Despite promises made by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha, government hurdles and red-tape have made it impossible for private hospitals to acquire vaccines on their own despite having the agency and connections to make it happen.
Thailand is currently fighting its most severe wave of the Covid-19 pandemic with infection rates climbing into the quadruple digits and the death toll mounting.
Among the major criticisms aimed at the government from political opponents and erstwhile allies is the current national vaccination plan which has lagged behind other countries. (Read more here)
Local media have been reporting since last year that private hospitals seeking to independently acquire vaccines were being rejected by the public health ministry on the grounds that the government would be able to source enough vaccines for the country.
But with the rise of the third wave, that vaccination plan seems to have failed in its entirety with the population not inoculated in any substantial way.
As a result, Prayut promised in a nationally-televised address to set up a committee to help the private sector bring in vaccines to supplement the government's effort.
Thai Enquirer has learned, however, that in the two-weeks since Prime Minister Prayut made the statement there has been no change on the ground and private hospitals are still frustrated by the lack of government communication and agency on the matter.
"At the moment, it is impossible for the private sector to bring in vaccines due to the government's inaction," said Dr Suwadee Puntpanich, a director at the Thonburi Hospital Group.
Suwadee explains that due to the global pandemic, all vaccine orders must be countersigned by the government due to regulations put in place by the World Health Organization.
"We have sent numerous applications for vaccines to the Ministry of Public Health, to the minister, to the permanent secretary and have received no response," she told Thai Enquirer.
Suwadee said the only government agency that have responded to their request was the Food and Drug Administration who wrote back saying that it was not their job to approve vaccine requests.
Another hospital administrator at the Bangkok Dust Medical Centre said that Suwadee's experience was shared by all other private hospital groups.
"It is incredibly frustrating," the administrator said on the condition of anonymity. "We stand ready to help the government and the public but they don't seem to want our help. At the very least they can communicate with us."
According to the source at BDMS, the Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul has come out to say previously that the private sector didn't need to source their own vaccines, just to help bring in patients to get vaccinated once the government brought in the necessary doses.
"What a ridiculous statement, now with the third wave the government will need all the help it can get but even now they're not letting us move forward," the source said.
According to Suwadee, every private hospital group has connection to drugs manufacturers as it was part and parcel of their business.
"We know the market and have the contacts to make the vaccine imports happen but they can't sell to us without a government go-ahead," she said. "The prime minister has said that he wants private sector help but so far there has been zero communication from the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration or the health ministry."
"There is no timeline for when we can bring in vaccines because we simply don't know when the government will reply to our requests," she said.
The Thai Ministry of Education this afternoon, April 27th, announced the postponement of the school semester 01/2021 from May 17th to June 1st, applying to more than 10,000 schools nationwide, due to the current outbreak of Covid-19 Coronavirus in Thailand.
The rescheduling has been decided as the overall situation of the Covid-19 could become more intense which might affect the teaching and learning activities in many educational institutions. The parents of school students also expressed their concern for their children if the semester would start next month, Education Minister Trinuch Thienthong said.
PHOTO: Thairath
Prior to the school reopening, the Ministry of Education advised schools nationwide to prepare classrooms and buildings, including teaching material and other management, from May 17th to the 30th. Teachers and school personnel should communicate and create mutual understanding with parents regarding the postponement. Teachers may visit students at home and organize additional activities, such as online learning before the official school semester starts in June.
Minister Trinuch stated: "The Ministry will closely monitor the Covid-19 situation and the CCSA announcements, ensuring that the postponement and other implementation in the future would have minimum effect on students."
"Schools in the areas that have not been crucially affected by the pandemic situation can proceed and prepare the offline teaching and learning on May 17th."
TPN Media notes that some private/international schools may not apply to this order and parents should double-check with their school of choice.
The Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) has urged the government to issue strict lockdown measures in the high-risk and red-zoned areas of Covid-19 infections in Thailand, and provide public remedial measures and financial assistance to recover economic growth.
FTI president Suphan Mongkolsuthee revealed today, April 27th, that the FTI, as a representative of the private sector, has proposed to the government some recommendations regarding the country's Covid-19 situation to proceed nationwide as follows:
The government should quickly control the situation of the new Covid-19 outbreak by implementing lockdown measures in red-zone provinces and high-risk areas. (TPN notes they did not specifically state what they meant by "lockdown" and what measures this would take)
The government should accelerate the allocation of Covid-19 vaccines in order to control the pandemic as well as to build confidence among the public about the safety of vaccines and the injection.
The government should allow and encourage the private sectors to purchase and import Covid-19 vaccines that have been approved by the FDA in order to speed up vaccine distribution across the country. This should be allowed immediately.
The government sector should provide financial stimulus and remedies for those who have been critically affected by the Covid-19 pandemic to continuously help restore the domestic economy. This includes informal workers and anyone who would be affected by a lockdown or closure of their business. This also includes giving support to businesses that would be closed such as freezes on rent and utility payments.
The government should take action against the problem of the accessibility of loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The government should find a solution to the problem of container shortage to help exporters and their business that could potentially stimulate Thailand's economy
PHOTO: Thansettakij
Despite the financial crisis, the president stated that the industry confidence index, in contradiction, is gradually increasing in the past two months and is forecast to increase in the next three months.
"The FTI forecasted that the industry confidence index for the next three months would increase to 94.0, from 92.0 in February 2021, as business operators were convinced that the Covid-19 vaccination has been in progress in many countries as well as their economic stimulus campaigns. This will help the global trade economy continue to recover as well as easing measures to welcome foreign tourists in the future," Suphan concluded.
Check in desks at Suvarnabhumi Airport are being used as vaccination screening points as part of the effort to inoculate people in Bangkok.
A total of 42 check in desks on the 4th floor of the departure hall are currently being used as service points for people due to receive the vaccination.
These include front line workers and employees of Airports of Thailand and other staff who work at Suvarnabhumi.
The check in desks are being operated by staff from Bangplee Hospital and Samitivej Srinakarin Hospital, as well as from other agencies, Daily News reported.
At the check in desks, people due to receive the vaccine have their temperature and blood pressure taken before their information is formally entered into the registration system. The person is then given an appointment card to receive their vaccination.
Kittipong Kittikajorn who helps to oversee operations at the airport said this will help to accelerate rollout of the vaccine, which is important to help build confidence among passengers.
Thailand's government slapped restrictions on travel from India on Monday over concerns of imported coronavirus cases and closed more venues in Bangkok, even as it came under fire for not doing enough to contain a spike in infections.
The government has ordered parks, gyms, cinemas and day-care centres in its capital, the epicentre of the latest wave of infections, to shut from April 26 until May 9.
It has also introduced a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($635) for not wearing masks in public, with even the prime minister falling foul of mask-wearing rules.read more
But unlike last year, malls and restaurants have been allowed to operate with earlier closing times, fuelling concerns this could quickly lead to more infection clusters and prompting calls for the resignation of the country's health minister.
Comparing the government's COVID-19 response to playing a game of Whac-A-Mole, Thira Woratanarat, a professor at Chulalongkorn University's Preventive and Social Medicine, warned "shutting places and activities one at a time would not be enough".
People should prepare for more clusters especially in work places, food courts and pubic transportation, he cautioned in a post on Facebook.
Thailand has managed to keep its caseload lower than many countries, but the latest outbreak has resulted in 57,508 infections and 148 deaths in just under 30 days. It reported 2,048 new cases on Monday, of which 901 were in Bangkok.
"They shouldn't wait until there is a new outbreak to come up with regulations," said Ungkana Kesornphud, who owns a massage shop in Bangkok.
The president of Thailand's Thoracic Society, Nithiphat Chiarakun, also urged the government to take "decisive measures to stop the movement of people as quickly as possible".
An online petition on Change.org calling for the resignation of health minister Anutin Charnvirankul had garnered over 160,000 signatures in two days.
Anutin has said he will not resign.
The city of Bangkok fined Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha 6,000 baht ($190) after he posted a photo of him not wearing a mask during a meeting. read more
As the Covid-19 situation in Thailand worsened in the past several weeks, Prime Minister Pratu Chan-O'Cha officially gave full authority to provincial governors for curfews and tougher restrictions to control the breakout in different areas.
54 provinces nationwide have issued mask mandates with up to a 20,000 baht fine for violating. The law to prevent the spread of Covid-19 applies everywhere when you are in public places and even in your own car if with more than one person, regardless if they are family members or not.
PHOTO: Thairath
The list of provinces with mask mandates are:
Central and East
Kanchanaburi (only in markets, weekend markets, and floating markets), Prachinburi, Phetchaburi, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, Samut Sakhon, Lop Buri, Samut Prakan, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chonburi, Sara Buri, Trat, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Chanthaburi, Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Chachoengsao, Ang Thong, Sa Kaeo, and Nakhon Nayok
Sukhothai, Tak, Phetchabun, Utaradit, Lumpon, Phitsanulok, and Chiang Mai
South
Surat Thani, Trang, Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Narathiwat, Pattani, Phang Nga, Phuket, Ranong, Satun, Song Khla, and Yala
Additionally, the governors in six provinces, namely Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Surat Thani, Samut Prakan, Songkhla, and Samut Sakhon, have implemented a soft curfew, asking local residents not to leave their residential areas in the nighttime.
The scheduled times are:
Nonthaburi – from 9:00 PM. to 4:00 AM.
Pathum Thani – from 9:00 PM. to 4:00 AM.
Surat Thani – from 10:00 PM. to 4:00 AM.
Samut Prakan – from 9:00 PM. to 4:00 AM.
Samut Sakhon – from 11:00 PM. to 4:00 AM.
Songkhla: 10:00 PM to 4:00 AM
A variety of provinces have also implemented fourteen-day quarantines or Covid-19 tests for people traveling to them, especially from red zones. One should check in advance before traveling although the overall message right now is STAY HOME.
Many provinces have also closed venues above and beyond the government ordered restrictions which provincial governors have the ability to do. In some provinces, this includes massage shops, gyms, parks (such as Bangkok), alcohol sales bans everywhere in Sa Kaeo, and other provincial measures. One should check in their own province to determine what province-level restrictions may be. Some areas, like national parks or popular islands like Koh Samet or Koh Kood, have been closed entirely to the public.
There is no national Covid-19 curfew or lockdown, although the government is set to discuss further potential restrictions on Thursday.
The closure order also affects five other islands in the country.
Thailand has been facing some of the worst coronavirus crises since the very beginning of the outbreak back in early 2020. Mid-April was the start of widespread infections in Bangkok that has been affecting the whole country to regress into chaos, resulting in a series of governmental restrictions, including the closure of 31 types of venues in Bangkok and the face mask-wearing enforcement.
The upsetting events have not stopped coming, as the Facebook page of Samet National Park made an announcement last night (April 26) that Samet island, together with five nearby islands, is ordered by the government to suspend new entry to the area for 14 days in order to control and prevent the coronavirus infections. The other five islands are, namely, Koh Ku Dee, Koh Thalu, Koh Gruay, Koh Kham, and Koh Plai Tin. The area of Khao Laemya National Park is also included in the restriction.
All these aforementioned spots are widely known among both national and international tourists. Since the first phase of COVID-19 outbreak, these islands have been visited by travellers already residing in the kingdom, and now the incident has even made it more unlikely for the tourism to come back like the government had planned earlier.
The temporary closure will be in effect until at least May 10. Koh Chang, another renowned island in Trat, is considering to partake in the restriction. Stay tuned for an update.
BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand is set to vaccinate 50 million people against COVID-19 this year with a target of 300,000 jabs daily, while the Prime Minister has ordered an improvement to the hospitalization and referral protocol for COVID-19 patients.
Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has announced plans for Thailand's mass vaccination drive, with 50 million people to get their COVID-19 jabs by the end of this year.
According to a post on his Facebook page, the Prime Minister in a meeting today with his advisory team set a target of 10-15 million doses of vaccine to be supplied each month, acquired from a variety of manufacturers in a coordinated effort between the government and the private sector.
He has called for an inclusive distribution of the vaccine throughout the country, with the responsibility shared clearly between government agencies and private firms to proactively vaccinate the people.
Vaccination centers shall be set up at venues such as convention centers, sports centers, hotels, and private hospitals, to help alleviate the workload at general hospitals and the public health system currently taking care of COVID-19 patients.
The government will also encourage capable private firms to provide injections to complement the government's vaccination campaign.
With all government and private vaccination centers available, the government expects the country to give 300,000 or more jabs to the people each day, in order to achieve the 50 million people target by the end of this year or sooner.
The Prime Minister has ordered an overhaul of the screening, hospital admissions, and patient transfer protocols to improve the efficiency.
Thailand has purchased and received 2.5 million doses of Sinovac's vaccine, plus 117,600 doses of AstraZeneca's. The country has mainly been using Sinovac's vaccine in its initial phase of vaccine rollout, mostly to healthcare professionals and frontline workers.
The Chinese government will also be donating 500,000 more doses of Sinovac's vaccine to Thailand, making three million of this vaccine type available in the country.
Thailand's mass vaccination drive among the general public is scheduled to start in June with the availability of the first batch of domestically produced AstraZeneca's vaccine, with a total of 61 million doses on order.
Meanwhile, the country has reached out to the Russian government to purchase 5-10 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine, and to Pfizer to purchase 5-10 million doses for their mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine.
The government has also enabled private firms to order vaccines from the manufacturers to be used at private hospitals or for their employees, provided the vaccine types are first authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drugs Administration.
Hua Hin's red light district is deserted on April 12, 2021, following the closure of bars and a spike in Covid-19 cases in Hua Hin and other districts of Prachuap Khiri Khan province. (Photo by Dave Kendall)
Hua Hin is ready to follow the government's reopening plan and target vaccinated tourists without quarantine requirements in October under the Hua Hin Recharge campaign.
Krod Rojanastien, a member of the committee of Thai Chamber of Commerce, who is leading the collaboration from the private sector, said Hua Hin has the potential to be included in the reopening plan due to its reputation for wellness tourism and as a long-stay destination only a few hours away from Bangkok.
Under Hua Hin Recharge plan, the pilot areas will cover Hua Hin Municipality and the Nong Kae district, a total area of 86.36 sq km with 182 registered hotels.
Similar to the Phuket sandbox model, tourists with proof of vaccination will be able to take flights to Suvarnabhumi Airport or a private jet to Hua Hin airport. They will have to pass an RT-PCR test upon arrival and must activate Thailand Plus, a tracing application before transferring to hotels via private vehicle.
Mr Krod, who is also president of the Thai Spa Association, said operators are preparing to offer tour packages. They are also working with operators from different destinations, including Pattaya and Phuket, to swap tourists after they complete their seven-day trip in Hua Hin.
If Hua Hin Recharge can commence as scheduled, operators are expected to welcome around 100,000 international tourists, especially from China, Germany, Scandinavian nations, the UK and Japan, contributing 1.2 billion baht in tourism receipts.
"In order to achieve reopening, inoculations in Hua Hin must start by June 1 and continue until Sept 30 with the number of required doses needed being 353,498," said Mr Krod.
Of the total, there are 89,880 tourism workers who need to be vaccinated.
However, success will rely on 14 million doses to be given to 10 million people in Bangkok in May.
Mr Krod said that after discussions with the Tourism and Sports Ministry yesterday, this concept received approval but operators have to include vaccinations for people in the nearby areas also such as Pran Buri and Cha-am in Phetchaburi.
Hua Hin Recharge will be officially proposed to the National Tourism Policy Committee's meeting on May 6 before seeking further approval from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
In this file photo, a healthcare worker prepares a syringe with a dose of Covid-19 vaccine as part of the government's inoculation programme. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
The government will adopt a single command system to improve the efficiency of the national Covid-19 vaccination drive, with the aim of inoculating about 30 million people over the next three months and 50 million by the end of the year.
According to a post on Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's official Facebook page, the PM met with his advisers at Government House to discuss ways to ramp up the distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, which is a top national priority.
The government will do everything in its power to procure more doses to support the national vaccination drive, with a target to buy 10-15 million doses a month from several manufacturers, according to the post.
The government will also improve cooperation between state and private agencies to ensure broad distribution of the doses. A proactive vaccination plan will also be put in place to ease the burden on the public health system, it said.
Alternative vaccination centres will also be set up at appropriate locations, such as meeting halls, sport centres and hotels to prevent crowding at hospitals, whose main task is to look after infected patients, the post said.
At least 300,000 doses will be administered a day, with the goal of vaccinating 50 million people by the end of this year or sooner, Gen Prayut wrote in the post.
Speaking after the meeting, Danucha Pichayanan, secretary-general of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) said that the government plans to inoculate 30 million people over the next three months, or about 300,000 people a day.
At least 50 million people are expected to be vaccinated by year-end, he said.
Traisuree Taisaranakul, deputy spokesman for the government, previously said Thailand has received 2.5 million doses from Sinovac, including the recent batch of 500,000 doses which arrived on Saturday.
She said Sinovac Biotech will send one million doses to Thailand next month, which will bring the total to 3.5 million doses, Ms Traisuree said.
So far, Thailand has approved the use of Covid-19 vaccines from Sinovac, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, Mr Danucha said on Monday.
He said the government is also seeking to import the Pfizer and Sputnik V vaccines.
"The prime minister instructed all agencies involved to step up their efforts to procure more than 100 million vaccine doses by the end of this year. The vaccination drive will operate under a single command to ensure effective distribution," Mr Danucha said.
Mr Danucha said the prime minister will meet the private sector tomorrow to find ways for businesses and whole industries to procure Covid-19 vaccine doses for employees.
Tomorrow's meeting will also discuss venues which can be used to support the government's plan to inoculate 300,000 people a day, Mr Danucha said, before adding retired doctors and nurses will be asked to help with the programme.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Monday's meeting discussed the severity of the latest wave of infections, which has become a cause of public concern.
It was agreed at the meeting that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will resume its central role in the government's handling of the pandemic to ensure efficiency, as the centre had delegated some of its authority to other ministries before the latest wave, Mr Anucha said.
The CCSA has also been instructed to set up health screening centres in all 77 provinces. Major provinces, particularly Bangkok, must have several such hubs, he said.
On vaccine procurement, Mr Anucha said 28 million doses are due for delivery between May and August, and talks are underway to purchase 40 million more doses from various manufacturers.
Chonburi, Thailand- Additionally, 501 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began, with 97 of those being released yesterday. This makes a total of 2045 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of Covid-19, with 1,543 still in quarantine/medical observation/medical care.The district-level cases were as follows today: Mueang Chonburi with 29, Si Racha 9, Banglamung (Pattaya) 33, Sattahip 1, Ban Bueng 1, Pan Thong 4, Bor Thong 3. The details on today's cases are: 1. Three cases of Covid-19 traced to a large cluster stemming originally from the Flintstone's Pub in the Don Hualor sub-district of Chonburi. There have been 171 cases since April 6th, 2021, from this venue. 2.1 Bone Pattaya- 4 people 2.2 Another Thoeng Institute in Pattaya Establishment 1 person 4. 3 close contacts of previously confirmed patients from Bangkok. 5. 2 close contacts from confirmed patients in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province 6. 1 close contact from a previously confirmed patient from Surat Thani 7. 1 close contact from a previously confirmed patient from the Nakhon Sawan Province 8. 2 close contacts from previously confirmed patients in Chonburi province. 9. 29 family members/household contacts found during the investigation and contact tracing. 10. In the process of investigation still are 33 cases.Details are other cases, as well as the death listed on today's report, was NOT given by the Public Health Office to the press or on social media.In the last day, a total of 267 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 68 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community. All are pending results. Chonburi officials are asking people to continue to stay home, socially distance, and follow other Covid-19 related measures to control the situation.
Chonburi, Thailand- Additionally, 501 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began, with 97 of those being released yesterday. This makes a total of 2045 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of Covid-19, with 1,543 still in quarantine/medical observation/medical care.
