The Governor of Chonburi, Pakarathorn Tianchai, has extended the provincial lockdown, which restricts travel to and from Si Chang Island, until further notice.
The Marine Office of Chonburi is also ordered to issue guidelines for all boat operators, and the District Chief of Si Chang Island must issue screening guidelines for travel on the island.
Travel restrictions for Si Chang Island were first introduced on January 6th, just two days after the esteemed governor confirmed that NO LOCKDOWN would be imposed.
No new COVID-19 infections were recorded in Chonburi today, leaving the cumulative number of cases at 647, with 525 recoveries, 121 still being treated in hospitals and one COVID-19 related fatality.
Meanwhile, the provincial health office of Chonburi said that, 'while the number of infections has decreased, the lack of new infections today does not mean that there will not be more.'
This sort of thing can be said, and used to impose life restrictions, for all time if required.
'There might not be a snake in your roof, but that doesn't mean there won't be one in the future. So we have to burn down your house and make sure that never happens. To keep your family safe.'
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Thursday reported 142 new cases over 24 hours, including 17 who flew in from abroad.
Of the new cases, 88 had been exposed to the virus while visiting high-risk areas. Samut Sakhon had the highest number of infections, with 63, followed by Bangkok with 14.
Proactive testing led to the discovery of 37 cases, mostly in Samut Sakhon, where 26 foreigners and three Thais tested positive.
Of the returnees, 11 are Thai nationals, two from Myanmar, one from Sweden, three from Turkey, one from India, three from the United States, and one from Malaysia.
Also testing positive were a Vietnamese woman and Cambodian man who travelled from Malaysia, a Swiss man, a Japanese man and two Indian men, who flew in from their respective nations.
Meanwhile, 221 patients have recovered and been discharged.
As of Thursday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 12,795 – 10,468 of whom had contracted the virus locally, including 4,167 who were found positive via proactive testing, while 2,327 were returnees. So far, 9,842 have recovered and been discharged, 2,882 patients are still in hospital and the death toll remains unchanged at 71.
According to Worldometer, as of midnight on Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases globally had risen to 97.3 million (up by 671,189), 69.85 million of whom have recovered, 25.38 million are active cases (112,255 in severe condition) and 2.08 million have died (up by 17,299).
Thailand ranks 128th on the global list of most cases. The US tops the list with 25 million, followed by India 10.61 million, Brazil 8.63 million, Russia 3.63 million and the United Kingdom 3.5 million.
CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin, meanwhile, reported the case of a woman in Nakhon Phanom who was infected by a relative with possible links to the Rayong gambling den cluster. Many high-risk contacts linked to this cluster have tested negative, though some 1,000 are being isolated.
Chonburi Government explains why Koh Si-Chang is still closed, not due to "rising infections" of Covid-19 or a "lockdown"
Chonburi, Thailand-
Following some Thai and foreign media reporting today that Koh Si Chang was ordered into a "lockdown" due to "rising infections" and a worsening outbreak, the Chonburi Public Relations division has released a statement on why the island remains closed, stating that the information around a lockdown and further infections are false.
Chonburi Public Relations explained that the island, like all districts, has its own disease committee which has the ability to make decisions on its own. (Although, in conjunction with the overall province.).
The Koh Si Chang committee stated that the island only had one infection of Covid-19 in the current cluster in Chonburi and that person has fully recovered. All contact tracing and targeted testing on the island have shown no signs of further infections.
Additionally, the island is not under "lockdown" and residents of the island, as well as regular delivery boats and those with permission may come and go, with island business open to local residents. There is no curfew, no stay at home order, and no known infections. However, rules for the province as a whole that apply to businesses, such as entertainment venue closures, do apply.
The island is closed to tourists and non-residents, however, because the island disease committee is still concerned about Covid-19 cases in nearby provinces and districts. Despite Chonburi being a highly controlled province and permission technically needed to travel to and from the province, district officials on the island are concerned some people from parts of Bangkok that still have infections may try to come. Therefore, they have decided to wait until the situation improves in the surrounding regions. This is entirely their district decision. They have opted to stay closed until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Koh Lan council, another popular committee, has decided to open their island effective from tomorrow. This was also their decision.
The Pattaya News notes Chonburi cases have plummeted significantly and there have been zero cases found in the province for two days now.
Photo Credit: Bureau of Information office of Public Health ministry's Permanent Secretary
Dr Yong Poovorawan, chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, appeared at a Public Health Ministry briefing on Wednesday in a bid to reassure the public after widespread concern over Thailand's Covid-19 vaccine procurement.
"It is impossible for [every country] to get vaccines immediately even when they have enough money," Dr Yong explained. "The global population is more than 7 billion. Just 50 per cent of population would need 8 billion vaccines since each person has to take two doses. So it will be impossible to vaccinate everybody within this year."
How long before vaccine is approved – and will it be safe?
Vaccines usually take a long time to develop in animal and clinical (human) trials, which first need approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said Yong. Clinical trials have three steps: safety study, immunity test and effectiveness study. The final step usually takes more than a year or two for researchers to collect data from parallel trials where one group of volunteers is given the vaccine and a parallel "control" group is given a placebo.
However, that process has been accelerated as scientists around the world hurried to find a cure for the global pandemic. As a result, Covid-19 vaccines have been developed in just one year. They are now being screened for safety and efficacy by health authorities globally, including Thailand's FDA.
Sinovac or AstraZeneca: Which is better?
We need to see which vaccines Western countries are using, said Dr Yong. The first available were mRNA vaccines – a new type of vaccine to protect against infectious diseases. These vaccines use strands of genetic material called mRNA inside a special coating called a nanoparticle. When injected, they instruct the human body to create a "spike protein" similar to the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for Covid-19. This immune response produces antibodies to protect our cells from getting infected if the virus enters our body. We could say it uses our body to create a vaccine, said Yong. The mRNA method is new for humans but draws on previous research on other diseases.
Another type is the viral vector vaccines produced by AstraZeneca and Russia's Sputnik programme. These are similar to mRNA vaccines but use adenovirus as a vector instead of nanoparticles. This vaccine technology has a proven track record fighting the spread of Ebola in Africa. Moreover, viral vector vaccines will be cheaper in the future.
China's Sinovac uses a third approach – the inactivated or killed vaccine method that has been in use for 70 years to combat viruses such as polio and rabies. The disadvantage of this vaccine is difficulty in manufacturing, increased cost per dose, and multiple immunisations required. Thailand has agreed to buy two million doses of SinoVac's inactivated vaccine. As we know almost everything about traditional inactivated vaccines, it would be easier to handle, said Yong. But its relatively high cost of manufacturing makes it difficult to produce and purchase in high quantities.
Side effects of vaccine in Norway
Dr Yong also responded to news that 23 frail elderly patients had died soon after taking Pfizer BioNTec's mRNA vaccine. The deaths might have been caused by side effects such as dizziness that triggered accidents, he said. Norwegian health authorities say common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines that are not usually dangerous – such as fever, nausea and diarrhoea – may have played a role in the deaths. Dr Yong pointed out that death rates in general among the elderly had not risen after vaccination.
Will pregnant women and children get the jab?
Dr Yong said more research was needed on safety and dosage before pregnant women and children under 18 were given the vaccine in Thailand.
Addressing public calls to vaccinate people of working age first, he said there was no guarantee this move would prevent transmission. He explained that the vaccine may just prevent symptoms, meaning that even if they were inoculated, the working-age group could spread the virus to at-risk members of society.
People should understand that every disease can be prevented, Dr Yong said in conclusion. Vaccines were just one tool to help stop the virus from spreading. Meanwhile people should calmly continue using the tools in hand – keep their hands clean, wearing masks, and social distancing – to protect themselves. The results of vaccination would be seen soon, he predicted, since many wealthy countries had already rolled out inoculation programmes.
THAILAND: Foreigners with Thai residency whose re-entry visas require them to return to Thailand within one year from the date of March 26 last year will be allowed to stay abroad until further notice, the Immigration Bureau (IB) said yesterday (Jan 20).
The agency said it has decided to relax the one-year re-entry requirement dating back to March 26 last year as the coronavirus outbreak still restricts all modes of travel.
This makes it very difficult for stranded foreign residents to make it back to Thailand.
Deputy bureau chief Pol Maj Gen Archayon Kraithong said the temporary easing of the re-entry rule was intended to help foreigners with Thai residency who are still stranded overseas.
Pol Maj Gen Archayon, who is also the IB spokesman, said his boss Pol Lt Gen Sompong Chingduang is concerned about foreigners with Thai residency who are still stranded in other countries and have not been able to return to Thailand since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pol Col Pakapong Saiubon, deputy chief of Immigration Division 1, directed all foreigners who have questions to contact the Bureau viawww.immigration.go.thor on the 1178 hotline.
Thailand's Food and Drug Administration is likely to approve a Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in partnership with Oxford University as early as this week. The vaccine, already given the go-ahead in the US and UK, would be approved for emergency use, with administration likely to begin next month. Healthcare workers and those with underlying conditions will be prioritised.
Opas Karnkawinpong from the Disease Control Department says the FDA's review of the vaccine's efficacy and safety is going well. Thailand has fallen behind its neighbours in terms of vaccine administration, with a number of countries in the region already starting their roll-out. Indonesia kicked things off last week, with President Joko Widodo the first to receive China's Sinovac jab.
Thailand is expected to take delivery of 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine next month, but questions linger over its efficacy, which was recently revised downwardsby researchers in Brazil. The vaccine has not yet completed phase 3 trials and Thailand's health officials say it may not gain FDA approval until February 14, as the manufacturer has no representation in the Kingdom.
Thailand has signed a technology-transfer agreement with AstraZeneca to produce that vaccine locally. The jab will be manufactured by Siam Bioscience, a pharmaceutical company owned by the Monarchy. Surachok Tangwiwat from the FDA says the doses currently subject to approval have been produced by other countries, but did not specify which ones, how many doses have been imported, or at what cost.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has completed phase 3 trials and has been shown to be 70% effective, less than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. However, the World Health Organisation has previously stated that a vaccine only needs to be over 50% effective to meet the global threshold for regulatory approval.
Australia may not open borders in 2021, even with vaccines
Australia may not fully reopen its international borders this year even if most of the population is vaccinated against coronavirus, the head of its health department said on Monday, as the country recorded no new local cases of COVID-19.
Australia is looking at potential adverse effects of the Pfizer vaccine after Norway reported a small number of deaths in older people who received the shot, but is due to begin its immunisation programme next month.
"Even if we have a lot of the population vaccinated, we don't know whether that will prevent transmission of the virus," Brendan Murphy told the public broadcaster, ABC.
The country has managed the coronavirus better than many other nations through targeted lockdowns and high rates of testing and contact tracing, and reported zero local COVID-19 cases on Monday.
Victoria, which is hosting the Australian Open, reported four positive cases in overseas travellers, all associated with the tennis tournament, taking the total to nine.
The event is being organised under strict coronavirus protocols with players, coaches and officials brought to Australia on charter flights and spending two weeks in quarantine before the competition gets under way.
As a result of the cases, people on three of the charter flights are now in hard quarantine, with more than 70 players in isolation in their hotel rooms. Other players have been allowed out for training.
"I know that there's been a bit of chatter from a number of players about the rules. Well, the rules apply to them as they apply to everybody else," Victorian state Premier Daniel Andrews said, responding to player complaints about the strict quarantine.
The main COVID focus in Australia is currently in Sydney in the state of New South Wales (NSW), where an outbreak in the city's west has prompted other states to impose travel restrictions on either all of NSW or people from the suburbs affected by the outbreak.
NSW state Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she would consider permitting venues to ban entry to people who have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
"Already airlines have indicated that if you're not vaccinated you can't travel overseas and I think that'll be [an] incentive to a lot of people," Berejiklian told 2GB Radio.
"We'll also consider whether we allow venues … make up their own rules if they have a business or run a workplace about what they feel is COVID safe." – Reuters
Commuters duck as disinfectant is sprayed inside a public van at Mor Chit bus depot in the capital on Tuesday. The spraying of the disinfectant, developed by Maejo University International College, is provided free of charge in public transport vehicles. NUTTHAWAT WICHEANBUT
Strict Covid-19 control measures will continue at least until the end of this month, while a formal assessment of the Covid-19 situation will be carried out at a later date to determine once more which measures will continue or be relaxed, says Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Overall the situation has improved, despite the rise in number of new Covid-19 cases, he said. There shouldn't be a problem if the situation is under control, he added.
The next assessment of the Covid-19 situation will be carried out at around the end of this month, he confirmed.
He asked for continuous cooperation from the public with these Covid-19 control protocols while the government works hard to help the economy stay afloat in the face of the devastating impact of the pandemic.
Asked if the plan for schools to reopen on Feb 1 will still go ahead, the PM said he has assigned the Education Ministry to assess whether reopening is feasible.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Tuesday recorded 171 new Covid-19 cases, 158 of which were local transmissions detected via the government's Covid-19 surveillance (33) and active case finding operations in target communities (125).
The other 13 cases were imported cases reported at a number of state Covid-19 quarantine centres, said CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin.
As of Tuesday the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases was 12,594 including 70 deaths, while the total number of new cases recorded in this new wave of Covid-19 transmissions from Dec 15 last year was 8,357, he said.
Dr Taweesilp, however, said the Covid-19 situation remains worrisome in three areas of the country in particular. They are Samut Sakhon, Bangkok and the southern border provinces, he said.
In Samut Sakhon, the number of new Covid-19 cases continues to rise following active screening in industrial factories, he said, adding that local health authorities now aim to screen workers in at least 600 factories per day as the province plays host to more than 12,000 factories.
The Covid-19 situation in Bangkok is still of concern because it is near Samut Sakhon, and is also where a large number of new infections have been detected, including a number of infections in the same families.
The southern border provinces, meanwhile, are being advised to heighten their Covid-19 prevention measures as the number of cases in neighbouring Malaysia continues to rise.
In another development, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will this week propose that the capital's communicable diseases committee relax current restrictions on the closure of certain types of businesses and activities, which include health spas, nursing homes, fitness centres and more.
The proposal will be sent to the Bangkok committee on communicable diseases tomorrow.
The highest number of new wave Covid-19 infections in Bangkok are in the western area of the city, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Tuesday.
Since December 20, 606 new cases were reported in the capital, most of whom were people who had gone to the hospital with symptoms or suspected they may have caught the virus.
Bangkok's situation was deemed stable, with only 12 new cases reported on Tuesday and six people who are at risk who have been isolated, CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin said.
A map of Bangkok with different districts colour coded to represent the number of patients found. Photo credit: CCSA
Bang Khunthien district, which borders Samut Sakhon province, had the highest number of patients with 106, followed by Bang Khae (27), Bang Phlat (27), Chom Thong (25) and Thonburi (21). Only the only two areas in the west of the city that are free of infections are Samphanthawong and Saphan Sung.
Taweesin said Bangkok still needs to be closely monitored, especially for transmissions between family members.
Most of the proposed tax will be spent on maintaining tourist sites and not on hospital treatment for anybody.
The proposal
The National Tourism Policy Committee has proposed that "each international visitor" must pay 300 baht for "the management of local tourist destinations" (266 baht) and "to cover foreigners who can't pay their hospital bills" (34 baht). According to the Tourism and Sports Minister, the proposal is due to be addressed in more detail in the Royal Gazette after deliberation with government finance and insurance commissions. But silence has reigned in the past week or so since the announcement leading to gross confusion, here and overseas.
The problem
Thai authorities have long bemoaned the fact that foreigners sometimes run up debts in Thai hospitals which they cannot pay. The usual issue is non-insurance or lack of adequate cover and mostly affects public sector hospitals in Thailand. The private sector is well-known for starting significant treatment only after the go-ahead from an insurer or after substantial cash funds appear in the bursar's office.
In the past year there have been well-publicized cases of Europeans seeking crowd-funding to fund serious surgery, though these patients have been short-term tourists rather than expats. The cost of unpaid bills to Thai coffers in this context is estimated to be 300-400 million baht per year. Some critics say that these sums are not huge as non-payment by the few has already been built into hospital pricing structures for all foreigners who typically pay more than Thai patients even in the public sector.
The nightmare scenario: ending up in the ICU without knowing who pays.
The solution
The proposal now on the table does not mean that international tourists will be covered by travel insurance and need not take out their own policy. The 34 baht x 10 million tourists – for example – would be in effect a discretionary government slush fund to which hospitals could apply for reimbursement post treatment.
How they would do this is unknown but would likely involve massive form filling to demonstrate they had first moved heaven and earth to retrieve the cash from the patient or his/her contacts. In other words, wannabe tourists to Thailand are not personally covered and won't be given any document on arrival at the airport, border post or port.
The collection
The scheme applies only to foreigners and not to Thais who have their own government health scheme based on an earlier Thaksin Shinawatra model. The 300 baht fee can't be added to the air ticket automatically unless there is a way of separating non-Thai nationals from Thais at the booking stage. That sounds difficult. Do we really want long queues of arriving passengers in the future clutching their 300 baht or, more likely, having only foreign currency and needing change?
Those foreigners who do have personal insurance will doubtless object to the double whammy proposal, though their moans are not likely to be taken seriously. After all, nearly 90 percent of the fee will be spent on "tourist destinations" and not medical cover for visitors. There is some suggestion that the bulk of the cash will be spent on marketing Thailand overseas rather than on repairing temples and tourist attractions.
Many are questioning why a new insurance tax is proposed when international tourism is at rock bottom.
The concern
The main worry is that the scheme casually looks like a bonus for international travellers who fall ill or have an accident. In reality, it looks more like a cash cow for government funds which already receive 700 baht for each and every departing passenger: that extra is built innocuously into the ticket price. Also, travel insurance worth a notional one US dollar (34 baht) is likely to be limited in scope and may not cover some illnesses or accidents.
It rarely covers people over 75 or 80. At the present time, all visitors to Thailand must have Covid-19 cover, but only certain groups must have general medical cover over and beyond that. These groups are retirees holding a non O/A annual visa or extension and those arriving with a Special Tourist Visa (STV) which allows a vacation of up to 270 days.
The future
The available evidence suggests that the 300 baht scheme is a policy for the post-coronavirus world rather than a policy for now. Thailand currently allows tourists and long-stay expats to enter the country provided they provide a plethora of paperwork to their local embassy. In reality, very few international tourists are currently bothering to apply and likely will not as long as the bureaucracy remains so substantial and the quarantine rules remain in place.
The best course of action would be for Thailand to consider the whole range of medical insurance issues affecting foreigners in all categories rather than continuing to bolt on separate policies to an already overcrowded and confusing scenario. Amen to that pious thought.
Immigration Drops Covid-19 Test Requirement for Renewing Thailand Visas
The Immigration Bureau backed down from a proposal to require foreigners seeking to extend visas to produce proof of a negative coronavirus test, calling it a "misunderstanding".
Bureau spokesman Archayon Kraithong had said Monday that the new requirement would take effect at the end of this month and apply to all visas, regardless of how long the expat has been in the country.
After widespread uproar, immigration officials quickly began backpedaling, with Archayon saying he was "misinformed". He said the test requirement will only apply to specific visa types, most likey those for permanent residency.
Regulations requiring negative coronavirus tests were published in the Royal Gazette with little notice Dec. 25 as an update to the list of diseases, such as leprosy and syphilis, visa-seekers must test negative for. Before Covid-19 can be added to that list, an interpretation must be made by the Council of State, he said.
While Thais have been able to get free or very cheap Covid-19 tests, foreigners have been subjected to fees of 7,000 baht or more.
COVID-19 Test Will Be Mandatory for All Visa Extensions
A file photo of a man taking a swab test for the coronavirus.
BANGKOK — A test for COVID-19 will soon be required for every foreigner who wishes to extend their stay in the kingdom, the immigration police said Monday.
Bureau spokesman Archayon Kraithong said the new measure will make it mandatory for foreigners to obtain a proof of negative coronavirus test before visiting the immigration to extend their visa.
He said the stringent rule will apply to every type of visa, regardless of how long the foreigner has stayed in the country.
"It will become effective after Jan. 24," Maj. Gen. Archayon said by phone. "This is in accordance with the new ministerial regulation and will apply to all types of visa."
Under the new rule published in the Royal Government Gazette on Dec. 25, COVID-19 was added to the list of prohibited diseases for foreigners who wish to enter or take residency in Thailand.
Other diseases include leprosy, "dangerous stage" of tuberculosis, elephantiasis, drug addiction, and tertiary stage of syphilis.
But the immigration appears to recognize no difference between foreigners flying into the country and those residing in Thailand who had not left the country since the pandemic began.
Under exisiting rules, foreigners outside Thailand are already required to present a proof of negative test, as well as a valid visa, a certificate of entry issued by a Thai embassy or consular office in their country, a fit-to-fly certificate issued by a local hospital, and a health insurance policy before boarding their flights to Thailand.
Apart from confirming the planned date for enforcement, the spokesman did not give any further information on how the new measure will be implemented.
The new rule will likely place further financial burden on expats residing in Thailand. A coronavirus test at the government-run Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute costs about 3,000 baht, but the price can go to 6,000 baht and even 8,000 baht at some hospitals.
Thailand reports 369 new coronavirus cases on Monday, including 357 domestic transmissions and 12 imported cases found in state-run quarantines.
The country now has more than 12,400 accumulated cases since the outbreak began in early 2020 – half of them were discovered in the past month alone.
A GROUP of diners at a pork barbeque restaurant in Nakhon Nayok province fled in panic after a wild elephant strolled in but the jumbo too got frightened at seeing so many people and quickly went away, Sanook.com report this morning (Jan. 19).
One of the customers at Khun Dan Moo Katha restaurant in Sarika sub-district, Mueang district, said he was enjoying his meal with his family when the elephant suddenly walked right in, leading to a few other diners screaming, "elephant, elephant, elephant has come."
He added that he was shocked because he had never seen this big a jumbo close up so quickly pulled out his mobile phone and took some photos.
However the elephant too got scared at seeing so many people so quickly went away.
The restaurant owner, Mr. Chinwimon Mahasap, said this elephant, who he calls Chao Ngao Diew, and his companion, Chao Phlai Sarika, visit his restaurant practically everyday and they never hurt anyone.
They usually walk straight into the restaurant and upon seeing a lot of people quickly walk out and go to the back to find some fruit to eat.
Regulars know about these two elephants and many of them come to eat just to wait to see them, he said, adding that they had become the restaurant's selling point.
CAPTION:
Top: A composite photo showing the diners, left, and the elephant walking into the restaurant, right. Thai headline says, "the inviting smell of barbeque pork." Photo: Sanook.com
For the first time in weeks, Chonburi announces zero new cases of Covid-1
Chonburi, Thailand-
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced this morning zero new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the past day.
This is the first time since late December and a now three week long period of business closures and restrictions that zero cases have been found. This follows what authorities are calling targeted mass testing of high-risk groups which are taking place with hundreds of residents on a daily basis in Chonburi. The testing is set to continue for the rest of the week as authorities continue to ensure there is no sign of widespread infection of Covid-19 in the local community.
Dr. Wichai Thanasopon, the Deputy-Director of the Chonburi Department of Public Health, cautioned in an online statement this morning that this didn't mean people should let their guard down and should continue to wear masks, socially distance and wash their hands.
Chonburi Public Health Officials have stressed that although signs are encouraging it is still too early for lifting of business closures and other restrictions but that the situation would be re-evaluated as targeted testing continued in the province.
Some of the high-risk groups being tested are migrant workers who live in densely packed communities, people who visited and worked at entertainment venues in Si Racha, people who attended illegal gambling events, and people who work in occupations with lots of exposure to others like taxi drivers and supermarket workers.
A nurse displays a vial of AstraZeneca's COVISHIELD vaccine during the coronavirus disease vaccination campaign at a medical centre in Mumbai on Saturday. (Reuters photo)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is expected to approve the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine this week for emergency use in the country.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Ministry of Public Health's Disease Control Department (DCD), said on Monday the FDA was examining documents submitted to it to prove the efficacy and safety of "a Covid-19 vaccine".
Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, deputy secretary-general of the FDA, later confirmed it was the vaccine produced by Oxford University and AstraZeneca, a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company.
He said the submitted documents contained details of both the quality and the production process of the vaccine and this would help shorten its registration process.
Dr Opas confirmed that the ministry was likely to begin its Covid-19 inoculations using the AstraZeneca vaccine next month.
The ministry routine is to follow up on people injected with Covid-19 vaccines for at least four weeks afterwards, during which time all possible allergic reactions or complications are strictly recorded and investigated, he said.
Dr Opas was responding to concerns raised over a number of elderly people's deaths believed to be associated with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in Norway.
Should anyone die after being injected with a Covid-19 vaccine, the death will be investigated promptly to determine if it is related to the vaccine, said Dr Opas, and only if it is clearly proved to not be associated with the vaccine will its continued use be allowed.
If it remains unclear whether such a death is connected with the vaccine, the use of that particular vaccine will be suspended, he insisted.
Deaths among elderly Norwegians with serious underlying health conditions following the administration of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine have sparked global concerns over its safety.
A senator and medical doctor, Jet Siratharanont, on Monday raised a question in parliament over the safety of the government's plan to administer the first 200,000 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine next month.
Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha insisted that only vaccines proven to be safe would be administered to Thai people ... and they would be China's Sinovac vaccine or the Oxford-AstraZeneca one, not Pfizer's.
The first vaccines will be given to at-risk groups in the five provinces designated as maximum and strict Covid-19 control zones.
Priority will also be given to people aged 60 or older and those with chronic diseases certified by medical professionals to be particularly prone to contracting the virus that causes Covid-19, he said.
The injection of a further 800,000 dozes would follow in March in provinces other than these first five provinces before inoculation of the general population will be allowed to begin in June and July, said Mr Sathit.
Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, pointed out that overseas deaths thought to be linked with Covid-19 vaccinations were at this point only media reports and not yet verified by any government organisations.
As for the safety of the vaccines that would be administered to Thai people, the minister said a sub-committee had been tasked with managing the government's Covid-19 vaccination programme to ensure all vaccines were safe before being cleared for use.
Both the FDA and the Department of Medical Sciences are responsible for inspecting any Covid-19 vaccines to ensure their safety before the sub-committee allows them to be used, he said.
Therefore the administration of the vaccine was still being totally controlled by the government, he said.
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