Bangkok speeds up testing in citywide hunt for virus cases
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has increased the speed of proactive Covid-19 testing across the capital in a bid to find and hospitalise infected people.
BMA permanent secretary Silapasuay Raweesangsoon said on Wednesday that both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients must be treated at hospitals or field hospitals to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Fifty district offices have been tasked with screening city residents area and reporting the number of Covid-positive cases to the Strategy and Evaluation Department.
“The department will submit the reports to the Erawan Emergency Health Service Centre twice per day [at 9am and 2pm],” said Silapasuay.
“The Erawan Emergency Health Service Centre will contact patients to evaluate their risk of Covid-19 transmissibility before deploying officials to take patients to hospitals or field hospitals,” she added.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Wednesday reported 2,012 new cases, of which 830 were in Bangkok.
About 250 Thais fled the border area in Mae Hong Son province on Tuesday after the Myanmar military launched airstrikes against ethnic forces, the Thai Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Fighting erupted at 5am on Tuesday when Karen National Union (KNU) and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) forces attacked a Myanmar army outpost near the Thai border village of Mae Sam Laep in Mae Hong Son’s Sob Moei district, said a ministry spokesman.
Myanmar government forces responded by launching airstrikes against the Karen forces in Hpapun district and a military base near Salawin National Park, he added.
Fighting between Myanmar government troops and ethnic armies has intensified since the military junta staged a coup against Aung San Suu Kyi’s government on February 1.
250 Thais flee airstrikes on Myanmar border
About 250 Thais in Mae Sam Laep had been evacuated to a safe zone in Huay Kong Kad, the spokesman said.
The 36th Ranger Forces Regiment and authorities in Sob Moei are giving assistance to the evacuees.
Thai and foreign evacuees would be treated in line with humanitarian principles and screened for Covid-19, added the spokesman.
“If the situation is likely to worsen and continue, evacuees will be transferred to another safe zone approximately 1 kilometre away from the first one,” he said.
250 Thais flee airstrikes on Myanmar border
He added that government agencies in Mae Hong Son will launch a donation campaign if they cannot provide treatment for evacuees.
Orange bins mushroom in Bangkok as 3rd wave brings tide of used masks
Bangkok will deploy another 1,000 biohazard garbage bins across the city after used masks and other medical waste generated by the third Covid-19 wave increased to 20 tonnes per day.
“The bins for used face masks will be coloured in orange while the garbage bags for medical waste are red to indicate it needs to be disposed of properly,” said Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang on Wednesday.
Orange bins mushroom in Bangkok as 3rd wave brings tide of used masks
“These bins will be placed at district offices, health service centres, hospitals, city halls, schools, sport centres, youth centres, fire stations, public parks, markets and in front of shopping malls.”
Orange bins mushroom in Bangkok as 3rd wave brings tide of used masks
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also urged people to separate used face masks from other household waste by sealing them in a marked bag and placing them in an orange bin.
Bangkok is one of 63 high-infection provinces where mask-wearing in public is now mandatory, with violation penalised by a THB20,000 fine.
On Wednesday the capital reported 830 new infections, taking the cumulative caseload since April 1 to 10,899.
Keep aspirin in the fridge? Take them out, says FDA
Keeping aspirin tablets in the fridge can degrade the drug’s quality and even make it dangerous to consumers, the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned.
The FDA was responding to social media rumours about the dangers of refrigerating aspirin, a medication to reduce pain, fever or inflammation.
The agency explained that keeping aspirin in a refrigerator can degrade its effect. Moreover, cold temperatures can generate salicylic and acetic acids in the drug, making it more dangerous to consumers if they consume it in high amounts.
So far, nine people have been fined for stepping out of their home without a face mask, Court of Justice spokesman Suriyan Hongwilai said on Wednesday.
The Interior Ministry last week ordered 63 provinces where cases have been rising to launch stringent measures to ensure people wear masks in public. Under the regulations, violators will face fines of up to THB20,000 as per the Communicable Disease Act.
“Surat Thani reported two cases with three defendants. The provincial court initially set their fine at THB2,000 but halved it when the defendants confessed,” he said.
“Ayutthaya reported two cases with two defendants, each of whom was fined THB4,000 but the court halved the fine after confession.
“Yala reported four cases with four defendants. Two were hit with a THB2,000 fine each, which was halved thanks to confession, and the other two fined THB1,000 each, which was also halved for the same reason,” he added.
Suriyan added that each judge can use his or her discretion to determine the fine, which will depend on the severity of the offence.
“People should keep an eye out for announcements from the authorities and strictly follow regulations related to the Covid-19 situation for the safety of themselves and others,” he added.
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
The Department of International Trade Promotion (DITP) has launched the “Thailand Delivers with Safety” campaign in a bid to boost consumer confidence.
The campaign focuses on handling products in line with the Covid-19 prevention practices and ensures Thai manufacturers do the same to ensure greater safety.
Somdet Susomboon, director-general of DITP, said the pandemic has changed consumer behaviour and heightened concerns over health and safety.Most importantly, consumers are taking extra precautions when buying fresh fruits and vegetables. As a major exporter of fruits and vegetables across the world, Thailand is among the first few to emphasise on delivering safety for consumers. Thailand’s Commerce, Public Health, Agriculture and Cooperatives as well as Interior Ministries have joined forces in implementing compliance of Covid-19 prevention best practice by setting the following safety measures for manufacturers, exporters, business operators, fruit and vegetable suppliers, as well as logistics operators to follow:
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
• Reduce risk of contamination:
Business operators and suppliers must control access to the premises, such as signing names to check-in, using an online system to screen and manage employee data as well as data on the freight vehicles and cleaning surface of the freight vehicles at risk of contamination after each use, while employees are required to wear a mask at all times to prevent contamination.
• Strict production control: Every factory must implement quality and safety controls throughout the production line, from receiving fresh fruit and vegetable, processing and packing in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP). Besides, employees must maintain personal hygiene at all times by wearing aprons, gloves and mask, and wash hands frequently during work, while maintaining preventive measures for transporting goods by cleaning and disinfecting the interior of the vehicle container.
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
• Control Personal Hygiene, Work Environment as well as Location and Manufacturing Building
Location and Manufacturing Building: Entrances and exits must be controlled at all times. In addition, the manufacturing building, meeting room, cafeteria, changing room and toilets should be properly managed to reduce congestion. Business operators should also install high-efficiency ventilation systems and air filters in the building.
Sanitation: Personal hygiene equipment must be readily available at the workstation including a handwashing sink, liquid soap, disinfectant, disposable paper towels and auto lid pedal waste bins, with the clear instructions provided.
Cleaning: Strictly clean and disinfect machinery manufacturing buildings, toilets, floors, walls, as well as common areas that are prone to contact such as doorknobs, handrails, elevator buttons, chairs, dining tables, etc., in appropriate frequency and time of day.
Personal hygiene of workers: Workers’ health must be monitored daily before they enter the building. Workers must wear a mask at all times and information collected for tracing. They are also required to wear gloves, wash hands, maintain social distancing and prevent any contaminations during operation.
Training: Employees must be trained to protect themselves from COVID-19 including temperature checking, wearing a mask, social distancing, cleaning and disinfecting, as well as reducing congestion, to ensure that their workplace is Covid-19 secure.
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
“DITP has launched ‘Thailand Delivers with Safety’ campaign to strengthen relationships and trust among buyers and trade partners across the globe. Thai manufacturers strictly follow Covid-19 Prevention Best Practice in every procedure from sourcing ingredients, harvesting, transporting, manufacturing with a high level of personal safety, packaging to delivering at the consumers’ doorstep,” Somdet said.
Local production of Covid-19 vaccine on track, says AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca’s plan to produce its Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand has made significant progress and the first batch is expected to be ready for delivery by June.
Manufacturing of vaccines approved
Siam Bioscience, which is owned by the Crown Property Bureau, has been chosen by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to manufacture the vaccines. AstraZeneca said that it and Siam Bioscience have been working tirelessly to ensure safe and timely delivery of vaccines to inoculate the Thai population.
Production of the vaccine is critical not only to Thailand’s fight against the virus but also to the eight other countries in Southeast Asia the vaccines will be exported to.
The plant has passed the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), a system ensuring that products are consistently produced and control. Siam Bioscience’s plants have also earned several international standards such as ISO9001, ISO17025, and ISO13485.
Each batch of the vaccine undergoes more than 60 different quality control tests during its journey from manufacture to inoculation.
James Teague, president of AstraZeneca (Thailand), said: “AstraZeneca and our global manufacturing partners, including Siam Bioscience, are committed to maintaining the highest safety and quality standards of our products. Numerous safety tests and quality control measures are carried out at each step. We are working as quickly as possible to supply the vaccine to Thailand.”
Regional production hub
“Thailand will play a key role in supporting our neighbours in Southeast Asia to combat Covid-19,” Teague said.
“We all have the same objective, to get effective vaccines to everybody as quickly as possible but safely.
“The AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and can save many lives as it has very high efficacy, it is easy to transport and store. Patient safety is the highest priority for AstraZeneca. Regulators have clear and stringent efficacy and safety standards for the approval of any new medicine, and that includes our vaccine.
“Much work is ahead of us in Asia and elsewhere, as we continue to deal with the terrible pandemic and the roll-out of vaccination programmes. AstraZeneca has an important role to play, and our intent remains to do that fairly and equitably at no profit during the pandemic around the world,” Teague added.
Vaccine rollout
AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine has been granted conditional marketing authorisation for emergency use in more than 70 countries, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Emergency Use Listing now accelerating the pathway to access in up to 142 countries through the Covax facility.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is well-tolerated and highly effective against all disease severities across all adults in clinical trials, and emerging real-world evidence from tens of millions of people also shows that the vaccine reduces severe disease and hospital admissions by more than 80 per cent after the first dose.
Regulatory authorities in the UK, European Union, the WHO have concluded that the benefits of using the vaccine to protect people from this virus significantly outweigh the risks.
A generous doctor came to the aid of a penniless mother, giving her THB3,000 to buy milk for her one-year-old baby, whom he had treated, and also paying the THB30 medical fee, the Rueng Lao Mor Chai Daen (The Story of Doctors at the Border) Facebook page reported on Tuesday.
The page said the mother could not pay either the THB30 medical fee for her baby or the cost of the milk because both she and her husband were laid off due to the Covid-19 crisis.
“Hence a doctor, who provided medical service to the mother’s baby, gave her THB3,000 in cash for buying milk and paid the THB30 medical fee for her,” the page reported.
It went on to say that the Covid-19 situation has led to many people being unable to pay their medical fees under the THB30 healthcare scheme despite this scheme being introduced to enable patients to seek treatment for about 20 years.
The page also urged comparatively well-off people to help relieve the sufferings of those affected by the Covid-19 outbreak “as much as they can”.
“People can help relieve others’ suffering due to the Covid-19 situation by at least talking politely,” the page added.
Covid claims 15 lives for 2nd consecutive day, 2,012 new cases confirmed
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Tuesday reported 2,012 new cases, and 15 deaths for a second day running. The new fatalities include nine cases in Bangkok, two each in Chiang Mai and Samut Prakan and one each in Chonburi and Ranong.
The ages of those who succumbed to the virus ranged between 35 and 88, and all of them reportedly suffered from chronic conditions.
Meanwhile, of the 2,012 new cases, 830 were in Bangkok, followed by 108 in Chonburi and 161 in Samut Prakan.
The new infections also included 11 arrivals from overseas. Of them, seven were Thais, four of whom flew in from Pakistan, two from Cambodia and one from Qatar.
The remaining four included two Indians from India and UAE and a Chinese national and a Czech from their own countries.
Meanwhile, 851 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.
As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 61,699. Of these, 58,402 had been contracted locally, including 21,840 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,297 were returnees.
So far, 34,402 have recovered and been discharged, 27,119 patients are still in hospitals, and 178 have died.
Since April 1, 84 people have succumbed to the virus, CCSA said. Thailand’s third wave of Covid-19 infections was sparked by some cluster cases in mid-March.
According to Worldometer, as of 11am on Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 149.35 million (up by 830,822), 127.02 million have recovered, 19.18 million are active cases (111,234 in severe condition) and 3.15 million have died (up by 14,821).
Thailand ranks 104th on the global list of most cases, which is topped by the US with 32.92 million, followed by India 17.98 million, Brazil 14.44 million, France 5.53 million, and Russia 4.77 million.
250 Thais flee airstrikes on Myanmar border
250 Thais flee airstrikes on Myanmar border
Orange bins mushroom in Bangkok as 3rd wave brings tide of used masks
Orange bins mushroom in Bangkok as 3rd wave brings tide of used masks
India sends second plane this week to pick up oxygen tanks
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
DITP launches safety campaign for handling fruit, veg to boost consumer confidence
