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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019941

Favipiravir Useless Against Covid-19, Study Shows

BY LINE : THE NATION

SAT, SEPTEMBER 10, 2022

Thailand Should Stop Prescribing Favipiravir For Covid-19 Patients As A Recent Study Shows The Drug Is Inefficient Against The Virus, A Respiratory Specialist Said.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Vichaiyut Hospital’s Dr Manoon Leechawengongs cited a study published in the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal on August 6.

The study, “Favipiravir in patients with early mild-to-moderate Covid-19: A randomised controlled trial”, was conducted on 1,187 Covid-19 patients aged over 18 in the US, Mexico and Brazil from November 2020 to October 2021. Of the patients, 599 were given Favipiravir and 588 a placebo.

The study concluded that though Favipiravir was well tolerated, it lacked efficacy in TT-SCR (time to sustained clinical recovery), progression to severity or cessation of viral shedding. Hence, it was ineffective against Covid-19.

Manoon added that the study also showed that the uric acid count in patients taking Favipiravir had risen by 19.9 per cent compared to just 2.8 per cent in patients taking the placebo. This means the drug could contribute to patients developing gout if they consume Favipiravir.

“It’s time for Thailand to stop using Favipiravir to treat Covid-19 patients and switch to Molnupiravir, which has become cheaper,” Manoon said.

“Our neighbouring countries have stopped using Favipiravir for quite a while and switched to either Molnupiravir or Paxlovid. The GPO [Government Pharmaceutical Organisation] should stop manufacturing or importing Favipiravir and stop distributing to hospitals and pharmacies.”

The Food and Drug Administration of Thailand (FDA) has, so far, approved four antiviral drugs to be used in the country, namely Favipiravir, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir and Paxlovid.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019929

Floating Coffins Sighted In Bangkok Flood

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Residents Of Saphan Mai Were Greeted By The Surreal Sight Of A Coffin Floating Through Their Neighbourhood As Flash Floods Swept Areas Of Bangkok On Thursday.

Fortunately, closer examination revealed that the coffin was empty.

A video clip of the coffin floating down flooded Soi Phaholyothin 54 in northern Bangkok has gone viral on Thai social media.

The unused funeral item was finally traced to the nearby Saphan Mai branch of Burapha Coffins.

The shop owner, who asked not to be identified, said on Friday that his neighbourhood was hit by flash flooding after several hours of heavy rain on Thursday.

With the floodwaters rising rapidly, his employees scrambled to move stock from the shop upstairs. But they were too late to save two coffins, which floated out of the shop and down the street.

The items were eventually retrieved but not before someone took a video of the floating coffin and posted it on the Saphan Mai Facebook page.

The shop owner said that people in his neighbourhood were familiar with his business so they had probably realised that the stray coffins came from his shop.

“But I was worried that if the coffins floated out of the neighbourhood, they might scare people, particularly at night,” he added.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019927

BMA Presents Its 99-Day Report Card Under Chadchart

BY LINE : THE NATION

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) On Friday Showcased Its Performance 99 Days After Chadchart Sittipunt Became The Governor.

Four deputy Bangkok governors — Chakkaphan Phewngam, Wissanu Sapsompol, Thavida Kamolvech, and Sanont Wangsangboon — held a press conference on Friday to mark 99 days under the new governor on September 9.

Wissanu said that the BMA had tried to manage the water situation by improving several pumping stations, pumping wells and water pumps.

He said the BMA has dredged 3,358 kilometres of drainage ditches and 1,665 kilometres of 32 canals.

It also reinforced the embankment of the Chao Phraya River with sandbags for 1.5 kilometres from the total line of 3.12 kilometres.

The BMA also organised vehicles to transport people in flood-affected districts.

On the traffic side, Wissanu said 1,286 out of a total of 2,788 zebra crossings were improved and traffic surface was regained from two of 14 construction projects.

He expected traffic surface from five projects will be returned this year and from seven projects next year.

In addition, the BMA has improved two dangerous traffic spots, 54 spots will undergo improvement, and 44 spots are being analysed this year.

He added that 62 kilometres of communication lines had been moved underground and another 74 kilometres would be finished this year. He expected to achieve a total of 174 kilometres within 2025.

As for organising communication lines, the BMA has done 79.62 kilometres from a total of 1,000 kilometres.

Chakkaphan said that the BMA has tried to organise street vendors by setting up clear spots for them through 125 hawker centres to accommodate 8,300 vendors. The BMA has also created a database and registered 27,627 street vendors in 198 spots.

He said the BMA would change rules and conditions to be in line with the current situation and would improve the structure of the vendor committee to incorporate every sector. The BMA wants to distribute the power for flexible management.t

He added that the BMA is setting up 95 spots for 6,048 vendors — 55 spots have already been announced, 31 spots are awaiting announcement and nine spots are being considered by the traffic police.

The objective is to improve street vendors’ goods and services while also conserving the environment. The BMA aims to manage systematically with the participation of every sector, he said.

The deputy governors aim to finish three goals in the next 99 days:

1. Good safety: Manage security with community database / Integrate BKK Risk Map and allow people to access the data freely

2. Good health: Open Pride Clinic in 16 public health service centres / connect and extend one-stop service centre for disabled people / add and connect the telemedicine sandbox model (north zone)

3. Good management: Manage 216 targets with BKK Digital Plan / Sandbox of district offices / Job evaluation system focusing on achievement.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019926

Thai Schoolchildren Suffering Huge Losses Trading In Crypto: TDRI

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Urgent Government Measures Are Required To Protect Thai Teenagers From Digital Assets As Many Have Suffered Big Losses Trading In Cryptocurrency, A Senior Researcher Said On Friday.

Somchai Jitsuchon, research director for inclusive development at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said he had learned that many secondary school students in the Northeast have made losses ranging from tens of thousands to over 100,000 baht from investing in crypto.

“Money used to fund their investments came from their families. In some cases, the money used was their grandparents’ savings for their education,” Somchai wrote in a Facebook post on Friday.

“This is very worrying. The government should impose urgent and strong measures to protect these newcomers. They began investing in the belief they could make big profits,” he said.

Crypto-trading platforms must be required to educate customers and also have mandatory Know Your Customer (KYC) checks to screen out minors, he added.

Last month, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC), a government think tank, warned that young crypto investors risk big losses due to a get-rich-quick attitude coupled with a lack of knowledge.

The NESDC reported that one in four young Thai crypto investors base their investment decisions on instinct rather than analysis. Meanwhile 45 per cent of Thai crypto investors have no knowledge or understanding of the market, said the NESDC report on Thailand’s outlook in the second quarter. This lack of knowledge, particularly among young investors, makes them more prone to making wrong decisions, it warned.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019924

Queen Elizabeth II Shared Tight Royal Bond With King Bhumibol

BY LINE : THE NATION

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Queen Elizabeth II Visited Thailand Twice During The Reign Of His Majesty King Bhumibol The Great, With News Footage Attesting To A Strong Bond Between The Two Monarchs.

Queen Elizabeth paid her first trip to Thailand in 1972 as a guest of King Bhumibol. During that visit she attended a banquet at the Grand Palace in Bangkok before touring Bang Pa-In Palace in Ayutthaya and then visiting Chiang Mai province. She was accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and daughter Princess Margaret.

Elizabeth visited again in 1996 with Prince Philip, to celebrate the 50th anniversary (Golden Jubilee) of King Bhumibol over five days from October 28 to November 1. At the welcoming banquet, she toasted the centuries-long relationship between both monarchies, according to AFP. She said that Queen Victoria, her great-great-grandmother, had been pen pals with King Mongkut (Rama IV) and that bond “has been carried forward to our generation”.

“Over the last quarter of a century your country has become a sophisticated modern state with an increasingly confident democracy,” Queen Elizabeth said.

The close relationship between the two monarchies helped cement ties between Thailand and the United Kingdom which date back four centuries to the arrival of English traders. The English East India Company established trading posts in the Ayutthaya Kingdom during the reign of King Ekathotsarot of Siam in the 17th century.

The UK strongly influenced Siam’s modernisation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the two countries remain tight trading partners to the present day.

King Bhumibol and Queen Sirikit also paid two earlier visits to the UK, in 1960 and again in 1966. On the first visit, Their Majesties were welcomed by Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip at Victoria Station in London. The four royals then travelled to nearby Buckingham Palace in iconic horse-drawn carriages, cheered through the streets by hundreds of thousands of people who had gathered to welcome the Thai royals.

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign – the longest of any British monarch – ended with her death at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday afternoon (early hours of Friday Thai time). Aged 96, she had been on the throne for 70 years and 214 days.

The Thai government announced on Friday that flags in Thailand will be flown at half-mast for three days to mark Queen Elizabeth’s passing.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019923

7 Children Hurt On Field Trip As Bus Overturns In Chanthaburi

BY LINE : THE NATION

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Seven Children Suffered Slight Injuries When Their Bus, Carrying 42 Students, Developed A Steering Defect And Overturned In Chanthaburi Province During A School Trip Early On Friday.

Police were informed at 5am about the accident in Makham district of the province.

Police found a double-decker blue bus lying on road, while teachers and parents were soothing crying students.

The injured students were taken to Makham Hospital.

Police found that four buses had left Nong Salut School in Makham district to Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Pattaya, Chonburi province.

Initial investigation showed that a broken drag link made the first bus veer out of control and overturn while the buses behind avoided a mishap by stopping or swerving to the side.

Older students, drivers, and teachers helped pull the young students out of the fallen bus.

The school trip was cancelled and parents took their children back to the school immediately after the accident.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019916

Stay Safe, Says BMA, As 3 Bangkok Canals Look Close To Overflowing

BY LINE : THE NATION

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

With More Heavy Rains Expected On Friday, The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) Has Warned People Living Close To Canals To Monitor Water Levels Closely.

On Thursday, the BMA said water levels at the Prem Prachakon, Lat Phrao and Prawet Burirom canals had reached the critical stage. The Prem Prachakon canal flows through Don Mueang and Lak Si districts, the Lat Phrao canal through Sai Mai, Bang Khen and Lat Phrao, while the Prawet Burirom canal flows through Lat Krabang district.

As of press time, the BMA said roads in Bang Khen district were under 5 to 20 centimetres of water, while some in Lak Si district were under up to 25cm of water.

Meanwhile, municipal authorities in Pathum Thani’s Rangsit area advised people to leave their vehicles at the multi-purpose stadium at the Rangsit-Nakhon Nayok 30 alley, the 100th Year Thanyaburi Hall, and the entrance of the tollway.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019915

Navy Prepares 80 Boats For Bangkok Flood Relief Operation

BY LINE : THE NATION

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) Is Readying A Fleet Of 80 Boats To Help Push Water From The Chao Phraya River Into The Sea To Relieve The Flooding In The Greater Bangkok Areas, Said Vice Admiral Pokkrong Monthatpalin On Friday.

Areas across the capital have suffered floods from heavy downpours since Thursday evening. Major routes inundated include Rangsit-Pathum Thani, Chaeng Watthana, Pracha Uthit, Bangna-Trat (Debaratana), Ramkhamhaeng and Lat Krabang roads.

Pokkrong said that all RTN disaster mitigation units have been ordered to deploy personnel and equipment to help flood victims in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. They will use boats to deliver food and supplies to communities cut off by floodwater.

“The Navy will also coordinate with local authorities to issue Thai Meteorological Department (Thai Met) warnings and survey the level of damage to properties so that timely aid is provided,” said Pokkrong.

Victims can call the Navy’s flood-relief hotline at 1696, he added.

On Friday, the Thai Met forecast torrential rain across the country with heavy to very heavy rain in the North, Northeast, East and Central region including Greater Bangkok. It warned of flash floods and runoffs, especially in hills, low-lying areas and near waterways.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is providing free shuttle services in the eight districts of Chatuchak, Watthana, Lak Si, Sai Mai, Don Muang, Lat Phrao, Bang Khen, and Lat Krabang to help people stranded by floods.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019911

Thai Flag To Be Flown At Half-Mast In Honour Of Queen Elizabeth II

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Thailand Will Fly Its Flag At Half-Mast For Three Days To Mark The Passing Of United Kingdom’s Queen Elizabeth II, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-Ngam Said On Friday.

He said this was in line with diplomatic protocol.

Meanwhile, the UK Embassy in Bangkok will open its doors to mourners on Saturday from 9am to noon, and again at the same time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. People can leave their condolence messages at the embassy or online via https://www.royal.uk/.

The British flag was flown at half-mast at the AIA Tower, which houses the UK embassy, and mourners placed roses outside the building on Friday.

Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Thursday afternoon (early hours of Friday in Thailand). She was 96.

Her passing came just two days after she undertook her final constitutional duty by appointing Liz Truss, Britain’s 15th prime minister of her 70-year reign.

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https://www.nationthailand.com/thailand/general/40019902

BY LINE : THE NATION

FRI, SEPTEMBER 09, 2022

Most Bangkokians Believe That Legalising Motorcycle Taxi Services Will Offer People More Transport Options As Well As Create More Career Opportunities.

In a survey conducted by Suan Dusit Poll from September 2-6, 96.54 per cent of the 607 respondents agreed with the Department of Land Transport (DLT)’s move to legalise motorcycle taxi services via ride-hailing apps.

Apart from 63.1 per cent saying that this would offer Bangkokians more transport options, 60.96 per cent said calling for a motorbike via an application is far more convenient than having to go to taxi stands. Also, 54.7 per cent said this would offer more career opportunities in the fallout of the pandemic, while 40.03 per cent said ride-hailing applications were more transparent and clients were informed of the fare in advance.

When asked who should provide this motorbike taxi service, 81.39 per cent said both the general public and current motorcycle taxi riders, 10.21 per cent said only existing motorcycle taxi service providers, while 8.4 per cent said the service should be limited to private vehicle owners.

As for how they would like ride-hailing apps to improve, 61.29 per cent said they wanted to see an improvement in technology and service quality, 55.68 per cent wanted more riders added to the service to cope with rising demand, and 50.38 per cent want accident insurance for passengers to be made mandatory for all service providers.

When asked what they expect from the DLT, 63.43 per cent said the department must push for laws that protect both motorcycle taxi providers and passengers, 62.11 per cent want to see stricter traffic law enforcement, while 51.89 per cent want a transparent, standardised fare structure.