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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40012018

Children should receive their Covid-19 vaccines despite the risk of them developing myocarditis or inflammation of the heart muscle because the virus is far more dangerous, leading virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan said in a Facebook comment on Sunday.

Citing a study on boys and girls aged 12-15 that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on January 26, he said boys were more at risk of developing myocarditis after receiving their second Pfizer jab.

“The ratio of boys at risk of myocarditis stood at one to 12,361, while that of girls was 10 times lower at one for every 144,439,” he said.

However, he said, most myocarditis patients had developed mild symptoms and could be cured without requiring treatment.

The study was conducted on 400,000 teenagers who had received their first jab and 320,000 who had received their second jab.

“With the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, children should receive their jabs to cut down the chance of severe infection. However, it is still up to the parents on whether they want their children to receive a jab or not,” he said.

Earlier, the Thai Food and Drug Administration has approved Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines for children aged six and above for parents to choose as an alternative.

“So far, some 29,752 children aged between five and 11 have received their jab. The Public Health Ministry recommends eight weeks before the second jab is administered,” government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said. “Hospitals have set up separate vaccination points for children to ensure the vaccination drive goes smoothly.”

As of Monday, Thailand’s total caseload from Covid-19 stands at 2,507,471 – 2,392,384 of whom have recovered, 92,784 are still in hospitals and 22,303 have died.

Separately, another 11,063 people were given their first Covid-19 shot in the last 24 hours, 15,217 their second shot and 190,258 a booster, bringing the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses administered nationwide to 117,094,785.

Published : February 07, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40011995

In a bid to tackle a huge drop in birth rates and Thailand’s fast-ageing society, public health agencies are pushing for fertility treatments and surrogacy programmes to be covered by the Universal Healthcare scheme and other welfare programmes.

According to the Interior Ministry, Thailand saw 563,650 deaths against 544,570 births in 2021, the lowest in 10 years.

Prof Dr Kamthorn Pruksananonda, chair of a reproductive medicine panel at Royal Obstetrics and Gynaecologists of Thailand, warned that this decline in birth rate could trigger economic and social issues in the long term, especially when it comes to a greater reliance on migrant workers.

He said national healthcare schemes do not cover fertility treatments yet because infertility is not considered a disease. He added that currently, only private hospitals offer treatments like in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) for women finding it difficult to get pregnant. However, he said, not everybody can afford this because even the very basic IVF treatment can cost up to 100,000 baht.

“Now that the World Health Organisation has categorised infertility as a disease, government hospitals should start providing treatment at affordable prices,” he said.

Kamthorn said Royal Obstetrics and Gynaecologists of Thailand along with the Department of Health and Department of Health Service Support have drafted guidelines to help people gain access to infertility treatment. However, this process will take more than a year to complete as other related agencies like the National Health Security Office, Social Security Office and Comptroller General’s Department must draft their guidelines as well.

“The Universal Healthcare Coverage should first start providing fertility treatments before it is expanded to social security and civil servants’ welfare schemes,” he said. “Initial treatment is not expensive, as the first step is a correct diagnosis.”

Kamthorn said making infertility treatment more accessible should help solve the problem of declining birth rates, much like Scandinavian countries, which have been focusing on promoting family lives.

“Besides, getting pregnant after turning 40 puts women at the risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes, etc, while foetuses face the risk of Down’s syndrome and other problems. The only way this can be avoided is if women have access to infertility treatments earlier,” he said.

He added that public hearings are also necessary to determine if same-sex couples can become parents via surrogacy under the Child Protection Act.

Published : February 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40011992

Up to 1 million people in Thailand may be suffering from long Covid, which may create labour shortages in the future, research shows.

Researcher Thira Woratanarat said the number of reinfections has significantly surged thanks to the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

Hence, he said, people need to take steps to protect themselves and pay no attention to fake news and claims that Covid-19 is like normal flu.

Research shows that there is a 20 to 40 per cent chance of people who have recovered from Covid-19 to develop long-term health problems or long-Covid, such as inflammation of certain organs or gastrointestinal problems, etc.

Long Covid can range from mild to severe and may hit both asymptomatic people as well as those with severe symptoms. It is believed that women face a greater risk of long Covid.

According to Brookings Metro, a US-based policy tracker, long Covid will mostly affect people of working age and subsequently create labour shortages.

As many as 2.5 million people in Thailand have been infected by Covid-19, and it is estimated that up to 40 per cent of them have developed long Covid.

Published : February 06, 2022

By : THE NATION

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40011955

Schools in Delhi will be allowed to reopen from Monday, as COVID-19 cases decline once again in the Indian capital, meanwhile, the country’s COVID-19 deaths have surpassed 500,000.

India’s COVID-19 deaths surpassed 500,000, and the total tally of infections rose to 41,952,712 on Friday with 149,394 new cases registered during the past 24 hours across the country, showed the federal health ministry’s latest data.

The health ministry data showed 1,072 new deaths due to the pandemic reported since Thursday morning took the total death toll to 500,055.

There are currently 1,435,569 active COVID-19 cases in the country, a fall of 98,352 recorded during the past 24 hours.

A total of 40,017,088 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals so far in the South Asian country, including 246,674 newly registered recoveries.

The Delhi government announced Friday that schools, colleges and all other educational institutions will be allowed to reopen from Monday, as COVID-19 cases decline once again in the capital of India.

Schools, that have been shut since the last week of December, will be reopened from the next week for students of Classes 9 to 12, and it has been made mandatory for all teachers to be fully vaccinated before resuming their work from Feb. 7.

Students sanitize their hands before entering classroom at a school in Agartala, the capital city of India

It was also decided to open all offices with 100 percent capacity, instead of earlier restricted 50 percent.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority on Friday.

A girl receives a dose of COVID-19 vaccine in New Delhi, India, Jan. 3, 2022. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar)

After the meeting, Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that reopening of all sectors will be taken up step by step.

“All schools (class 9 onwards), colleges, institutes, universities, coaching to reopen from 7th Feb. Nursery to class 8 from 14th Feb. Higher education to be completely in physical mode,” he tweeted.

“All gyms, spa and swimming pools shall be allowed to open. Restaurants shall be allowed to remain open till 11:00 p.m. Night curfew shall continue from 11:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.,” Sisodia said.

On Thursday, Delhi recorded 2,668 cases with a positivity rate of 4.3 percent, the lowest since the year began.

Published : February 05, 2022

By : Xinhua

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40011928

The Omicron variant has greater longevity than other Covid viruses, and the only way to protect one self is through practice of proper hygiene, especially through use of disinfectants, a senior medical professional has said.

In a Facebook post, Dr Teerawat Hemachuta, head of Chulalongkorn University’s Information Centre for Emerging Infectious Diseases, said that study by Japanese researchers shows the Omicron lasts longer than other variants.

Teerawut posted comparative data on the stability of the virus on a polystyrene surface and the human skin.

On a polystyrene surface:
Wuhan virus survived 56 hours
Alpha 191.3 hours
Beta 156.6 hours
Gamma 59.3 hours
Delta 114 hours
Omicron 193.5 hours

On human skin:
Wuhan virus survived 8.6 hours
Alpha 19.6 hours
Beta 19.1 hours
Gamma 11 hours
Delta 16.8 hours
Omicron 21.1 hours

He added that the amount of virus on the surface is at 100.5 TCID50. The median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) is defined as the dilution of a virus required to infect 50 per cent of a given cell culture.

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Why Covid-19 will never become endemic

He said it is important to clean surfaces such as tables, chairs, and other items in offices. He urged people to avoid contact with others and always wash their hands.

He said disinfectants, ethanol, and 35 per cent alcohol could remove the virus within 15 seconds.

Published : February 04, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40011922

In a Facebook post on Friday, leading virologist Dr Yong Poovorawan explained that many countries in the West are administering half the dose of mRNA vaccines as booster shots and that they are proving just as effective.

He said Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology has studied the administration of 10 micrograms of Pfizer subcutaneously and 15 to 30mcg through intramuscular injection. The centre has also studied the delivery of the full dose (100mcg) and half dose (50mcg) of Moderna vaccines.

Both studies revealed that immunity to both Delta and Omicron variants remains similar regardless of the doses.

He said vaccination centres under the Public Health Ministry, such as Bang Sue Grand Station, are administering Pfizer vaccines of 10mcg subcutaneously and 15-30mcg intramuscularly.

Yong said studies show that the administration of small doses reduces side effects but provides a high level of immunity.

Related News

Dementia symptoms found in some Covid-19 patients after recovery

Why Covid-19 will never become endemic

Yong: Administering different types of vaccines provides high immunity

Published : February 04, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40011915

Vaccines that are being used for protection in terms of reducing hospitalizations and deaths were working very well, WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan said. “Herd immunity through natural infection is a very foolish idea.”

Chief scientist at the World Health Organisation (WHO) Soumya Swaminathan Thursday warned against the idea of attaining herd immunity through natural infection to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, calling it “foolish” as there are huge costs to be paid.

“Herd immunity through natural infection is a very foolish idea we have said from the beginning because there is a huge human cost to be paid,” said Swaminathan in an interview with New Delhi-based television news channel NDTV 24/7.

She said that India has followed a good policy of vaccination, adding that “my understanding is that over 90 percent of adults now have received at least one dose and over three-fourths have received the full vaccination coverage.”

The WHO chief scientist said the new Omicron sub-variant BA.2 is more potent than BA.1 and its transmission is more than other sub-variants.

Swaminathan said the WHO can not yet comment on the impact of Omicron as it was a relatively new variant and studies were still ongoing to determine if it can cause reinfection and how it affects long-term immunity.

A health worker inoculates a person with a dose of COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccine center in Haridwar, northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, Jan. 11, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

“Two months is too little time to know if it causes reinfection and how it affects long-term immunity. We saw some studies where the blood of patients who recovered from the new variant helped with Delta infection but we don’t know if that will be true for future variants,” she said.

She said the vaccines that are being used for protection in terms of reducing hospitalisations and deaths were working very well.

“All of them help us. The elderly and vulnerable are much better protected now. It shows that the vaccines are effective and a good defence mechanism,” she said.

Health workers inoculate students with COVID-19 vaccines in Bangalore, India, Jan. 3, 2022. (Str/Xinhua)

At present India is in the grip of the third wave of COVID-19. However, the daily caseload of COVID-19 has begun to fall.

The federal Health Ministry reported on Thursday morning 172,433 new cases and 1,008 more deaths of COVID-19, bringing the total infections to 41,803,318 and taking the death toll to 498,983 in India.

Published : February 04, 2022

By : Xinhua

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40011858

Established since 2000, World Cancer Day is held every 4 February and is the global uniting initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to highlight the fact that the disease is a major cause of death worldwide, and to promote equal treatment access for cancer patients.

Spring News and partners cordially invite you to join an online seminar “Close the care gap” on the occasion of World Cancer Day which brings together a white paper presentation and a multi-stakeholder discussion in an effort to raise cancer awareness and to overcome the crisis of treatment inequity in cancer patients. The online seminar is going to take place this Friday, the 4th of February, from 10.30 to 12.30 hrs.

Established since 2000, World Cancer Day is held every 4 February and is the global uniting initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to highlight the fact that the disease is a major cause of death worldwide, and to promote equal treatment access for cancer patients.

According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in 2018 alone the number of cancer patients worldwide rose to 18.1 million, claiming 9.6 million lives. The research also indicated that half of cancer patients in 2018 were Asian people.

The causes of cancer are manifold and involve many factors, ranging from behavior, diet, pollutants, hereditary factor and genetic mutations.

“Hence, access to modern diagnosis and treatment is vital to boost treatment success rate, relieve mental and financial impacts on patients, and reduce Thailand’s economic and productivity losses,” Spring News said.

Prof. Nithi Mahanonda, MD, Secretary General of Chulabhorn Royal Academy is going to grace the online seminar with his opening remark. Audience will hear a white paper presentation in English about “Modernization of Thai HTA – Identifying Alternative Approaches in Thai HTA to Improve Cancer Patient Outcomes” from Mr. Omar Akhtar, HEOR Director APAC, Ipsos, as well as a summary in Thai by Assoc. Prof. Puree Anantachoti, PhD, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Asst. Prof. Teerapat Ungtrakul, MD, Deputy Dean of Princess Srisavagavadha College of Medicine and Medical Oncologist, and Jomtana Siripaibun, MD, Director of Oncology Medical Center Chulabhorn Hospital. Then Sirintip Kudtiyakarn, President of the Thai Cancer Society (TCS) is going to deliver a keynote speech on Thailand’s cancer readiness and in-depth analyses of patients’ and medical professionals’ needs.

Coming up next is the panel discussion on “How to achieve more equitable access to cancer treatments and better quality of lives of the Thai people by Prof. Chirayu Auewarakul, MD, PhD, Dean of Princess Srisavagavadha College of Medicine and Medical Oncologist, Jadet Thammathat-aree, MD, Secretary General, National Health Security Office (NHSO), Nopporn Cheanklin, MD, Executive Director, Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), Assoc. Prof. Ekaphop Sirachainan, MD, President, Thai Society of Clinical Oncology (TSCO),and Asst. Prof. Aumkhae Sookprasert, MD, Medical Oncologist, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University.

“Close the care gap” online seminar will go live on 4 February 2022, from 10.30 to 12.30 hrs. on the following channels:

Facebook: Chulabhorn Hospital, Chulabhorn Royal Academy

Facebook: Spring News, Krungthep Turakij, Nation Online and Kom Chad Luek

YouTube: Spring News

Line official account: Spring News

Published : February 03, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40011846

The Department of Medicine has found symptoms of dementia in some Covid-19 patient​s after they have been cured.

Somsak Ankasil, director-general of the Department of Medical Services, revealed that some patients were showing dementia symptoms 1-6 months after being infected with Covid-19.

This is a condition in which brain function deteriorates, mostly in the ability to focus and concentrate​, decision-making, planning and short-term memory skills.

The patient will have a feeling of brain fog, feel dull, lightheaded and be unable to concentrate on one thing, which affects daily activities, work or social activities and can cause long-term harm.

The risk factor is higher for patients having pre-existing neurological and brain diseases such as stroke, especially the elderly with multiple co-morbidities.

After an acute infection with Covid-19, patients develop severe symptoms. This causes a lack of oxygen. As a result, patients have depression and anxiety with neurological symptoms and dementia. The symptoms can improve on their own over time, he said.

“Take good care of yourself, and maintain good health: eat healthy, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, do activities that help stimulate the brain — practice critical thinking, meditation, or a relaxing hobby. These will help the brain and nervous system to recover and return to normal faster and better,” Somsak said.

Published : February 02, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40011809

Thai women aged 15-59 years can access oral birth control pills without cost at midwifery clinics, pharmacies, private hospitals, and primary care units in Bangkok, including at more than 2,500 locations across the country, Dr Jadet Thammathat-Aree, secretary-general of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), said on Tuesday.

Those having a mobile phone like a smartphone, can obtain birth control pills through the Paotang app, by selecting the service unit, and pick it up on the allotted date. In the case of those who do not have a smartphone, they can obtain the birth control pills by showing their ID card at the participating service units.

Each person can receive no more than three strips of pills per time and not more than 13 stripss per person per year.

Published : February 01, 2022

By : THE NATION