#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

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

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005429

Booster third shot needed for the elderly after six months, Pfizer study shows

Elderly people should have a booster third dose of Covid-19 vaccine as their immunity declines rapidly in six months of receiving both doses, a senior medical.official has said.

Dr Chalermchai Boonyaleephan, vice chairman of the Public Health Commission, said that the immunity of the elderly who had received two doses of Pfizer vaccination was initially greater than that of medical personnel.

He said that Pfizer’s mRNA technology vaccine, which consistently reported high levels of immunity and prophylactic efficacy over time, has reported from a study that immunity levels and prophylactic efficacy decreased sequentially, especially when the delta virus spreads around the world and affects the effectiveness of all vaccines.

Many people who are fully vaccinated have been wondering whether they need a third booster dose.

At present, the United States has made booster shots in immune-compromised people (nearly 3 per cent of the total population) mandatory and Israel allows booster shots in seniors aged over 50.

Thailand has started to offer triple booster shots to frontline medical and public health workers, especially those who have received two doses of Sinovac vaccine.

He added that as per the Pfizer report, immunity levels in the elderly who had got two shots were lower than in younger healthcare professionals.

This may be a major reason why healthcare workers and the elderly are the two groups at risk and are in a similar position. Providing booster shots now requires serious attention, Dr Chalernchai said.

Published : August 29, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/life/40005423

Over 9 million people in Thailand could have been infected with Covid, says specialist

A Thai medical expert believes the number of Covid-19 cases worldwide was at least 10 times higher than official figures.

Dr Manoon Leechawengwong, a respiratory specialist at Wichaiyut Hospital, said that the number of people infected with the novel coronavirus around the world was under-reported. The number of people reported to be infected with Covid-19 in the whole world is 10 times less than the actual number, he said.

Epidemiological scientists have said that the reported numbers were like the tip of an iceberg, because there were many people who don’t get tested even with symptoms and there were many others who were asymptomatic and unchecked. There are now 215 million confirmed cases worldwide, and possibly as many as 2.150 billion, or about a quarter of the world’s population, the specialist said.

As for Thailand, there are 20,000 cumulative reports of coronavirus cases with the estimated daily number as high as 120,000 or more. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is now 1.13 million. It is possible that the number of real cases may be as high as 9 million, accounting for 13 per cent of Thai population, he said.

Thais don’t have to panic when they see the number of infected people as high as 9 million and instead should be glad, as a person who has recovered will not be exposed to the current strain of the virus and will not infect others, he explained.

Published : August 29, 2021

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40005338

UK move Thailand to red list for travel

Thailand had currently on the amber list for travel to England from abroad. It will move to the red list 4am, Monday 30 August. If Thai traveller arrive in England after then they must follow the red list rules.

Everyone allowed to enter England who has been in a red list country in the 10 days before they arrive must:
• Quarantine for 10 full days in a managed quarantine hotel (the day you arrive in England counts as day 0)
• Take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of quarantining
• Follow the national restrictions
Providing false or deliberately misleading information when filling out your passenger locator form is an offence punishable by imprisonment.
What you need to do before you arrive in England

ADVERTISEMENTx

Before you travel you must:
• Take a COVID-19 test and get a negative result during the 3 days before you travel. For example, if you travel directly to England on Friday, you must take the test on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday
• Book a managed quarantine hotel within a 14-day period before arrival. The booking will include your hotel, quarantine transport and travel tests for COVID-19 tests on day 2 and day 8 of quarantine
• Complete a passenger locator form (PLF) with details of where you will quarantine when you arrive. You must provide a quarantine package invoice number to complete your passenger locator form
• Book your quarantine hotel (through CTM)
• If you’re having difficulty booking call +44 (0)20 7429 9732.
• You will need to agree to book and pay for a quarantine package before you complete your passenger locator form and board your return journey to the UK.

How much you’ll need to pay
• 1 adult in 1 room for 10 days (11 nights) £2,285
• Additional rate for 1 adult (or child over 11) £1,430
• Additional rate for a child aged 5 to 11 £325
⁠
Read more:  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england#red-list-rules 

Published : August 27, 2021