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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005839

Only around 10,000 patients’ records stolen from hospital: Health Ministry

Authorities on Tuesday downplayed the theft of patients’ data from a hospital in Petchabun, saying the case is not as serious as initially thought.

Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, Public Health Ministry deputy permanent secretary, said the hacker obtained the personal details of more than 10,000 patients at Petchabun Hospital in the lower-north province.

Initial reports said details of up to 16 million patients had been hacked. Thongchai said the 16-million figure actually referred to records containing information on a total of 10,095 patients.

The stolen data included names, surnames, telephone numbers, illnesses, date of hospitalisation and the name of the doctors treating the patients in question.

“The hospital system is still operating normally. All information is still there,” said Thongchai.

The hospital is now securing and backing up the database with help from the National Cybersecurity Committee and Digital Economy and Society Ministry, he added.

A complaint has been filed over the data theft but the motive and identity of the hacker are still unknown.

The theft was reported on Sunday (September 5) when the hacked data was discovered for sale online. Thongchai said the stolen details did not come from the hospital’s main database and did not include diagnosis, treatment or lab results.

Published : September 07, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005789

Many schools found flouting Covid-19 preventive measures

The Department of Health said on Monday that some schools have reopened despite failing the assessment criteria required under the “Sandbox Safety Zone in Schools” programme launched last month.

So far, 48 of 68 schools tested have passed the assessment in red and dark-red provinces.

The department said many rules are being flouted such as allowing outsiders to enter and leave boarding schools, not putting in place effective screening measures, allowing dormitories to be overcrowded and not maintaining a one-metre distance between beds. The guidelines also require staff and students to always wear a mask, even inside dormitories.

The department held a meeting on Monday with the Education Ministry, the Paediatric Infectious Disease Association and the Royal College of Paediatricians to solve the problem.

Published : September 06, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005790

Thailand preparing to import Molnupiravir – “first anti-Covid drug”

Thai authorities are preparing to import Molnupiravir, which researchers claim is the first oral drug to quickly block the Covid-19 virus.

Medical Services Department chief Somsak Ankasil said health officials would give the green light to import Molnupiravir if phase 3 trials by its developers, Merck and Ridgeback Therapeutics, are successful.

Molnupiravir is among several anti-coronavirus drugs currently undergoing phase 2 and 3 trials abroad, with results expected at the end of this month, in October and November.

The Public Health Ministry is currently in talks with Merck to procure Molnupiravir and with Pfizer to import its Protease Inhibitor. If both drugs are registered after late-stage trials, Thailand will hurry to use them against future outbreaks, said Somsak.

Phase 3 trial results for Molnupiravir – the first antiviral drug specifically developed to fight Covid-19 – are expected by the end of this month, with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) registration to follow in October.

Thailand expects to register Molnupiravir with the Thai FDA in November.

If the drug is successful, it will be used in place of favipiravir. Both drugs have the same mechanism of action, which is to stop the virus from entering cells. Patients with mild symptoms will be given 40 tablets of Molnupiravir to take over five days.

Meanwhile, results from Thai studies on favipiravir, Andrographis paniculata (fah talai jone) and other medications currently being used to fight Covid-19 are expected over the next 1-2 months.

Published : September 06, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40005786

Mu still rare in Thailand but other variants could be on their way: DMS

The Delta variant accounts for 93 per cent of Covid-19 infections, according to 1,500 random samples taken over the last week by the Department of Medical Sciences (DMS).

 Meanwhile, cases of the Delta sub-variant “AY” have risen slightly but the new Mu and C1.2 variants are still rare in Thailand, said department director-general Suppakit Sirilak on Monday.

The Delta variant accounted for 97.6 per cent of cases in Bangkok and 84.8 per cent in other provinces. The Beta variant was responsible for 5 per cent of cases nationwide – 2.4 per cent in the capital and 5.7 per cent in Southern provinces where it was first detected.

The department said it has collected more than 13 million samples since last year in its mission to trace different variants.

The World Health Organisation classifies Covid-19 variants in two categories: variants of concern and variants of interest. The variants of concern are Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta – all of which are found in Thailand except Gamma. Variants of interest – classified as those which are likely to cause issues with transmission, vaccination or public health – are Eta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda and Mu.

Suppakit said the Mu variant, which was first detected at the beginning of the year in Colombia, was being closely monitored but did not yet present a concern for Thailand.

The department is cooperating with Prince of Songkla University to test 10,000 samples for variants by the end of 2021, he added.

Meanwhile, Phuket was ordered to accelerate testing on Monday, said Suppakit. He urged people not to panic if more variants were detected in Thailand.

Related news:

• Bangkokians can get free Covid-19 test at nine sites
• Recovered Covid-19 patients urged to go for regular kidney checkups
• U.S. investigation into COVID-19 origins used as geopolitical weapon against China: media

Published : September 06, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40005663

Virologists checking to see if third jab effective against new variants

Dr Yong Poovorawan, chief of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, said his team was studying to see if administering third jabs would help cope with new Covid-19 variants effectively.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Dr Yong said the Delta variant has been spreading quickly worldwide, citing the US and Israel where infections have soared despite people being vaccinated.

“Israel has been getting nearly 10,000 new cases daily even though 80 per cent of its population has been vaccinated,” he said. “According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid Data Tracker on Thursday, the US reported 153,728 infections and 1,209 deaths.”

He pointed out that the vaccines administered in Thailand can reduce the risk of developing severe symptoms and death even though their efficacy in preventing infections is greatly decreased.

Related stories:

• Virologist predicts spread of Delta, urges better, faster vaccine rollout
• Getting a jab each of AstraZeneca and Sinovac offers greater immunity
• Tests at Chula vouch for efficacy of Sinovac, AstraZeneca vaccines

Dr Yong also pointed out that most local Covid-19-related deaths are of those who have not been vaccinated.

“If the vaccination rate is still on an upward trajectory, we will be able to cut down on deaths,” he added.

Published : September 03, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005629

Thai-made Baiya vaccine enters 1st human trial this month

Baiya Phytopharm will launch the first human trials of its Covid-19 vaccine this month.

The sub-unit Baiya vaccine will be tested on volunteers once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gives the green light, said the company’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Waranyu Pooncharoen.

If results from human trials meet expectations, production of the vaccine can begin in mid-2022, she added.

The Baiya vaccine uses a genetically engineered tobacco extract to trigger an immune response against Covid-19.

The company plans to manufacture the vaccine at Asia’s first plant-based vaccine factory, located in Chulalongkorn University.

Waranyu also revealed that Baiya Phytopharm may adjust the formula for its second-generation booster vaccine to fight emerging variants such as Delta, which is the dominant strain in Thailand. However, the company will check results of the Phase 1 human trial before deciding whether to reformulate the booster.

Baiya is one of four Covid-19 vaccines being developed in Thailand. The others are Chulalongkorn University’s ChulaCov19 (Phase 2 human trials), the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation’s HXP-GPO Vac, and Biotech’s nasal-spray vaccine.

Published : September 02, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40005560

Recovered Covid patients now losing their hair, doctor finds

A respiratory specialist in Bangkok said “hair loss” is a new symptom found to be affecting people who have recovered from Covid-19.

However, he said, people should not worry because the hair will stop falling within four months and eventually grow back.

Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, a pulmonologist with Vichaiyut Hospital, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that many Covid-19 patients began losing their hair two to three months after recovery. The message was posted on his Facebook page “Moh Manoon Leechawengwongs FC”.

The doctor explained that this hair-loss problem is not directly caused by the virus, but is the consequence of high fever, stress and anxiety. 
He cited the case of a 65-year-old woman who recovered from Covid-19 after two weeks in hospital. He said two and a half months after recovery, the woman found herself losing hair in clumps. This continued for about two months. 
The woman’s daughter, who had also contracted Covid-19, suffered a similar problem but to a lower degree. 

“People normally lose approximately 100 hairs daily, but after two to three months of recovery, they may lose up to 300 strands per day and this problem may last for six months. Most of the hair will gradually grow back and the patient should have a full head of hair within six to nine months. I urge patients not to panic as hair loss will stop in four months, and things will soon return to normal,” Dr Manoon said.

Published : September 01, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005527

HIV self-test kits rolled out in pharmacies nationwide

HIV self-testing kits are available at pharmacies from today under a new measure to help Thailand meet its commitment to end HIV-Aids by 2030.

Two types of test kit have been registered by the Thai Food and Drug Administration to encourage people to check their own infection status.

The first uses a drop of blood from the fingertip and delivers results within one minute.

The second uses a sample of saliva and produces a result in 20 minutes.

The kits will be sold by pharmacies nationwide to encourage people who are reluctant or unable to visit hospitals because of Covid-19, to test themselves.

Thailand has pledged to eradicate HIV-Aids in nine years via three goals, said Dr Preecha Prempree, deputy director of the Department of Disease Control. The goals are to reduce the number of new HIV infections to no more than 1,000 per year, cut Aids-related deaths to no more than 4,000 per year, and reduce stigmatisation and discrimination against infected people by 90 per cent.

Published : August 31, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005478

Pfizer booster shots may be available by October

The Thai public may start getting booster doses by October as large vaccine shipments are expected to start arriving soon.

The original plan was to start administering booster shots in November.

Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the Public Health Ministry should approve the plan by the end of the month before it is announced officially by the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Opas said some 20 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine will be available by October, so it should be possible to provide booster shots to people who have already received their two jabs.

He explained that the third or booster dose should be of a different sort. For instance, recipients of two doses of the inactivated Sinovac jab will possibly get a viral vector vaccine like AstraZeneca or an mRNA one like Pfizer.

However, he said, this combination will be confirmed after it has been considered at the next CCSA meeting.

Published : August 30, 2021

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https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40005469

Chula mRNA vaccine in line for April rollout after Delta success

Chulalongkorn University researchers have launched the second human trial of Chula-Cov19 mRNA vaccine, after the Phase 1 trial greatly boosted volunteers’ antibodies against the Covid virus.

The vaccine proved effective against all four variants of the virus in Phase 1 and is expected to be registered by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in April next year, said Chula.

The vaccine “can induce a very strong antibody response, [which is] as good as Pfizer”, said Dr Kiat Ruxrungtham, director of the Chula-Cov19 mRNA development programme and founder of the Chula Vaccine Research Centre behind ChulaCov-19.

On Saturday, researchers declared “satisfactory” results from the first trial on 72 volunteers – 36 aged 18-55 and 36 aged 65-75. 
After being injected with the mRNA vaccine, Phase 1 volunteers developed 94-per-cent protection against Covid-19 symptoms, with high antibody activation. The vaccine also stimulated T-cell immunity, which helps to kill the virus in the cells of infected people.

The vaccine was effective against the original strain as well as its four main variants, namely Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. Delta currently accounts for more than 90 per cent of new infections in Thailand.

Volunteers experienced mild to moderate side effects in the seven days after vaccination. Most of the symptoms – pain at the injection spot, fatigue, low fever and chills – occurred after the second shot and lasted 1-3 days. The vaccine is now on track to become Southeast Asia’s first mRNA jab.
Chula-Cov19 has a longer storage life than other mRNA vaccines, said Dr Kiat. 

The vaccine can also be produced quickly as it does not require large production facilities.
Results of previous tests in mice indicated that the vaccine is non-toxic, can prevent symptoms, reduces the viral load in the nose and lungs, and halts its spread into the bloodstream.

The second phase involves a 2a trial on 150-300 volunteers followed by a 2b trial on 5,000 volunteers in October. If all goes well, a third and final-phase trial will be conducted on 15,000-30,000 volunteers.
“The vaccine should be registered by April 2022 if possible,” said Kiat.

Published : August 30, 2021