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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000644

NMG launches Covid-relief operation for Klong Toei

Nation Multimedia Group will launch a charity push on Saturday to deliver freshly cooked food for locals in Bangkok’s Covid-hit Klong Toei slums.

The “Krua Nation Pan Namchai” (Nation’s Kitchen Charity) project will relieve burdens from a Covid-19 outbreak that is spreading rapidly through crowded Klong Toei neighbourhoods.

A total of 3,694 slum residents had been inoculated from May 4-6, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said on Friday. City officials aim to vaccinate a total 50,000 people in Klong Toei as part of an urgent operation to curb the outbreak.

Meanwhile, proactive Covid-19 testing in Bangkok will run until May 19, the BMA said.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000642

‘Slim chance’ 20-tonne Chinese rocket could crash to Earth in Thailand

The 20-tonne chunk of Chinese space junk due to crash to Earth this weekend has a slim chance of falling on Thailand, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) said on Friday.

The core of China’s Long March 5B rocket was spotted circling the Earth in unstable orbit on Thursday, and experts say its debris is likely to reach the ground on Saturday or Sunday.

GISTDA executive director Pakorn Apaphant explained that China launched the rocket on April 29 on a mission to deliver the main module of China’s first space station, the “Tianhe”, which is expected to be completed in 2022.

He said GISTDA and three international agencies – the United States Space Command, European Space Agency and Aerospace – expect the 20-tonne rocket core to re-enter the atmosphere and tumble to Earth on Sunday.

“The time and location where it will fall will be clear about three hours before it hits the ground,” he said.

He said there was only a 0.18 per cent chance that the falling rocket core would affect Thailand, as calculated by AstroLab’s ZIRCON space traffic management system.

“However, we will monitor the situation and give updates,” he said.

He added that most large pieces of space junk fall to Earth without causing damage to property.

About 150 tonnes of space hardware re-enter the atmosphere each year, but so far there have been no casualties.

However, the last time China launched a Long March 5B rocket, “they ended up with big long rods of metal flying through the sky and damaging several buildings in the Ivory Coast,” said Harvard University astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. He was referring to reports of Chinese space debris crashing onto the west coast of Africa on May 11 last year.

GISTDA chief Pakorn said: “Under space law, if an accident occurs, the country that owns the [space junk] is responsible for damages.”

The path of the falling rocket can be tracked in real time at https://orbit.ing-now.com/satellite/48275/2021-035b/cz-5b/.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000641

Rangers deliver Covid-relief packages in Narathiwat

The 48th Ranger Forces Regiment has deployed soldiers to deliver Covid-relief packages to communities in Narathiwat Cho-airong district.

The rangers have partnered with local leaders and volunteers to provide meals, rice, dried food, face masks, hand sanitisers and other necessities to villagers living in Ban Ai Satia, Ban Ku Wae and Ban Bue Rangae.

Rangers deliver Covid-relief packages in NarathiwatRangers deliver Covid-relief packages in Narathiwat

The mission is helping elderly, poor, disabled and bedbound villagers who are suffering burdens from the Covid-19 crisis in the southern border province.

“Personnel are also publicising ways to prevent the spread of Covid-19 among family members, in line with Department of Disease Control practices,” said 48th Ranger Forces Regiment Commander Colonel Aekkapol Leknok.

Rangers deliver Covid-relief packages in NarathiwatRangers deliver Covid-relief packages in Narathiwat

He added that all soldiers involved are taking Covid-preventive measures, such as wearing face masks and washing their hands regularly.

Rangers deliver Covid-relief packages in NarathiwatRangers deliver Covid-relief packages in Narathiwat

A cluster of over 100 infections was reported in Narathiwat last month.

Rangers deliver Covid-relief packages in Narathiwat

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000639

Sputnik V should be approved for use in Thailand next month: FDA

The reason Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine has not been registered for use in Thailand is because the importer Kingen Biotech Ltd has not yet submitted full documentation for registration, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Friday.

Covid-19 vaccine to be used in Thailand must be registered by the FDA as per four standards: Safety, quality, efficiency, and risk management, said FDA secretary-general Dr Phaisan Dankhum.

“Vaccine importers must submit documents giving all necessary information based on the guidelines provided by the ICH [International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use],” Phaisan explained.

“So far, three brands of Covid-19 vaccines have been registered in Thailand, namely AstraZeneca, Sinovac, and Johnson & Johnson, after their importers submitted all documents necessary to get approval,” he added.

“Meanwhile, the importer of Sputnik V has submitted some documents, such as details of manufacture, and animal and human trials, but they have yet to submit key details about quality control, safety, efficiency, and their risk management plan after the vaccine is used in Thailand.”

Phaisan added that Kingen Biotech has said that they will submit the rest of the documents later this month, after which the FDA will take around 30 days to complete the approval process.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000638

UK ambassador praises Thailand for vaccine management

Outgoing UK Ambassador Brian Davidson has praised Thailand for its management of Covid-19 vaccines.

Davidson met with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House in Bangkok on Thursday on the occasion of his retirement as ambassador.

Prayut expressed his condolences on the death of the Duke of Edinburgh and thanked the ambassador for his efforts to drive cooperation between Thailand and UK, according to deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.

She said the UK ambassador thanked the PM and the government for their cooperation, saying he believed that Thailand and Asean countries had the potential to grow further and draw more investment, especially in the fields of energy and electric vehicles.

“The ambassador also praised Thailand on efforts to secure Covid-19 vaccines for all Thais, adding that Siam Bioscience is the first and only pharmaceutical company in Southeast Asia chosen by AstraZeneca to be the centre of its vaccine production and distribution,” she said.

UK ambassador praises Thailand for vaccine management

Prayut and the ambassador also discussed economic recovery after the Covid-19 crisis, moves for a Thai-UK free trade agreement, the environment and the political crisis in Myanmar.

“The ambassador said he believes that Thailand has the potential to be a bridge linking the UK with Asean, the Greater Mekong Subregion and the Indo-Pacific region,” she added.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000637

Over-60s in Thailand to get Sinovac vaccine

China’s Sinovac vaccine will be administered to people aged over 60 in Thailand, said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after presiding over a National Communicable Disease Committee meeting on Friday.

The committee also approved minimum fines of THB1,000 for not wearing a face mask in public.

“The committee approved the proposal to give Sinovac vaccine to people aged over 60 who meet medical requirements, as studies by Chinese authorities support the vaccine’s suitability [for people in this age group],” he said. “The ministry will send the documents to the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] to proceed with registration of Sinovac vaccine for people over 60 in Thailand.”

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, Disease Control Department director-general, added that the committee also approved a minimum fine for people who violate the Communicable Disease Act by not wearing face masks in public as per the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) order covering all 77 provinces from May 1.

Violation of the Act carries a maximum penalty of THB20,000.

“The committee agreed that the minimum fine should start at Bt1,000 for the first offence,” he said. “Repeated offences will result in an increase to Bt10,000 and subsequent offences will be penalised by fines of Bt10,000 to Bt20,000.”

Opas added that the fines are just a framework and subject to adjustment.

“We set these amounts not because we expect to earn money from violators. We just want people to conduct themselves in accordance with the outbreak situation,” he said, adding that the fines may be reduced or waived on a case-by-case basis subject to circumstance and the violator’s financial status.

The 3.5 million doses of Sinovac shipped to Thailand so far have mainly been administered to medical workers.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000636

GPO to start making Favipiravir after Japanese pharma’s patent request rejected

The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) will go ahead with its plan to produce at least a million tablets of the antiviral drug Favipiravir.

This move came after the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP) on Wednesday rejected the Japanese pharmaceutical company’s request for a patent on the drug as there have been no improvements in the production under the 1979 Patent Act.

Thailand has had to import Favipiravir from Japan at THB117 to THB120 per tablet, but this will go down to THB30 to THB40 per tablet if the medicine is produced locally.

Dr Witoon Danwiboon, GPO’s managing director, said on Thursday that the organisation had started studying the efficacy of locally produced Favipiravir on local volunteers in April and expects to register the drug with the Thai Food and Drug Administration by July.

“GPO will start producing Favipiravir after getting approval from FDA,” he said, adding that GPO has ordered raw materials from China and India.

For the long term, he said, GPO is cooperating with the National Science and Technology Development Agency and PTT to research and develop the production of materials required to make Favipiravir and other drugs.

Separately, several networks working on helping people to access medical treatment submitted a letter to GPO, urging it to go ahead with its plan to produce Favipiravir without worrying about the chemical patent.

Nimit Tienudom, director of Aids Access Foundation, said that more than a million tablets of Favipiravir will be required to treat Thailand’s more than 20,000 Covid-19 patients.

“We applaud DIP for rejecting the Japanese pharma’s request and urge it to go ahead with its plan to produce Favipiravir to deal with the rising number of Covid-19 patients,” he said.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000633

Virus claims another 27 lives, infects 2,044 people

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) reported 2,044 new cases and 27 deaths on Friday.

Of the deaths, 18 were in Bangkok, two each in Samut Prakan and Nonthaburi and one each in Chaiyaphum, Chachoengsao, Ranong, Rayong and Pathum Thani.

The ages of those who succumbed to the virus ranged between 30 and 90, and most suffered from chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and other complications.

Bangkok is again leading the list with 869 confirmed infections, followed by 201 in Nonthaburi and 165 in Samut Prakan.

Also included in the list of infected are four Thai returnees, three from Malaysia and one from Tanzania.

Separately, 2,377 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.

As of Friday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 78,855. Of these, 75,498 had been contracted locally, including 23,167 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,357 were returnees.

So far, 49,172 have recovered and been discharged, 29,320 patients are still in hospitals, and 363 have died.

Meanwhile, another 33,539 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, while 16,410 people were given their second shot, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered in Thailand to 1,651,782.

Separately, according to Worldometer, as of 11am on Friday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 156.68 million (up by 846,453), 134.04 million of whom have recovered, 19.38 million are active cases (110,301 in severe condition) and 3.26 million have died (up by 13,774).

Thailand ranks 98th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 33.36 million, followed by India 21.48 million, Brazil 15 million, France 5.72 million and Turkey 4.97 million.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000630

Thais can expect Pfizer doses in Q3, Q4: Anutin

The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be delivered in the third and fourth quarters of this year, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced on Facebook on Friday.

According to the post, Pfizer is scheduled to deliver between 10 million and 20 million doses by the end of the year. The minister added that negotiations with the vaccine manufacturer had gone smoothly.

Anutin also added that the process of registering the Pfizer vaccine with the Thai Food and Drug Administration will be completed quickly.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation

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https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40000628

Vibhavadi Hospital drops plan to secure Moderna vaccines.

Vibhavadi Hospital has decided to cancel its plan to procure the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine as there is no scheduled date of delivery. The hospital wanted to order the doses so people had the option to get vaccinated privately, the hospital said on its Facebook page on Thursday.

“The hospital has decided to cancel the procurement of Moderna vaccines because it does not know when the doses will be delivered, and those who have registered with the hospital may face the risk of infection while waiting,” the hospital said.

“As soon as the hospital has an alternative, we will contact those who have registered to tell them if they can receive a shot,” the hospital added.

Published : May 07, 2021

By : The Nation