The Department of Corrections is considering granting more prisoners parole or offering them a reduction in their sentences to ease overcrowding and the rising number of new Covid-19 infections in its prisons.
Certain rules will have to be amended to allow this special parole and sentence reduction programme, which is intended mainly for old prisoners and those with a life-threatening disease, said Aryut Sinthopphan, director-general of the department, on Wednesday.
Mr Aryut said criminal suspects being detained in prison while fighting their cases will also be supported for getting bail.
The department on Wednesday recorded 1,117 new cases of Covid-19, detected in 11 prisons and detention facilities across the country, he said, adding that a total of 12,767 inmates confirmed to have Covid-19 are receiving treatment.
There are currently only two prisons where Covid-19 has yet to be found: Narathiwat provincial prison and Mae Sot district prison in Tak, he said.
"All prisons and detention facilities are being instructed to prepare solutions to deal with possible outbreaks of Covid-19 by setting up their own field hospitals and centres for Covid-19 situation administration," he said.
"They are also instructed to focus on screening all inmates for Covid-19 and getting everyone who is confirmed to have the virus to undergo a lung X-ray to determine if he or she needs antiviral treatment."
He added that all prison officers are also subject to Covid-19 tests and anyone who has a runny nose will instantly need a swab test too.
Moreover, all prisons and detention facilities are required to inform the families of all Covid-19 infected detainees by phone to keep them updated about their relative's health.
"The department is strictly implementing the so-called 'Bubble and Seal' measure to prevent transmissions of Covid-19 into and from all prisons," he said.
"Any prison officers who are found to be carriers of the disease and have infected others in prison will face a disciplinary probe and action.
Meanwhile, Rachada Dhnadirek, deputy government spokeswoman, said the government is preparing hospitals for handling infected prisoners.
Ms Rachada said if prisons do not have sufficient space to set up their own field hospitals on the premises, other places such as temporary detention facilities and old prisons nearby may be converted into field hospitals to treat infected prisoners.
She said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had assured that all people infected, including prisoners, will be treated equally.
Suwat Thep-arak, a member of the National Human Rights Commission, expressed concern over the need to better protect the rights, health and lives of prisoners in the face of the fierce Covid-19 outbreak in many prisons. He called on the government to give prisoners priority in its mass vaccination drive as it seeks to protect the population.
FILE PHOTO: A woman receives the Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the Samut Sakhon hospital in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand, February 28, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand is aiming to administer one shot of a coronavirus vaccine to 70% of its population by September, its health minister said on Wednesday, as it seeks to provide protection for more people faster amid its deadliest outbreak so far.
Thailand has yet to start a mass immunisation programme and has been scrambling to secure vaccines from multiple brands after a new, more potent COVID-19 outbreak that has seen cases nearly quadruple and fatalities increase six-fold since early April.
"We will focus on the first shots of vaccination to meet the target of 70% of the population by September," Thai Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a statement.
He reassured the public there would be no need to reserve a second shot as there would be doses available.
The government had previously aimed to vaccinate the 70% needed to reach herd immunity by the end of the year but has been criticised for being slow to procure vaccines and for a strategy that had relied overwhelmingly on one manufacturer, AstraZeneca.
Thailand is scheduled to start its main drive next month, when locally manufactured AstraZeneca doses are available.
Just over 1.5 million of Thailand's more than 66 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, mostly that of Sinovac Biotech. Those include medical workers or people with pre-existing health conditions.
Thailand has also placed orders for the vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech. Authorities have so far approved the vaccines of Sinovac, AstraZenaca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna.
(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Thai Airways aircraft are parked on the tarmac at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport March 27, 2015. (Reuters file photo)
Thai Airways International's creditors have voted to approve the airline's restructuring plan, its legal advisor said on Wednesday.
"Ninety percent of creditors voted to approve the plan," Kitipong Urapeepatanapong told Reuters, adding a court will need to review the plan on May 28.
Last year, a court approved the troubled airline's request for bankruptcy protection and debt restructuring.
Prof. Dr. Yong said that working-age adults are more likely to experience fever or body aches than the elderly, after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine while not many senior people have complained about having fever after receiving the dose. (File Photo)
The AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine is currently being administered to the elderly in Thailand, and no adverse reactions were reported in most recipients. A large batch of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available for young adults. According to studies, they may experience fever, body aches or swelling and redness around the injection. These effects will disappear in 24 hours.
Head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Prof. Dr. Yong Poovorawan, provided information about administering the AstraZeneca vaccine to young adults, who are more susceptible to adverse reactions than the elderly.
Prof. Dr. Yong said that everyone must understand that working-age adults are more likely to experience fever or body aches than the elderly, after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Not many senior people have complained about having fever after receiving the dose. With more doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to arrive soon, recipients who are under 30 years old may have to take paracetamol, a medication used to treat fever and moderate pain, once they return home.
According to the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology, some young recipients may experience adverse events, such as swelling and redness around the injection side.
Common side effects, including fever, are temporary, and will disappear in 24 hours. In rare cases, these effects may last two to three days.
Studies show that young adults, who have strong reactions after receiving the vaccine, will trigger strong immune responses.
It is normal that women have higher immune responses than men and young people have higher immune responses than the elderly.
If everyone understands the issue, they will not panic if they have side effects. People who have severe side effects are advised seek medical attention.(NNT)
Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha is putting a halt on walk-in services for vaccines, causing worry among foreigners as to when they will be able to receive a Covid-19 jab. The news has confused those who were following the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's announcements that stated foreign residents will be able to take part in the government's mass vaccination programme. But as no details have been released on what foreigners would be considered as residents, nor how they would sign up, expats are questioning the murky plans.
The CCSA's English-language spokesman, who is also the deputy spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mentioned before that foreigners may be able to join a proposed "walk-in" vaccination scheme, but now, the PM has shot that down until further notice. His reasoning pointed towards large numbers of people flooding the walk-in registration, opening up to chaos and the further spreading of the virus. He did say that some provinces and areas may be able to conduct walk-in jabs, but not in Bangkok, as infections are soaring. Despite mentioning the possibility of other areas carrying out walk-in vaccinations, the PM says the CCSA will have to approve of it at a later date.
The CCSA said some foreigners have managed to sign up for jabs on the Thai language vaccine mobile app, Mor Prom, but those foreigners had social security cards or pink cards. And, the CCSA says the app is only for Thai nationals.Although there has been a recent announcement of the CCSA developing a website for foreigners to sign up for the Covid vaccines, no timeline or date has been given as to when the website will be available.
With no date set for foreignersto sign up through the new website, many foreigners have indicated that they would be willing to register for the jabs at private hospitals. But as private hospitals haven't given an exact date on when they will receive vaccines, foreigners are continually being left in the dark. According to the Bangkok Post, an unidentified source detailed the PM's wishes.
"The prime minister wants everyone involved to stop talking about vaccination walk-ins until clear measures are finalised. People will be upset and complain if they walk in but cannot get shots."
PM Prayut is also warning relative agencies to not release confusing information about the walk-in vaccinations as he says people should only listen to the CCSA for information.
BANGKOK: Thais who do not want to wait for the COVID-19 vaccine distribution from their government have opted for a new option to get it overseas.
The growing demand for vaccination amid a new wave of outbreaks in the country has given rise to tour packages which let customers join the vaccination queue abroad and choose from a greater variety of vaccines to build their immunity against the coronavirus.
"People who opt for this don't want to wait in Thailand any longer. If they have a choice and can afford the vaccination, they choose to pay instead of waiting because they don't know for how long they'd have to do that," said Mr Rachphol Yamsaeng, managing director of Unithai Trip.
His company recently began to advertise organised trips from Thailand to the United States, offering overseas holidays with a twist.
Starting from about US$2,300 per person, the packaged tour includes a 10-day journey where customers not only get to travel around Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas but also receive the Johnson & Johnson single-dose COVID-19 vaccine.
"So many people have called – hundreds of them – but 80 per cent of them don't have a US visa. This is despite me having said they need it to join as they won't be able to travel otherwise," Mr Rachphol told CNA.
Still, people keep calling. This actually shows they really want to go.
Rachphol Yamsaeng, managing director of Unithai Trip, receiving his COVID-19 vaccine in the United States. (Photo courtesy of Rachphol Yamsaeng)
Unithai Trip is one of a few travel companies in Thailand that offer COVID-19 vaccination in their tour packages. According to Mr Rachphol, several customers were finalising their travel plans with his firm and a few others have already departed for the US since last week.
Most of his clients are families who paid for private tours. Prices range from US$2,300 per person for a group of eight travellers to US$3,700 per person for a group of two. These include hotel accommodation in the US, private transport, entry fees for tourist attractions and a service charge for liaising with the Thai embassy to obtain certificates of entry, which are required for their return to Thailand.
As for the vaccination, the appointment will be confirmed prior to the clients' departure from Thailand.
"We'll take care of everything from start to finish," said Mr Rachphol, who also flew to get a COVID-19 vaccine jab in the US earlier this week.
COVID-19 vaccine tourism recently took off in Thailand, where vaccination against the coronavirus is prioritised according to age and health conditions. Currently, tens of millions of local residents rely on the government for vaccine allocation as it is the sole importer of COVID-19 vaccines.
To create herd immunity, the government has set a target to inoculate at least 50 million people within this year or about 70 per cent of the population. Still, there are concerns among residents that the plan may not be rolled out within the set timeframe.
Since February, about 2.3 million people in Thailand have been vaccinated against the coronavirus. This means the government still needs to inoculate some 47.7 million residents within 226 days to reach its target. However, data from the health ministry showed the daily rates of vaccination are far below what is required.
Data from the Department of Disease Control of Thailand's Public Health Ministry shows the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses that were administered from May 1 to May 18 in 2021. (Illustration: Pichayada Promchertchoo)
Moreover, the country is battling its biggest wave of COVID-19 outbreak so far. On May 17, its COVID-19 centre reported 9,635 new patients in one day. More than 70 per cent of the new infections were detected in jails and prisons.
Since the new wave hit Thailand in early April, 84,692 people have been infected by the coronavirus and more than 500 have died. The recent spikes in cases and fear of possible mutations have pushed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha to procure more COVID-19 vaccines.
The government has so far secured 63 million doses of the Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines. The latter – 61 million doses – will be produced in Thailand and is expected to be ready from June.
"I'd like to stress that the government can certainly procure vaccines for all the Thai population and will not stop the procurement or the reservation to ensure safety for all Thais. Given our old target of procuring 100 million doses for 50 million people within this year, I have made an order to increase it to at least 150 million doses. We are confident we'll be able to procure them all," Mr Prayut said in a Facebook post on May 11.
"I'd like to confirm every type of vaccine imported by the government is efficient and approved by the Ministry of Public Health and that they've been widely used across the world. Tens of millions of people have received them, including world leaders."
According to Mr Prayut, the Public Health Ministry proposed more vaccine procurement plans, including 5 million to 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and 5 million to 10 million doses from each of the Sputnik V, Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Four vaccines have been approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA), namely AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. However, only the first two have been imported and used in the vaccination programme for the general public.
The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) is the sole importer of COVID-19 vaccines in Thailand. According to its managing director Witoon Danwiboon, the organisation is in the process of procuring the Moderna vaccine for private hospitals. However, the vaccine will be administered with a cost once it becomes available in Thailand.
Thailand's vaccination programme is divided into three phases, with each recipient given two doses of the vaccine free of charge.
The first phase started in February, targeting risk groups and areas with high levels of infection. Recipients include medical personnel, health officials and volunteers, people aged 60 and over, and those with chronic diseases.
The second phase will start in June and include people aged 60 and over as well as those with chronic diseases nationwide. Registration began earlier this month at hospitals and on the health ministry's online platform.
The final phase is for people aged between 18 and 59. This group's registration has been brought forward to start on May 31.
According to the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), the government has adjusted the national vaccination plan to speed up the inoculation by allowing every province to ration its vaccines to include walk-ins from June.
"The preliminary approach will be 30:50:20, which can be adjusted as necessary by the provincial communicable disease committee. For example, if there are 1,000 doses, 30 per cent of them can be allocated to appointments made through mobile application Mor Prom, 50 per cent to those made at hospitals, and 20 per cent to walk-ins," CCSA said on May 14.
But for some residents who do not want to wait, the emergence of COVID-19 vaccine tours offers a solution away from home. The US is a popular destination among Thai vaccine-seekers as several states give them to non-residents.
Earlier this month, the New York City government announced it will administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to tourists at iconic sites across the city and "make sure they have a built-in souvenir to bring home with them".
An advertisement for COVID-19 vaccine tours in the United States and Serbia by a Thai travel company. (Image courtesy of Unithai Trip)
Besides the US, some tour operators in Thailand also organise trips to Serbia, which uses the Sputnik V vaccine as well as shots from Sinopharm, Pfizer-BioNTech and AstraZeneca.
"For me, this is a signal telling us that people will get to travel to the US soon. If Thailand relaxes its quarantine requirement – for example, by reducing the quarantine period for those who have been vaccinated to four or seven days – more people would want to join the tours," said Mr Chanok Kalyanamitra from tour company My Journey Travel.
His company also organises vaccine trips to the US, where travellers will be inoculated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. A number of people have shown interest, he added, but many of them were put off by the 14-day quarantine requirement upon their return to Thailand.
"Nevertheless, optimistically speaking, it seems like oversea tours are beginning to move," Chanok said. "Tour operators are coming back to work."
FILE PHOTO: The skyline of central Bangkok and the Chao Phraya river are seen during sunrise in Bangkok April 22, 2015. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha
BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's financial system has become more vulnerable due to negative shocks from the latest coronavirus outbreak and there remained significant risks to the economy, the central bank's minutes showed on Wednesday.
On May 5, the central bank left its policy rate unchanged at a record low of 0.50% for an eighth straight meeting to help support Southeast Asia's second-largest economy as it struggles with a third wave of COVID-19 infections..
A Health Ministry spokesperson has confirmed that foreigners living in Thailand should be able to register for Covid-19 vaccination by August. Ratchada Thanadirek says the government is working on a dedicated registration platform for foreign nationals living in the Kingdom, which it's hoped will be ready in 3 months' time.
Meanwhile, Thai Visa News reports that vaccine registration for Thais has been extended to those aged between 18 and 59 years old, who can now sign up from May 31. Registration had initially been limited to Thai nationals over the age of 60, as well as those with underlying health conditions. However, the third wave of the virus means registration for younger Thais has been brought forward from July.
Thai nationals can register for vaccination through the Mor Prom platform or the Mor Prom Line account. They can also register at government hospitals. According to Ratchada, the vaccines that will be used in the government rollout will primarily be AstraZeneca, manufactured in-country by Siam Bioscience.
However, she points out that there are 3 other vaccines that have been approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration. They are the Chinese-made Sinovac, the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and the vaccine from US manufacturer, Moderna. The latter is expected to be available for purchase at private hospitals, although there has been no confirmation of when supplies might arrive.
"By allowing walk-in vaccinations, large crowds might flock to certain units and could cause a commotion, especially in Bangkok, where the population is much denser than in the provinces," he said.
"I want the primary registration channel to still be the Mor Phrom application or Line account, and have urged related agencies to fix problems as soon as possible after people could not register online."
Besides the Mor Phrom platform, Thai citizens who are not in the priority groups can also register to get vaccinated at public hospitals or public health offices in their hometowns starting May 31. Registration for foreigners living in Thailand will commence in August.
"I want everyone to stop talking about walk-in vaccinations until we have clear measures to implement this. We can discuss the topic again when there are enough doses for everyone," the premier said.
"The issue of walk-in vaccinations is a delicate one and requires careful planning and management," he pointed out.
"The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration should be the only agency to provide updates on walk-in vaccinations should there be any, to prevent causing public confusion," Prayut added.
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 39 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 with one new death this morning (May 19th).
This makes a total of 3,809 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 992 still in medical care, with a total of sixteen recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections in early April. Details on the death were not immediately released.
Additionally, 2,801 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began. 73 people were released yesterday.
The district-level new cases were as follows today:
Mueang Chonburi with 6, Si Racha 6, Banglamung (including Pattaya) 13, Sattahip 2, Ban Bueng 2, Pan Thong 5, Ko Chan 3, and two patients were transferred from another province to Chonburi for medical care.
The details on today's cases given were:
Close contacts of previous patients
In families, 5 cases
In workplaces, 2 cases
Close contact under investigation 11 cases
Under investigation in general, 21 cases
In the last day, a total of 172 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 1,819 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community.
All are pending results. Additionally, another 732 people were tested from Royal mobile testing vans and are also waiting for results as officials step up aggressive community testing. Chonburi has also begun proactive mass testing at industrial estates and for workers with social security at "high-risk" locations that have interactions with the general public (like supermarkets, public transportation, restaurant staff, etc) and tested 2,219 cases in this category.
Chonburi Public Health officials are asking for the public to remain working from home if possible and especially to avoid small social gatherings with people who are not members of your own household until the situation improves. This is especially true of "drinking circles" involving alcohol or sharing food, such as a Thai-style BBQ.
A monk receives a Covid-19 shot at the Priest Hospital in the capital on Tuesday. Vaccinations are currently being offered to people in at-risk groups and monks and laypeople aged 60 and older as well as those with underlying illnesses. (Photo: Pornprom Satrabhaya)
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has put the brakes on walk-in services for Covid-19 vaccinations to prevent people flocking to the inoculation sites and becoming upset if they fail to secure a jab, a government source said.
During a cabinet meeting held via videoconference, Gen Prayut said he disagreed with vaccination walk-ins because people would turn up in droves causing chaos at the selected locations, particularly in Bangkok which has a large population, the source said.
The prime minister wanted a new vaccination format such as on-site registration, the source quoted the PM as saying.
Currently, the Mor Prom app serves as the main channel for people to book their appointments, and concerned agencies have been instructed to work on preventing any technical glitches that may leave the app unable to work properly, the source said.
"The prime minister wants everyone involved to stop talking about vaccination walk-ins until clear measures are finalised. People will be upset and complain if they walk in but cannot get shots," the source quoted the prime minister as saying.
"If there are enough shots available, authorities will manage them. Vaccination walk-ins are a sensitive issue and must be handled carefully,'' the source quoted the prime minister as saying.
Gen Prayut also warned agencies not to give confusing information about vaccination walk-ins, stressing that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is the only agency that should provide the public with the information, the source said.
