Thailand’s Covid caseload hits record high with 51 deaths, 4,161 infections
Thailand was hit with 51 deaths and 4,161 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours on Saturday.
Bangkok led the list again with 1,276 infections, followed by Samut Sakhon (322), Chonburi (320), Samut Sakhon (231), Pathum Thani (228), Songkhla (215), Nonthaburi (196), Pattani (150), Nakhon Pathom (135) and Yala (135).
Meanwhile, 3,569 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
The accumulated number of cases recorded in Thailand rose to 240,452. Of these, 196,675 have recovered, 41,907 are still in hospital and 1,870 have died.
Separately, 228,955 people got their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 95,100 people got their second, bringing the total number of vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 8,981,478.
According to Worldometer, as of 10am on Saturday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 181.18 million (up by 408,765), 165.76 million of whom have recovered, 11.5 million are active cases (80,536 in severe condition) and 3.92 million have died (up by 8,728).
Thailand ranks 76th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 34.48 million, followed by India 30.18 million, Brazil 18.32 million, France 5.76 million and Turkey 5.4 million.
Drug suspects chased down after attempt to flee in car
Police in Bangkoks Bang Khen district chased down and arrested a man and a boy who tried to flee in their car after being asked to stop for checking.
According to the police report, the incident happened at around 10.45pm, when officials stationed at Ramintra Soi 8 spotted a car with the suspects – Paradon Muak-im, 37, and a boy (whose name and surname are not revealed), 15.
When police signalled them to stop for checking, the defiant driver drove away. In response to this suspicious behaviour, the police went after them. They fired at a tyre in order to stop the suspects’ car, which veered uncontrollably and crashed into a concrete barrier. The operation took around 40 minutes.
Drug suspects chased down after attempt to flee in car
Paradon reportedly confessed to police that he had intended to go to his girlfriend’s house with the boy and had bought methamphetamine in Ramintra Soi 8. When he saw the police, he decided to escape.
The drug was thrown away by the boy during the chase but police later found it.
Drug suspects chased down after attempt to flee in car
Shortage of personnel hits Covid testing service at many Bangkok hospitals
Several hospitals in Bangkok and vicinity have suspended Covid-19 testing due to shortage of personnel, as they had to also deal with several cases in their workplace.
The hospitals that have suspended the Covid-19 tests are: Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun,Vibhavadi, Mali Interdisciplinary Hospital, Paolo, Nakornthon, Mahachai, Phyathai 2 (ARI Clinic), Princ Suvarnabhumi and Synphaet Ramintra.
The test service was suspended from the middle of this week. The resumption date has not been announced.
Vaccine recipients urged to avoid using antibody kits for self-testing
The Department of Medical Sciences has advised people against buying antibody testing kits to test themselves after getting a Covid-19 vaccine, as the result could be inaccurate and might cause misunderstanding.
“The department already has an immunity tracking system among vaccine recipients, so people need not perform the tests on themselves,” department director-general Dr Supphakit Siriluck said on Friday.
It is also the recommendation of the World Health Organization and the United States FDA, he said.
Supphakit added that the antibody efficient in preventing Covid-19 is called a neutralising antibody, while the antibody testing kits that are available in the market can only test general antibody and cannot accurately measure the level of neutralising antibody in the body.
“It is highly recommended to only use antibody testing kits that have passed the approval of the Food and Drug Administration and under supervision of doctors or medical professionals, as the testing must be further interpreted and analysed alongside the candidate’s symptoms and other test results,” he said.
“Using these test kits at home could result in misunderstanding or other problems related to communicable disease control.
“To stay safe from Covid-19 after getting vaccinated, people should continue wearing face mask, wash their hands regularly and maintain social distancing,” he recommended.
Swiss embassy arranges free vaccination for nationals in mid-July
Switzerlands embassy in Bangkok has secured AstraZeneca vaccination appointments for 20 of its citizens in a private hospital in Bangkok.
To register, Swiss citizens aged 60 and above can send their name, date of birth and passport number to Bangkok.event@eda.admin.ch
Applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis, the embassy said.
The embassy has asked nationals to avoid communicating private information in the comments, as they will not be taken into account for registration. The embassy also urged people not to go to the hospital in person until the appointment has been confirmed. Vaccination will be free of charge and should happen around mid-July, the embassy said.
Swiss citizens living outside of Bangkok are also eligible for this vaccination opportunity but must be able to travel to Bangkok. “We are in contact with hospitals outside Bangkok and hope to offer such opportunities there in the future. For any medical advice, please consult your doctor,” the embassy said.
“For the latest information on Covid-19, please consult our website, most recent social media updates and #AskTheEmbassy livestreams,” the embassy handout said.
The Secretariat of the Senate on Friday announced that Senator General Lertrit Wetchasawan has tested positive for Covid-19.
“Lertrit was tested on June 24 and alerted the Secretariat on Friday of the positive result,” it said. “He has been admitted to Phramongkutklao Hospital.”
Lertrit’s travel history this week is as follow:
June 21: Took leave from work and stayed at home all day as he was feeling under the weather.
June 22: Attended a meeting at Parliament and made contact with some officials. He started feeling ill and had fever.
June 23: Attended a meeting at Parliament but went home early as his fever worsened. He learned that his wife had tested positive for Covid-19 that afternoon.
June 24: Took leave from work and went to Phramongkutklao Hospital to get tested. He left the hospital at 10.30am and stayed home alone.
June 25: The hospital notified him at 2pm that he was infected and then picked him up for treatment.
The Secretariat urged Parliament officials and people who have had close contact with Lertrit this week to remain in self-quarantine and monitor their symptoms closely. Those who have high risk of infection should get tested at hospitals or mobile testing units.
No Bangkok lockdown, PM insists, but shuts infected construction sites for a month
The meeting of the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration has rejected a proposal to lock down Bangkok and its perimeter areas as well as the four southern provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat to contain the spread of Covid-19, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Friday.
The proposal came from the Ministry of Public Health, which cited the concerns of several doctors and medical experts that hospital beds and ICU rooms in these areas were mostly occupied while the number of new infections in the country were still rising at around 3,000 to 4,000 patients per day. Also, the rental contracts of several field hospitals in Bangkok are about to expire, which will further reduce the city’s capacity to treat new patients.
“There will be no lockdown in Bangkok, its surrounding provinces and the four southern provinces,” said Prayut, who chaired the CCSA meeting. “However, construction sites that have reported infections will be shut down for a month. The Ministry of Labour will be responsible for taking care of affected Thai and migrant labourers.”
No Bangkok lockdown, PM insists, but shuts infected construction sites for a month
The prime minister also urged people to refrain from travelling to reduce the chances of the virus spreading to wider areas.
“If inter-provincial travel is unavoidable, please strictly adhere to Ministry of Public Health’s disease control measures and other measures announced by each province,” he said. “If you have to enter Bangkok, we urge you to remain in self-quarantine for 14 days and refrain from going to crowded areas.”
Isolated heavy rains forecast for the Northeast and west coast of the South
The Thailand Meteorological Department said on Saturday that the low-pressure cell covering Laos and upper Vietnam would bring isolated heavy rains to the Northeast.
Meanwhile, the southwest monsoon prevails across the Andaman Sea, Thailand, and the Gulf of Thailand, resulting in less rains in the North, the Central and the East and isolated heavy rains on the west coast of the South.
Waves in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand are expected to rise 1-2 metres and two metres during thundershowers.
The weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees Celsius, highs of 33-36°C.
Northeast: Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas with gusty winds and isolated heavy.rains; temperature lows of 23-26°C, highs of 30-36°C.
Central: Thundershowers in 20 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 25-26°C, highs of 33-37°C.
East: Thundershowers in 30 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 24-28°C, highs of 32-35°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Thundershowers in 40 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 23-25°C, highs of 31-35°C; waves a metre high and 1-2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Thundershowers in 60 per cent of the areas with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-24°C, highs of 29-32°C; waves 1-2 metres high and two metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Thundershowers in 10 per cent of the areas; temperature lows of 26-28°C, highs of 34-37°C.
Airline industry to weigh goal of net-zero emissions by 2050
The airline industrys global trade group will propose eliminating carbon emissions on a net basis by 2050, as pressure builds to improve the climate goals of a segment thats come under increasing criticism for its use of fossil fuels.
The International Air Transport Association will ask carriers to adopt the target at its annual meeting in Boston in October, Willie Walsh, its director general, said in an interview Thursday.
While airlines including British Airways owner IAG, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines Holding have all made net-zero commitments, IATA hasn’t updated its own target since 2009. At that time, airlines pledged to cut CO2 output 50% by mid-century, compared with 2005 levels. But emissions have surged since then, driven by a boom in air travel that was only cut short last year by the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m very confident that the industry will align with the changed goals,” Walsh said. “But we do have to go through the formal process.”
Aviation has come under a harsher spotlight as industries such as automotive manufacturing make strides toward cutting emissions in line with goals set by the Paris Agreement. Before the pandemic, so-called flight-shaming prompted movements to limit air travel and switch to trains, for example.
Walsh argues that while there’s little that carriers can do on their own, there’s a credible path if governments, oil companies and planemakers pitch in to do their share.
“It’s unacceptable that others in the wider aviation industry just look to airlines to write the big check,” he said. “We don’t build the aircraft or produce the fuel or run the air traffic services.”
One challenge in decarbonizing aviation is the difficulty of getting planes airborne with alternative fuels.
IATA intends to hold planemaker Airbus SE to a pledge to produce a hydrogen-fueled aircraft by 2035 and said the model needs to have the size comparable to the top-selling A320 narrow-body – carrying 150 people – and a range of at least 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).
Governments and oil companies should also increase investment in sustainable aviation fuels, seen as key to cutting emissions over the next decade, and European countries must come together to form a single air-traffic control area that would optimize routes and cut CO2 at a stroke, he said.
The 2015 Paris Agreement committed almost 200 countries to stabilize global warming “well below” 2 degrees Celsius compared with pre-industrial levels, with a stretch target of 1.5 degrees Celsius. It also calls for all man-made emissions to fall to net zero during the second half of this century.
However, aviation as an industry wasn’t specifically covered, and targets were left to individual countries.
Aviation industry CO2 emissions reached about 915 million metric tons in 2019, according to Air Transport Action Group, an industry group focused on environmental issues.
Based on 2005 levels, IATA’s current target is for carriers to reduce carbon emissions to 325 million metric tons by 2050. Walsh said achieving net zero would represent only an incremental change, given the direction already set in 2009.
Walsh spoke in a wide-ranging interview. Other points he addressed:
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– Industry comeback: Walsh is slightly more optimistic than current IATA estimate for a $48 billion industry loss for 2021. The second half looks better for Europe given pace of vaccine rollouts, but transatlantic routes are reopening slower than expected. He sees the U.S. opening to European visitors “probably during July”
– U.K. government “haven’t done anything specific to the airline industry. So I wouldn’t be optimistic about them doing anything going forward”
– Mideast super-hubs still “very important” and will have higher relevance post-pandemic — becoming more valuable while fewer direct flights are available
– Skeptical that flying taxis can become a viable business, but not dismissing them
– China is “very credible future player” in aircraft manufacturing and “clearly have the determination to get there”; coming Comac C919 probably won’t see much demand outside domestic market.
Published : June 25, 2021
By : Syndication Washington Post, Bloomberg · Christopher Jasper, Jessica Shankleman, Charlotte Ryan
Thai Matthayom students win third place in international satellite contest.
SPOROS, a team of students from Assumption College, won third place in the CanSat 2021 online mini-satellite competition on Tuesday. SPOROS, the only team from Thailand to make it to the finals
SPOROS, the only team from Thailand to make it to the finals, is made up of five students from the Engineering Faculty. The members are Phacharaphon Suchindawat, Warisanan Rattanachaipong, Papop Lekhapanyaporn, Thanpisit Kangsathien and Sirawut Chanthawornkit. Here’s a videoclip of their project and determination to win.
The five members of SPOROS assemble their mini-satellite for the CanSat 2021 competition held in the US. This year, the competition was held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic. SPOROS was the only Thai team to make to the final round of 48. The Thai team is made up of Matthayom students instead of university students like in other teams. SPOROS won third place with a total score of 98.59 per cent, 0.59 per cent lower than the winner. The members thanked their teacher for giving them knowledge they can use to build their future.
CanSat is an international competition on assembling a can-sized satellite that works like a real one.
Drug suspects chased down after attempt to flee in car
Drug suspects chased down after attempt to flee in car
No Bangkok lockdown, PM insists, but shuts infected construction sites for a month
