#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019635

More than 55,000 Covid-19 patients have registered with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) scheme to have relevant medications delivered to them from local pharmacies.

The scheme was launched on March 24 with 532 pharmacies participating nationwide to help ease the burden on hospitals. As of August 29, as many as 55,482 people who tested positive for Covid-19 registered for the drug-delivery service, government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said on Thursday.

Most of the patients are in Bangkok (21,200), followed by Nonthaburi (4,564), Chonburi (4,367), Chiang Mai (2,806) and Nakhon Pathum (2,651).

The NHSO also launched Covid-19 telemedicine services on July 11 via three applications for patients under self-isolation.

These applications are “Clicknic”, which focuses on patients in the vulnerable group (those over 60 or suffering from any of eight underlying conditions), “MorDee” which only accepts “green” patients or those with mild symptoms, and “Good Doctor” that focuses on green patients in Greater Bangkok and Chonburi.

“From July 11 to August 30, 9,043 people have used the NHSO’s Covid-19 telemedicine services,” Ratchada said. “Of them, 4,942 people used Good Doctor, while 2,151 and 1,950 used Clicknic and MorDee applications, respectively.

“NHSO will continue providing telemedicine and drug delivery services to ensure Covid-19 patients have access to treatment without having to go to a hospital,” Ratchada said.

“However, these services are only suitable for patients with mild or no symptoms. To effectively prevent severe symptoms, people are advised to get booster shots at appropriate intervals, especially those in vulnerable groups,” she added.

On Friday, Thailand recorded 2,046 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 24 deaths, while 1,565 patients had recovered and discharged from hospitals.

The number of cumulative cases in the country since January 1, stands at 2,431,534 with 10,654 deaths.

As of August 31, more than 142.75 million Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in Thailand. Of them, 57.26 million are first jabs covering 82.3 per cent of the population, 53.72 million second jabs covering 77.2 per cent of the population, and 31.77 million boosters covering 45.7 per cent of the population.

Published : September 02, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019631

More than 3 million people spent over 630 million baht on Thursday, the first day of the government’s new phase of three subsidy programmes, according to the Finance Ministry.

As of noon, 2.03 million holders of the “state welfare cards” spent 404.5 million baht at the start of the fifth phase of the subsidy programme launched since the outbreak of the pandemic, Finance Ministry spokesman Pornchai Thiraveja said on Thursday.

A total of 91,592 people in “fragile groups” eligible for special state assistance spent 18.08 million as of noon on Thursday in the third phase of the subsidy programme.

Another 1.01 million people eligible for the “Kon La Krueng” co-payment scheme spent 209 million baht at the start of the fifth phase on Thursday. Of all the spending, those eligible spent 105.31 million baht and the government co-paid 103.69 million.

Altogether, 3.13 million people spent 631.58 million baht on the first day of the new phase, according to Pornchai, who doubles as director-general of the Finance Ministry’s Fiscal Policy Office.

In the fifth phase of the “Kon La Krueng” scheme, users are allowed an 800-baht subsidy to be spent until October 31. The government covers half of the price but not more than 150 baht per day.

Users can make their payments through the Pao Tang mobile app when buying food and other products at shops and stalls that take part in the scheme. They can also make purchases through five food delivery online platforms, namely Shopee Food, Lineman, Grab Food, Food Panda, and True Food.

The spokesman also reminded those eligible for the co-payment scheme of the condition that requires them to make their first payment by September 14, or they will be stripped of the right.

He also said that as many as 7 million people eligible for the programme have yet to confirm their rights with the Pao Tang app. All 21 million users from the scheme’s phase 4 are eligible for phase 5.

Published : September 01, 2022

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019626

The Highways Department will next week ask the Cabinet to approve an additional budget of 6.7 billion baht for the construction of the remaining parts of the Bang Pa-in-Saraburi-Nakhon Ratchasima motorway.

Asource from the department said it has informed the Transport Ministry and the Budget Bureau that 16 remaining parts of the motorway project needed change in construction designs, hence an additional budget of 6.755 billion baht would be required.

The source said Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob is expected to ask the Cabinet during the weekly meeting on Tuesday to approve the request for the additional budget.

The project was approved by the Cabinet on July 14, 2015 to construct a 196-kilometre-long motorway linking Bang Pa-in in Ayutthaya to Saraburi province and to Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The project was approved with an initial budget of 84.6 billion baht and the project was divided into 40 parts. Construction started in 2016 and so far, 24 parts have been completed.

The source said the remaining 16 parts have not been done because construction was hampered with issues related to the geology of the areas, requiring new designs for the pending parts. The conditions of the areas have changed since the initial project survey in 2018, the source explained.

The source said the designs had to be changed to respond to public utilities in the area as well public complaints.

Parts of the motorway, which have been done, are expected to be open for public testing late next year. The toll gate system is expected to be tested in 2024 and the entire motorway route will be opened to traffic in 2025.

Published : September 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019620

Caretaker Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan has ordered the Education Ministry to find a solution to the problem of school van incidents that have even caused fatalities.

Aseven-year-old girl was found suffocated to death inside a school van in Phan Thong district of Chonburi province on Tuesday after she was accidentally left behind in the vehicle.

In a move to prevent such incidents from happening again, Defence Ministry spokesman General Kongcheep Tantravanich said on Thursday that Prawit told Education Minister Treenuch Thienthong to invite every sector to find a solution together with lessons from previous incidents.

Prawit also ordered the ministry to contact the police to investigate the case while also taking care of the victim’s family. Prawit said he wanted preventive measures and a safe environment in places where children could not protect themselves.

Meanwhile, Treenuch said that she had told Peerasak Rattana, secretary-general of the Office of the Private Education Commission, to investigate the school in Chonburi where the latest incident had occurred.

She also ordered the Office of the Private Education Commission to set up a committee to find the person responsible for this tragedy.

Published : September 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019619

A school in Nakhon Si Thammarat won plaudits from netizens for its measures to keep young kids safe from being trapped inside its school vans.

Boriboon Witaya School, which runs kindergarten and primary school classes, came in for praise after the Drama Addict Facebook page shared photos of the school’s vans and measures undertaken to prevent possible tragic death.

Drama Addict, which is a popular page on social issues, shared the school’s post on Wednesday, a day after a 7-year-old second grader of a school in Chonburi’s Phan Thong district was found dead after she was left inside a school van.

The driver, who is also a teacher, found the girl lifeless at 4pm when he was about to get ready to drive students back home after class.

He had forgotten to check the interior of his van after transporting students to school in the morning and had locked it, police said. The girl died of suffocation from heat and a lack of oxygen.

In the post, Boriboon Witaya School showed photos of its school vans parked in a row with their back and side doors left open as part of the measures to keep students from being locked or trapped inside.

The school said the teacher assigned to each van would check each student’s name from a list as they get in and out.

The driver then makes it a point to check the interior of his van before cleaning it. The vehicle’s doors are always left open when parked just in case a student is accidentally left inside, the school added.

As of Thursday afternoon, the post garnered more than 29,000 likes and over 10,000 comments and was shared over 12,000 times.

“Good, simple and correct,” one netizen commented.

“Lovely, this will give parents peace of mind. This method is the best,” another commented.

“That’s right. Why should the doors of school vans be locked when the vehicles are parked inside a school?” yet another commented.

According to Channel 3, there were 129 reported incidents of school children being left inside vehicles from 2014 to 2020. Six were killed from 2016 to 2020. Here are five incidents:

– May 11, 2016: a three-year-old girl was left inside a van on the way to a nursery in Samut Prakan. The van had a malfunctioning air-conditioner and students were relocated to another vehicle, but the three-year-old victim was unfortunately forgotten inside the van.

– July 31, 2017: a 6-year-old first grader of a school in Ayutthaya was found left in a pickup truck that was modified to transport children. The kid was trapped inside a space behind the driver. He died three days later.

– August 15, 2018: a van driver left a 3-year-old girl inside his vehicle after driving children to a school in Pattani’s Sai Buri district.

– June 18, 2018: a five-year-old girl was trapped inside the space behind the driver’s seat of a pickup truck used to transport students. The teacher forgot she was inside after helping other kids leave the vehicle at a nursery in Khon Kaen.

– August 11, 2020: a 2-year-old boy was left inside a school van belonging to a nursery in Nakhon Si Thammarat. The van was left parked under the sun from 7.30am to 1.30pm. The boy died four days later.

Published : September 01, 2022

By : THE NATION

#SootinClaimon.Com : ขอบคุณแหล่งข้อมูล : หนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/national/40019616

Thailand has successfully reined in lumpy skin disease (LSD) afflicting cattle, Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Chalermchai Srion announced on Thursday.

He said the number of reported LSD cases had declined substantially this year when compared to 2021.

This year’s average monthly incidents numbered 389, down by as much as 99.4 per cent from 62,654 last year.

Between January 1 and August 30, only 3,115 cattle were reported to be ill from LSD, most of which were young animals that had not been vaccinated, Chalermchai said.

“This success resulted from the Department of Livestock Development’s strict and continued measures in controlling the lumpy skin disease, as well as good cooperation from cattle raisers,” said the agriculture minister.

Department director-general Sorravis Thaneto said on Thursday that his agency had implemented five key measures in an effort to control LSD in the country. They are close monitoring, strict control of cattle movement, reduction of insects that are potential carriers, proper treatment of animals falling ill from the disease, and cattle vaccination.

LSD is a devastating disease in cattle and buffaloes. The disease causes large skin nodules covering the entire body, poor milk production and miscarriage. However, the morbidity rate varies from 10 to 20 per cent, with low mortality.

The first outbreak in Thailand was reported in March 2021 in northeastern Roi Et province. Another outbreak was reported in Nakhon Phanom, also in the Northeast, two months later.

Last year, the Department of Livestock Development imported 5.36 million doses of LSD vaccines and received another 700,000 doses donated by the private sector, according to Sorravis.

Also, Thailand is capable of producing 50,000 LSD vaccine doses every month and the distribution began in June, he said.

In July, the Cabinet endorsed a department request for money to procure 6.3 million LSD vaccine doses to be used as booster shots, according to the director-general.

Published : September 01, 2022