform are 4.5 times less likely to spark infection clusters, a top official from the Industry Ministry said.

Worawan Chitaroon, the ministry’s deputy permanent secretary, said it was imperative that all factories use the TSC platform for self-assessment and follow the prescribed bubble-and-seal procedures to curb the spread of the virus.

So far, 20,032 factories have undergone the TSC assessment, accounting for just 31 per cent of the 64,038 factories nationwide. Of the factories assessed, only 66 per cent or 13,235 factories passed the criteria, Worawan said.

According to data collected between April 1 and August 17 by the ministry’s Crisis Management Centre, there were Covid-19 outbreaks in 749 factories with 53,135 people infected in 62 provinces. Phetchaburi led the list with 4,597 patients, followed by Chachoengsao with 3,648, Saraburi with 3,647, Samut Sakhon with 3,571 and Phetchabun with 3,487 patients.

Factory workers who have been infected usually take around 14 to 28 days to recover, mostly because they are young, in good health and some have been vaccinated.

Of the 749 factories affected, the highest number of infections were in the food industry with 136, followed by 103 in electronics, 65 in metal, 64 in garment factories and 57 in factories dealing with plastics.

An average of 13 factories report clusters daily accounting for more than 800 cases every day – a number that is expected to rise exponentially if serious steps are not taken.

Published : August 18, 2021