The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said vaccine reservation process via the Mor Prom (Doctors Ready) application has been suspended, but it can still be used for other services.
CCSA spokesperson Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said other channels will be set up for people to register for the jab, adding that those who have already registered via Mor Phrom will get their shot on the day scheduled.
Thailand hits new record high of 41 deaths, 2,455 confirmed cases
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday reported 2,455 new cases, including 16 returnees, and a record high of 41 deaths.
Bangkok led the list with 975 cases, followed by 259 in Petchaburi, 122 in Nonthaburi and 100 in Samut Prakan.
The capital also led the list of fatalities with 16 dead, followed by seven in Samut Prakan, three in Nonthaburi, two each in Chonburi and Pathum Thani, and one each in Singburi, Sukhothai, Udon Thani, Narathiwat, Loei, Sakhon Nakhon, Nakhon Sawan, Prachin Buri, Trang, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Samut Sakhon.
Of the 16 returnees, 13 were Thais, including seven from Cambodia, three from Saudi Arabia and one each from Malaysia, India and the US. The three foreign arrivals were Kuwaiti, Maldivian and Myanmar from their home country.
Meanwhile, 2,571 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 137,894. So far, 91,765 people have recovered and been discharged, 45,256 patients are still in hospitals and 873 have died.
Meanwhile, another 113,486 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 9,428 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 3,147,227.
According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 168.51 million (up by 523,429), 150.01 million of whom have recovered, 15.01 million are active cases (96,302 in severe condition) and 3.49 million have died (up by 12,086).
Thailand ranks 85th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 33.94 million, followed by India 27.15 million, Brazil 16.19 million, France 5.6 million and Turkey 5.2 million.
Experts evaluate Airport Rail Link system before handover on Oct 25
Another 1.7 billion baht has been injected in the Airport Rail Link project and foreign experts sent to inspect the rail system as well as the readiness of stations before the system goes into operation on October 25.
The Eastern High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Co Ltd said it hopes to elevate the rail link into a mass transit system that encompasses travel routes between Bangkok and its suburbs. The high-speed rail project will also link the three main airports in Greater Bangkok, namely Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi and U-Tapao, from 2026.
Supachai Chearavanont, chief executive officer of Charoen Pokphand Group and chair of the Eastern High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Co’s executive board, said the company was ready to ensure a smooth transition from the State Railway of Thailand as per contract. He said the system has been progressing according to plan and set timeline.
Foreign and local experts are also conducting detailed site visits and collecting opinions about the rail link’s development and improvements to ensure seamless service upon handover.
“This project is the nation’s hope in reviving the economy, thus the company has been working to provide passengers a better travel experience once we take over operations.
“This has to be excellent from the first step with readiness in all aspects,” Supachai said.
Sarit Jinnasith, president of Eastern High-Speed Rail Linking Three Airports Co Ltd, said that though his company will receive management rights from October 25, it has found the need to invest more in operations and station improvements to ensure the provision of seamless service.
“The company prioritises preparations for the handover, thus when foreign experts recommended an improvement in the system and stations, the company decided to pour an additional 1.7 billion baht before the official handover,” he said.
Apart from improving the operation before the handover, the company is also planning further development and improvements in other aspects to boost safety and security, as well as enhance the level of service.
The project’s overview and progress can be viewed at
British strain responsible for 93% of Thailand’s April Covid cases
Most Covid-19 cases found in April were caused by the British variant, according to results from a test of 300 samples, the Public Health Ministry said on Tuesday.
Dr Supakit Sirilak, the director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences and representative of the ministry, said the British variant appeared in 93 per cent of the samples.
Regarding the South African variant, he said only 11 persons in Narathiwat’s Tak Bai district were infected with this particular strain and they were under strict quarantine in an attempt to keep this variant of the coronavirus from spreading to nearby areas.
Supakit also said that a total of 62 people in Bangkok were found to have contracted the Indian variant. A search was conducted after 32 construction workers were initially found to be infected with the strain.
However, Supakit confirmed that the severity of the Indian and British variants were not much different from other strains and Covid-19 vaccines were still effective.
Missing assault rifles could be in hands of insurgents
So far, 37 AK102 assault rifles have gone missing in five districts of Narathiwat province in southern Thailand, with police suspecting the weapons may be in the hands of insurgents.
Muang station police were first notified on May 18 when 28 AK102s were found missing from the arms depot of the territorial defence office.
On Tuesday, the police station’s superintendent told the press that his subordinates were checking the number of weapons in each depot of the province.
The latest update showed that nine more rifles have gone missing.
The five districts with the missing rifles are Muang, Su-ngai Kolok, Rue So, Sri Sakhon and Su-ngai Padi.
Security forces have been battling an insurgency in the deep South for nearly two decades.
The police suspect some of the guns could have been stolen by local insurgents as officers had found that the same kind of weapons were used by the insurgents in a shootout on May 11.
Locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine will be available for masses from June 7: Anutin
The AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured domestically by Siam Bioscience will be available for mass inoculations from June 7 as per the original schedule, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul confirmed on Tuesday, debunking rumours that the ministry could not procure enough doses for the public on time.
“The manufacturer has confirmed that the delivery of the vaccine will start in June. The Department of Medical Sciences should take around 3-4 days to inspect it before releasing it to vaccination units,” he said.
Auntin said that so far four kinds of vaccines – AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna – have been approved and registered for use in Thailand by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“The importer of Sinopharm’s Covilo vaccine has submitted complete documentation to register the vaccine in Thailand and the FDA should have it approved by Friday if nothing goes wrong,” he said.
“Meanwhile, Pfizer has submitted a ‘term sheet’ vaccine purchasing contract to the ministry. We will have 14 days to sign the contract. After that, Pfizer will have 30 days to submit documents for registration of the vaccine. We aim to purchase around 20 million doses of vaccine from them,” Anutin said.
“Once a vaccine is registered for use in Thailand, any private company or individual can contact the importer to buy the vaccine directly. There is no monopoly on vaccine purchases by the government as many have claimed,” he added.
Isolated heavy rains forecast for North, Northeast, South
A monsoon trough lies across the lower North, the Central region and the Northeast while the southwest monsoon prevails over the Andaman Sea, the South and the Gulf of Thailand and will bring isolated heavy rains to the North, the Northeast and the South, the Thailand Meteorological Department said on Wednesday.
It advised all ships to proceed with caution while small boats should stay ashore as waves in the Andaman Sea are 2-4 metres high and will be above 4 metres during thundershowers.
Here’s the weather forecast for the next 24 hours:
North: Hot day with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area; gusty winds and isolated heavy rains are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 23-27 degrees and highs of 32-37 degrees Celsius.
Northeast: Cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the area; gusty winds and isolated heavy rains are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 22-25 degrees and highs of 30-33 degrees Celsius.
Central: Hot day with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area; gusty winds are possible in some areas; temperature lows of 24-27 degrees, highs of 34-38 degrees Celsius.
East: Cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area with isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 24-28 degrees, highs of 32-36 degrees Celsius; waves 2 metres high and over 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (east coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 60 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 23-26 degrees, highs of 33-35 degrees Celsius; waves 1-2 metres high and 2 metres during thundershowers.
South (west coast): Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 70 per cent of the area and isolated heavy rains; temperature lows of 21-26 degrees, highs of 28-34 degrees Celsius; waves 2-4 metres high and over 4 metres during thundershowers.
Bangkok and surrounding areas: Mostly cloudy with thundershowers in 40 per cent of the area; temperature lows of 26-28 degrees, highs of 34-37 degrees Celsius.
Hua Hin targets 350k jabs before flood of foreign tourists from Oct 1
Hua Hin is racing to vaccinate 70 per cent of residents so it can open to quarantine-free foreign tourism from October 1.
Under the “Hua Hin recharge” project, hotels, restaurants and other tourism businesses have joined with hospitals and government agencies in a four-month push to vaccinate the international seaside resort.
“We need vaccination to start in June with second doses administered by August,” said local Thai Chamber of Commerce committee member Krod Rojanastien.
This will require just over 350,000 doses of vaccine to fully inoculate 176,749 of Hua Hin’s 213,979 residents so the city can welcome vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine, he added.
Mass vaccination in Hua Hin is due to start on June 7.
The city is targeting 100,000 foreign tourist arrivals generating more than 1.2 billion baht in the fourth quarter this year.
More than 89,000 people work in Hua Hin’s tourism and service sector, which has been ravaged by the Covid-19 crisis.
Tourism is Hua Hin’s main source of income and employment, generating 43.1 billion baht in 2019. But local tourism-related businesses have shut down in droves during the Covid travel ban, leaving thousands of workers jobless.
Hua Hin is also popular with internal retirees, who play a significant role in boosting the local economy.
Tourism operators in the city say overseas demand to visit Hua Hin is high if quarantine can be waived for vaccinated foreign tourists.
Covid deaths hit new daily high
