Thailand was hit with 21,038 new infections over 24 hours on Wednesday and 207 deaths.
Of the 21,038 new cases, 173 are in prisons.
Meanwhile, 22,012 patients have recovered and been discharged over the past 24 hours.
Since the epidemic kicked off last year, Thailand has had 816,989 Covid-19 cases, 600,152 of whom have recovered, 210,042 are still in hospital and 6,795 have died.
Separately, another 364,685 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 125,685 their second shot, and 56,474 their third shot, bringing the total Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 21,717,954.
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According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Wednesday, confirmed cases globally had risen to 204.81 million, 183.93 million of whom have recovered, 16.55 million are active cases (100,803 in severe condition) and 4.33 million have died (up by 10,092).
Thailand ranks 35th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 36.89 million, followed by India with 32.03 million, Brazil with 20.21 million, Russia with 6.49 million and France 6.33 million.
African campaigner calls for protection of lions as threats intensify
This years World Lion Day should serve as a wake-up call for governments, industry and local communities to revitalize action on the threats facing the majestic species in Africa, a campaigner said.
The African lion is facing multiple threats, hence the need to strengthen its protection, a campaigner said on Tuesday during the World Lion Day.
Edith Kabesiime, Wildlife Campaigns Manager at World Animal Protection’s Africa Office said that human and climate induced threats to the iconic carnivore have escalated in the recent past.
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“The lion is valued by many African cultures but its survival is at stake due to poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, declining population of prey and retaliatory attacks by herders,” said Kabesiime.
Statistics from World Animal Protection indicate that Africa’s lion population is currently estimated at 20,000, down from about 2 million a century ago, while their dwindling number could upset ecosystem balance.
Kabesiime said this year’s World Lion Day should serve as a wake-up call for governments, industry and local communities to revitalize action on the threat facing the majestic species in Africa.
Tourists look on a lion as it enjoys its early morning wildebeest in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Narok County, Kenya, Sept. 19, 2020.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the African lion as vulnerable amid illegal hunting, encroachment on its habitat and climatic shocks.
According to Kabesiime, lions in West Africa are already critically endangered while poaching has increased across the east and southern African region.
“High incidences of lion poisoning have also been reported in East Africa as nomadic communities retaliate after attacks on their livestock,” said Kabesiime.
She noted that demand for lion products like bones and teeth in the fast growing herbal medicine industry has also fuelled their poaching in the African wild.
Kabesiime said that other threats to the African lion include captive breeding and trophy hunting, adding that enactment of new policies, regulations and heightened campaigns are key to saving the carnivore, and sustaining the resilience of the continent’s natural habitats.
BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) held a special ceremony on Wednesday to thank the Rural Doctor Society for helping conduct Covid-19 tests in communities across the capital.
During the ceremony, Dr Chawin Sirinak, BMA’s deputy permanent secretary, handed over a gift to express gratitude to Dr Suphat Hasuwanakij, the society’s president.
The BMA in cooperation with the Rural Doctor Society, Public Health Ministry, National Health Security Office and other networks has conducted three rounds of testing – July 14-16, July 21-23 and August 4-10 – on 141,516 people in 369 communities in Bangkok.
The operation included tests using rapid antigen test kits, checking patients’ symptoms, delivering a supply of Fah Talai Jone (Andrographis Paniculata) capsules and Favipiravir tablets, and administering Covid-19 jabs.
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BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
Of the 141,516 people, 15,588 tested positive, of whom 10,838 have mild symptoms, 4,427 are in a moderate state, while 323 are critical.
BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
Meanwhile, 3,509 people were given Fah Talai Jone capsules, 8,939 given Favipiravir tablets and 7,412 were given the Covid-19 vaccine.
BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
New Chinese ambassador vows to further strengthen ‘one family’ kinship with Thailand
China’s new ambassador to Thailand, Han Zhiqiang, assumed his post on Tuesday with a message celebrating the two countries’ long-standing bilateral ties.
Ambassador Han said under the special circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two countries have been helping each other in line with the valued kinship of “one family” and the great spirit of a community with a shared future.
China, which marks the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party, has succeeded in building a moderately prosperous society and is striving towards building a modern socialist country, he said.
He also lauded Thailand for focusing on “national revitalisation” and actively pushing forward its 20-year National Strategy.
The ambassador went on to say that he aims to continue strengthening ties, especially in terms of fighting the pandemic, as well as promoting the Thailand-China comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership.
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Ambassador Han delivered the following speech upon assuming his position:
“Appointed by President Xi Jinping and carrying the genuineness and cordiality of the Chinese government and people towards the Thai government and people, I am serving as the 13th Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China to the Kingdom of Thailand, a glorious mission with great significance.
“Thailand, renowned for its gorgeous mountains and rivers, abundant products, kind people and harmonious society, has scored remarkable development achievements. Facing humanity’s common challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic, all sectors of Thailand have been making firm and concerted efforts in response. The pandemic will eventually be overcome and Thailand will surely enjoy a better tomorrow.
“China and Thailand are one family. Our two countries are geographically proximate, culturally interconnected, blood-lined, and philosophically interlinked. The two countries enjoy profound historical linkages for thousands of years, solid bonds of interest for mutual benefit and win-win outcomes, and tremendous potentials for development.
“In the 46 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Thailand have been working and moving forward in togetherness, with strategic mutual trust continuously deepened, pragmatic cooperation rapidly expanded, and people-to-people amity increasingly strengthened.
“The two sides have been supporting each other on issues concerning each other’s major and core interests, actively strengthening the docking of development strategies and the exchanges of governance and administration experience, and firmly promoting the high-quality joint promotion of the Belt and Road Initiative. China has been Thailand’s largest trading partner for eight consecutive years.
“In the first half of this year, the bilateral trade volume between the two sides bucked the downward trend and increased by 38 per cent. “Prior to the pandemic, the number of Chinese tourists visits to Thailand exceeded 10 million a year, accounting for one-third of all foreign tourists’ visits to Thailand. The friendly cooperation between China and Thailand conforms to the fundamental interests of the two peoples and receives people’s heartfelt and firm support. “I am fully convinced that, no matter how the international landsacpe changes, the China-Thailand friendly cooperation should and will certainly continue to forge ahead.
“Genuineness is revealed in adversity. The traditional friendship between China and Thailand has been continuously refined and cherished in the anti-pandemic cooperation. Whether it is to encourage each other to carry on or to share prevention and control diagnosis and treatment experience in time, whether it is to donate masks, protective gowns, testing reagents, or to provide drugs and vaccines, China and Thailand have interpreted with practical actions the genuine kinship as one family and the profound connotation of fostering a community with a shared future for mankind, injecting continuous and vigorous impetus to the development of China-Thailand relations in the new era.
“In the fight against the pandemic, as long as Thailand is in need, China will go all out to provide selfless support and assistance.
“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC). The past 100 years has witnessed the CPC forge ahead for the happiness of the Chinese people and the common good of the whole world. Standing at a new historical starting point, under the leadership of the CPC, the Chinese people will continue to work unremittingly for realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, achieving the common well-being of mankind, and building a community with a shared future for mankind.
“China’s development needs the world and China’s development benefits the world. At this time last year, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha pointed out in their phone call that China-Thailand relations enjoy a solid foundation and great potentials. China is willing to work with Thailand to promote the continuous new development of the China-Thailand comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership, consolidate the solidarity of countries in the region, and maintain their good momentum of development and prosperity. China is ready to work with Thailand to earnestly implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, continue to tap potential, deepen innovative cooperation, and jointly open up a more brilliant future for China-Thailand relations.
“I would like to avail myself of this opportunity to express my high respect and heartfelt appreciation to friends from all walks of life of Thailand who have been caring about and supporting the development of China-Thailand relations and extend my sincere greetings and
best wishes
to Chinese citizens, overseas Chinese, Chinese international students and employees of Chinese-funded enterprises in Thailand. I am looking forward to in-depth exchanges with you, my friends, to enhance consensus, strengthen cooperation, and seek common progress.”
Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket
Phuket welcomed Cathay Pacific’s inaugural flight from Hong Kong on Tuesday, which flew in 150 tourists under the province’s sandbox programme. The flight will be operated once a week, said Nantasiri Ranasiri, the director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), Phuket office.
Cathay Pacific Airways’ Flight CX771 landed at Phuket International Airport at 10.40am on August 10. The flight was sprayed with water in a welcome ceremony.
Phuket International Airport director Thanee Chuangchoo, along with TAT’s Nantasiri, Cathay Pacific’s station agent and airport staff greeted the passengers at Gate No 11. These tourists are long-distance travellers from the US, Canada and Europe, Nantasiri told reporters.
“This shows that despite the Covid-19 situation in Thailand, tourists are still coming in. It also shows TAT’s promotion of Phuket has proven successful,” she said. “The murder of a Swiss tourist has not yet affected the sandbox scheme. But we will be conducting an evaluation,” Nantasiri said.
Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to PhuketCathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket “There are currently seven airlines including Cathay Pacific operating flights to Phuket under the scheme. Most are long-distance flights connecting the countries where the airlines are based in, such as Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Thai Airways is also operating flights to Phuket directly from Europe, linking London, Frankfurt and Copenhagen,” she added.
Some 18,654 foreign tourists entered Phuket under the sandbox programme from July 1 to August 9. A total of 353,529 hotel room nights have been booked from July to September, with 190,843 room nights in July, 143,566 in August and 19,120 so far for September. Meanwhile, almost 10,000 room nights have been booked from October 2021 to February 2022.
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Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to PhuketCathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket
We need more equipment, nurses, medics, says Nonthaburi field hospital doctor
A doctor at the Busarakham field hospital is calling on the government to provide more medics and equipment instead of just extra beds.
The field hospital was set up in the Challenger Hall in Nonthaburi’s Muang Thong Thani housing estate in May to deal with the rising Covid-19 cases in Greater Bangkok.
The doctor, who originally hails from Phramongkutklao Hospital, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday: “The Busarakham field hospital was given 17 additional beds, but it still lacks proper professional support.”
For instance, he said, the hospital needs more ultrasound machines to check patients’ hearts and lungs as X-Ray machines cannot be used in a hall with over 3,000 ill people. Also, he said, though there were eight or nine nurses in each shift to tend to patients in a severe condition, what the hospital really needs is more crisis nurses. In addition, he said, two or three doctors are scheduled to return to their hospitals at the end of the month.
He also thanked the donors of 10 powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) for medics.
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We need more equipment, nurses, medics, says Nonthaburi field hospital doctorWe need more equipment, nurses, medics, says Nonthaburi field hospital doctor
Another THB12.6 bn approved for Public Health Ministry personnel
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved THB12.66 billion for Public Health Ministry personnel who have played an important role in tackling the Covid-19 crisis.
The payment covers compensation, overtime, expenses, wages, etc from July to September this year, said government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.
He said the Cabinet on May 5 had approved a payment of THB12.57 billion for Public Health Ministry personnel from April to June.
“As the Public Health Ministry still has to continue various operations, we decided to extend the operation period and payment for ministry personnel in order to mitigate the Covid-19 impact between April and September this year,” he added.
The overall Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) in July shrank to 36.7 from 42.7 in June in response to the worsening Covid-19 situation, according to a survey by the Commerce Ministry’s Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO).
“The increasing number of new infections as well as the government’s move in placing 29 provinces in the ‘dark red’ zone under maximum disease control measures, which include business lockdowns and nighttime curfew, has affected consumers’ confidence in the economy,” TPSO director Phusit Rattanakul said on Tuesday.
“The current CCI has gone down from 34.4 in June to 29.8 in July, while the future CCI also dropped from 48.1 to 41.3,” he said. “The southern region saw the biggest drop in CCI from a month before, or from 44.7 to 36.8. Besides the worsening Covid-19 situation, the region also suffered from plummeting prices of agricultural produce such as rubber, durian and mangosteen,” Phusit said.
The CCI in the northern region dropped from 41.1 to 34.7, in Bangkok and its perimeter from 41.6 to 35.8, in the Northeast from 44.2 to 38.7 and in Central region from 41.3 to 36.1.
When categorised by profession, the CCI among students saw the biggest drop, from 43.0 to 33.1, due to worry over finding a job after graduation as several businesses have cut down hiring amid the pandemic. Meanwhile, the CCI among business employees dropped from 41.9 to 35.2, state employees from 48.6 to 42.8, entrepreneurs from 41.9 to 36.3, agriculturists from 43.7 to 38.1 and freelancers from 39.7 to 34.2.
The group whose CCI remains at the lowest level is unemployed people. Their CCI dropped from 36.6 in June to 32.2 in July.
Koh Lan shut to tourists for 14 days to curb Covid-19 from spreading
Chonburi’s famous tourist attraction Koh Lan island will be closed to tourists from August 11 to 24 in a bid to curb Covid-19 from spreading further after the island has been hit by new infections, the Koh Lan community announced on Tuesday.
The community has also set the following criteria:
– Hotel and resort operators are required to ensure guests leave the island by August 10 and no additional bookings should be taken.
– Speed-boat operators have been told to suspend services, with people required to seek permission from the Covid-19 administration centre if they wish to use one.
– Ferry services to and from Pattaya City have been cut down to twice a day – 7.30am and 5pm from Monday to Friday. No ferry services will be provided on weekends except in cases of emergency.
– Non-residents who wish to enter the island for work or business must inform officials at least 24 hours in advance and provide a negative Covid-19 test result upon entry.
– Ships transporting food and goods must not carry passengers other than delivery personnel.
– Postal and courier services must drop off mail or parcels in front of the receiver’s house without going to the door.
– Island residents must strictly follow guidelines announced by Chonburi’s Communicable Disease Committee as well as other related announcements by the province.
Koh Lan reported its first new case on August 1, after which the virus has spread to 20 others.
The island currently has a population of more than 6,000 – 3,000 are residents and the rest enter for work or business.
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Koh Lan shut to tourists for 14 days to curb Covid-19 from spreading
Nearly 130,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine have been administered
From February 28 to August 9, Thailand administered more than 21 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine, with 10.26 million being Sinovac, 9.23 million AstraZeneca, 1.54 million Sinopharm and 129,834 Pfizer, which were recently donated by the United States, the Department of Disease Control (DDC) revealed on Tuesday.
“The allotment of Pfizer vaccine will be prioritised for frontline medics as a booster shot to improve the immunity of those who have already received two jabs of Sinovac,” said Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director of the DDC’s emergency disease and health hazards control division.
“We have been delivering the vaccine to target hospitals in dark red provinces since September 3.”
Chawetsan said the number of Pfizer vaccines to be delivered to each hospital will be based on the vaccination rate and the number of frontline medics on duty.
“If a hospital requests the vaccine for less than 50 per cent of their medical staff, the DDC will still provide them with 50 per cent in case more people need jabs. However, if a hospital requests vaccines for more than 75 per cent of their staff, we will provide them with exactly 75 per cent first to prevent the vaccine going to waste due to inadequate storage space. Once the hospital uses up the delivered vaccines, the DDC will send another lot to meet demand,” Chawetsan said.
“The DDC insists that all medical professionals who fit the criteria will receive Pfizer as a booster shot. The allotment and delivery of the vaccine are all documented and verifiable,” he said.
The Pfizer vaccine can be stored in a normal refrigerator for up to a month. After it is taken out of the refrigerator and mixed with saline for use, it must be administered within six hours or it will expire, Chawetsan explained.
“One vial of vaccine can provide jabs to six people. If there are less than six people coming in to get the jab in six hours, the vaccine will go to waste. This is why we need to consider each hospital’s vaccination rate,” he pointed out.
Tourists look on a lion as it enjoys its early morning wildebeest in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Narok County, Kenya, Sept. 19, 2020.
BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
BMA grateful to rural doctors for helping with Covid-19 tests in Bangkok communities
Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket
Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket
Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket
Cathay Pacific flies in 150 tourists on inaugural flight to Phuket
We need more equipment, nurses, medics, says Nonthaburi field hospital doctor
We need more equipment, nurses, medics, says Nonthaburi field hospital doctor
Koh Lan shut to tourists for 14 days to curb Covid-19 from spreading
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