State of Emergency to be extended for two more months to control COVID-19. PBS World



It may take two more months to bring the current COVID-19 wave under control, according to Thailand's Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) and Public Health Ministry.

A CCSA meeting today (Friday) resolved to propose, to the cabinet, another extension of the State of Emergency, until the end of July, citing the Public Health Ministry's estimation that another two months will be needed to bring the pandemic under control.

The nationwide State of Emergency, in place since March 2020, was due to expire at the end of May. The government can only invoke an Emergency Decree for up to 3 months at a time, hence the repeated extensions.

The third wave of infections began in early April and isthought to have originated in Bangkok's Thonglor area nightclubs. Over 94,000 cases have been found so far in this new round of infections.

The Department of Disease Control (DDC), Ministry of Public Health, confirmed the new so-called “Indian” variant, or B.1.617.2 variant, was discovered among 15 construction workers and their family members in the Lak Si district of Bangkok today, May 21st. Pattaya News

Thailand's Department of Disease Control confirms discovery of B.1.617.2 Covid-19 variant in construction workers in Bangkok

Friday, 21 May 2021, 16:25

Bangkok –

The Department of Disease Control (DDC), Ministry of Public Health, confirmed the new so-called "Indian" variant, or B.1.617.2 variant, was discovered among 15 construction workers and their family members in the Lak Si district of Bangkok today, May 21st.

The infected, 7 men and 8 women, were reported with mild symptoms and were treated at a local hospital. 12 of them were construction workers while the other three cases were their close-contact family members, Director-General Opas Karnkawinpong said.

The DDC is currently undertaking a disease investigation and conducting a proactive approach of all colleagues working and staying at the construction sites as well as all of their family members and their close contacts to prevent the spread of the variant.

Dr. Opas also stated that, according to Public Health England, the B.1.617.2 Covid-19 variant does not spread faster than the UK variant. It has also not yet been confirmed whether the B.1.617.2 variant would lead to more severity of the cases but the variant does not have vaccine resistance, especially against AstraZeneca, Thailand's main vaccine.

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Thailand is aiming to administer one shot of a coronavirus vaccine to 70 per cent of its population by September, its health minister said this week, as it seeks to provide protection for more people faster amid its deadliest outbreak so far. Bangkok Jack

Thailand says 70 percent will be vaccinated by September

May 21, 2021

Thailand is aiming to administer one shot of a coronavirus vaccine to 70 per cent of its population by September, its health minister said this week, 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.

Critics claim the government has been stalling the vaccine programme while it waits for a Thai company, with 'high level connections,' to introduce their own version.

"We will focus on the first shots of vaccination to meet the target of 70 per cent 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 per cent 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 monks, medical workers and 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, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Moderna. – Reuters

Phuket getting ready for tourism sandbox campaign. Phuket News

Phuket getting ready for tourism sandbox campaign

Deputy Phuket governor Phichet Panaphong on Thursday held a meeting with the communicable disease committee, provincial public health office and representatives from the private sector at the city hall to discuss preparations and progress of the "Phuket Tourism Sandbox" campaign to be launched on July 1.

Under the sandbox scheme, tourists who can verify they have been inoculated with two doses against Covid-19 and test negative can fly into Phuket and move around freely without having to quarantine.

Similar schemes will be applied to other tourist destinations like Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Krabi, Phang Nga and Surat Thani later when more people have been vaccinated and more preventive measures have been put in place.

Phuket getting ready for tourism sandbox campaign

"Tourists must provide the test result not later than 72 hours prior to arrival, and they will be tested again at the airport when they land," said Phichet. "They can move freely in Phuket for seven nights before they can travel to other parts of the country."

Dr Chaloemphol Sukhanthaphol, director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, added that the province had received 400,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine from the government and had already inoculated about 100,000 people since May 18.

Phuket getting ready for tourism sandbox campaign

"We expect to give 200,000 doses for the first jab from May 18 to 31, while the rest will be given as second jab from June onwards," he said. "Also in June, another 150,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive. This will help us achieve the goal of inoculating 70 per cent of the population faster as AstraZeneca vaccine can increase immunity against Covid-19 by up to 70 per cent after the first jab."

Phichet added that besides inoculating 70 per cent of Phuket locals, the province will also prepare hospitals and medical professionals in case of an unexpected event after the sandbox programme starts.

Phuket getting ready for tourism sandbox campaign

"We will prepare for the new era of tourism, whereas the quality of the tourists is the main focus instead of quantity. From now on Phuket's tourism will be clean, safe, fair and environmentally friendly," he said.

The deputy governor then answered inquiries from local entrepreneurs who attended the meeting and promised to use their suggestions in adjusting the framework of the sandbox campaigns before submitting it to the Cabinet and Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration for approval. 

Both opposition politicians and members of the coalition have come out to say infighting between various government figures and organisations is putting Thailand’s recovery at risk. The Thai Enquirer carries a report in which government critics say up to 4 different government organisations disagree over the best way out of the pandemic. The Thaiger / Thai Enquirer

 

Government accused of infighting, putting Thailand's recovery at risk

By 

Maya Taylor

Friday, May 21, 2021

Both opposition politicians and members of the coalition have come out to say infighting between various government figures and organisations is putting Thailand's recovery at risk. The Thai Enquirer carries a report in which government critics say up to 4 different government organisations disagree over the best way out of the pandemic.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the Bangkok governor's office, and the Public Health Ministry are all accused of infighting over how best to lead Thailand out of the Covid-19 crisis. Critics say such public disagreements undermine efforts to stop the spread of the virus and have also had an impact on the national vaccine rollout.

Speaking to the Thai Enquirer, Pichai Narithapan from the opposition Pheu Thai party calls the behaviour unprofessional and has described the government response to the pandemic as a "failure".

"We have to accept that the government's management of Covid-19 and vaccines is a failure, so now people in government are trying to pin the blame on one another. Why doesn't the government communicate with each other?"

Pichai adds that disagreement over the vaccine rollout has caused tension between PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and his Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul. The latest evidence of this would be the PM scuppering planned "walk-in" vaccination centres.

"The whole world is doing walk-in vaccinations and if you want to get as many vaccines out as possible, you need to do walk-ins, which is perfectly normal. I understand that Anutin is right to do this, and after announcing this, it was then shot down by Prayut. Why didn't they communicate with each other first before Prayut came out to belittle Anutin like that?"

Rangsiman Rome from another opposition party, Move Forward, agrees.

"It reflects what MFP has been saying for a long time, which is that the problem is not that the government does not have the power to handle the crisis, but it has a problem of working in unison."

Even members of the ruling coalition have voiced concerns about the infighting and its impact on the country's recovery. Panich Vikitsreth from the Democrat Party tells the Thai Enquirer that if the feuding carries on, it will affect the government's reputation and its messaging. He adds that his party would then need to take a good look at its coalition membership to determine if it wants to remain there.

"We are facing both a Covid and an economic crisis, so one of the most important things that the government must have is unity. How can we expect the public to have confidence in the government's strategy to fix the problems at hand when there is infighting between the party that is managing the Ministry of Public Health and the Prime Minister himself?"

SOURCE: Thai Enquirer

🔴 BREAKING: Thai health ministry reporting 32 deaths and 3,481 cases (*) on Friday. Full update at 12:30pm. 17 May: 9,635 - 25 dead 18 May: 2,473 - 35 dead 19 May: 3,394 - 29 dead 20 May: 2,636 - 25 dead 21 May: 3,481 - 32 dead <— TODAY * 951 from prisons. Richard Barrow



The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 127 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, May 21st, which is a major jump in cases from having 65 yesterday. Pattaya News

Chonburi Covid-19 cases steeply rise to 127 after new clusters found at factory and migrant worker camp

Friday, 21 May 2021, 6:53

Chonburi –

The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 127 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, May 21st, which is a major jump in cases from having 65 yesterday. Chonburi has significantly stepped up testing at industrial estates and workplaces in the province, which is a major reason cases rose due to findings in related workplaces.

This makes a total of 4,001 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 965 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.

Additionally, 3,020 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began. 117 people were released yesterday.

The district-level new cases were as follows today:

Mueang Chonburi with 40, Si Racha 14, Banglamung (including Pattaya) 9, Phanat Nikhom 2, Sattahip 3, Ban Bueng 5, Pan Thong 52, Ko Chan 1, and one patient was transferred from another province to Chonburi for medical care.

The details on today's cases given were:

1. A cluster from a single factory with 86 cases
2. A migrant worker camp cluster with 9 cases
3. 1 close contact from a confirmed case from Bangkok
4. Close contacts of previous patients
   • In families, 15 cases
   • In workplaces, 9 cases
5. Close contact under investigation 7 cases.

In the last day, a total of 224 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 1,964 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community.

All are pending results. 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 3,088 cases in this category.

The vast majority of cases are driven from two clusters, one at a factory in Mueang Chonburi where most workers are migrant workers living at a densely populated camp in Phan Thong. The second cluster is also a migrant worker camp. Mass testing at migrant camps and factories is set to continue over the next several days where conditions often have many people living and working closely together.

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.

The vast majority of cases, according to Public Health Ministry Officials are asymptomatic or mild, with only roughly ten percent having moderate or serious symptoms, generally those with pre-existing health conditions.

Pattaya officially began its mass vaccination campaign yesterday, May 20th, which is set to continue today. The goal is to vaccinate roughly 20,000 people in two days with another 100,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines set to arrive in a few weeks in June, enough for another 50,000 local residents.

Bangkok Post highlights 21/5



WHO commends Thai public health. Dr. Brown commended the work of the Ministry of Public Health and Thai physicians on their emergency response and care for patients, remarking that the WHO views Thailand’s emergency health services as world-class. NNT

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Deputy Minister of Public Health has accompanied a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) in viewing treatment of COVID-19 patients at the Princess Mother National Institute on Drug Abuse Treatment, garnering commendation of Thai physicians.

 

Deputy Minister of Public Health Sathit Pitutecha, led Director of the WHO Thailand Emergency Public Health and Drug Resistant Viruses Project Dr. Richard Brown, to view and draw lessons from the Princess Mother National Institute on Drug Abuse Treatment's handling of COVID-19 patients in Lamlukka district of Pathumthani province.

 

Sathit explained that the institute established a cohort ward for the care of COVID-19 patients on April 10, supplying 34 beds for Yellow level patients in need of respiratory assistance. On April 22, it created an Extended Ward to make another 200 beds available and began accepting patients from the 1668, 1669 and 1330 hotlines of the Department of Medicine, receiving a total 229 patients. So far, the facility has treated 472 people with 226 still receiving care. Individuals deemed Red level patients, in critical condition, are forwarded to hospitals such as Rajvithi Hospital and Chulalongkorn Hospital.

 

 

Dr. Brown commended the work of the Ministry of Public Health and Thai physicians on their emergency response and care for patients, remarking that the WHO views Thailand's emergency health services as world-class.

 

 

The first day of the local Covid -19 mass vaccination campaign has begun today (May 20th) in Pattaya and Banglamung to start to get the majority of the area vaccinated in advance of being able to bring back vaccinated foreign tourists later this year. The Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunplume told The Pattaya News, “Pattaya and Banglamung have received 20,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines. The plan is to vaccinate first responders, medical officers, and people who are working in ‘high-risk’ occupations with this batch of vaccines.” Pattaya News

Covid -19 mass vaccination campaign begins in Pattaya and Banglamung

Thursday, 20 May 2021, 15:33

Pattaya –

The first day of the local Covid -19 mass vaccination campaign has begun today (May 20^th) in Pattaya and Banglamung to start to get the majority of the area vaccinated in advance of being able to bring back vaccinated foreign tourists later this year.

The Pattaya City Mayor Sonthaya Khunplume told The Pattaya News, "Pattaya and Banglamung have received 20,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines. The plan is to vaccinate first responders, medical officers, and people who are working in 'high-risk' occupations with this batch of vaccines."

High-risk occupations, notes The Pattaya News, are primarily those in the tourist industry or hospitality who are customer-facing. Limited vaccinations have already been taking place for weeks in Chonburi and Banglamung, but were focused on medical staff, the elderly and vulnerable, and essential government staff. Many of Banglamung's officials and health workers are already fully vaccinated.

"10,000 doses of Sinovac vaccines are being injected in two days at five places which are at the Eastern Indoor Athletics Stadium, Pattaya City Hospital, Bangkok Pattaya Hospital, Pattaya Memorial Hospital, and Pong Municipality." The Mayor continued.

"Of those 10,000 doses, 4,000 doses are being vaccinated to residents at the Eastern Indoor Athletics Stadium in Soi Chaiyapruek 2. Ten percent of the vaccine was available for 'walk-in' which was quickly full. " Mayor Khunplume added.

The Pattaya News noted that walk-in was suspended by Prime Minister Prayut earlier this week, however, instead "on-the-spot" registration is available. It is not immediately clear how this differs, although the on-site registration, according to officials, allows the opportunity for better social distancing versus just walking with no guidelines for a Covid-19 shot. Bangkok, which has the majority of infections and Covid-19 outbreaks currently, is not allowing any walk-ins at all, however, some provinces may end up allowing the process if they are deemed to have supplies and sufficient social distancing.

The Banglamung District Chief Mr. Wuttisak Singhadaechoe told The Pattaya News, "Banglamung will receive 100,000 doses more of the AstraZeneca vaccine in June. This shipment will allow us to get a significant majority of the local population inoculated."

The exact population of Pattaya is a question mark. Prior to Covid-19, the official population was 119,530. However, this did not include many foreign residents or migrant workers as well as tens of thousands of mostly informal hospitality workers. Due to Covid-19, the population of Pattaya is believed to have fallen by as much as half, although exact estimates are nearly impossible to tabulate. The 100,000 additional doses, which will require two shots for inoculation, will serve 50,000 Pattaya residents and go a long way however for Banglamung.

It was reported by officials that there was some slight disorganization when people who had arrived before their appointment time did not understand the process. However, the problem was quickly solved and overall the process and procedures went well, according to both the Mayor and the District Chief.

Mayor Sonthaya also visited a second vaccination location. He told The Pattaya News, "1,000 doses per day are being vaccinated here in two days. No problems were found here during the vacination. Most of the people that have already been vaccinated have no side effects and said they feel great. "

As seen in the photo, some foreign residents were seen able to successfully get a vaccine. Nearly all had done so through employment and work permits at companies deemed "high-risk" who managed to get their foreign workers onto the list. The majority of foreign ex-pats, who may be on retirement or other visas, will be able to apply "in the near future" stated the Mayor. This is likely to be as early as June with the arrival of 100,000 AstraZeneca doses for the local area. Huay Yai foreign residents had also been previously allowed to register at their municipality, although this was a municipal decision and not applied to the entire district of Banglamung or Chonburi.

In total 20,000 people in Banglamung including Pattaya will be vaccinated in the next two days. 



Thai Public Health Minister provides Covid-19 vaccine updates today, AstraZeneca remains main vaccine for Thailand.

 Thai Public Health Minister provides Covid-19 vaccine updates today, AstraZeneca remains main vaccine for Thailand

Thursday, 20 May 2021, 13:18

PHOTO: hfocus

Bangkok –

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul today, May 20th, reported the progress of Covid-19 vaccine imports in Thailand, stressing that AstraZeneca will be the main vaccine to be given out for people across the country while Sinovac is for emergency distribution only.

The Minister further stated that a vaccination trading agreement is officially made when both manufacturers and the Thai government mutually agree on the risks and conditions before negotiating the pricing and distribution of vaccines in Thailand.

PHOTO: Johnson & Johnson

Recently, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has been already registered with the FDA and agreed to sell to the government only. The Department of Disease Control is currently negotiating the procurement process with the manufacturer. If the discussion went well and both parties agreed to each other's conditions, the Johnson & Johnson vaccination could presumably be delivered in the fourth quarter of this year.

The Moderna vaccine has also been registered in Thailand and confirmed to negotiate trading with the government sector. The main Moderna vaccine distribution is set to be in the private sector. The private sector who wants to purchase the vaccine must negotiate with Moderna representatives before informing the amount of vaccine needs to the Thai government. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) will act as a coordinator throughout the procedure. The Moderna vaccine is likely to arrive in Thailand in the fourth quarter as well.

PHOTO: AstraZeneca

For AstraZeneca, the main vaccine in Thailand, that has a domestic production, the manufacturer has confirmed that the first lot will be delivered to Thailand by June 2021. If the local production has a problem, AstraZeneca must provide the same amount of vaccines to Thailand according to the contract agreement. Regarding the Sinovac vaccine, it continuously arrived in the country to resolve the current outbreak since the beginning of 2021. AstraZeneca has continually stated that there have not been delays in local production and they are "fully on track" to the June timetable.

Regarding the Pfizer vaccine, the government and manufacturers are reaching a stage where both parties understand the terms and conditions. The first lot can be delivered in the second half of the year if the government agrees to proceed with the trading. Pfizer will be administered to children 12 years of age and over.

Finally, Russian's Sputnik V vaccine has just begun with the negotiation and the company is currently preparing documents for FDA registration.

Covid UPDATE: 2,636 new cases, provincial totals By Tanutam ThawanThursday, May 20, 2021 . The Thaiger

Covid UPDATE: 2,636 new cases, provincial totals

By 

Tanutam Thawan

Thursday, May 20, 2021

2,636 new Covid-19 cases, including 671 in prisons, were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's daily briefing. Another 25 coronavirus-related deaths were logged today, raising the pandemic's death toll in Thailand to 703. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 119,585 Covid-19 infections.

Thailand now has 49,210 active Covid-19 cases. Bangkok remains the epicentre of infections in the latest outbreak. Another 1,001 coronavirus infections were reported in the capital today. Health officials are rolling out active case finding in numerous high risk areas and cluster areas.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also plans to vaccinate 70% of residents in the capital within the next 2 months. The CCSA will announce more information on the national vaccination plan, including information for foreign residents, tomorrow during the daily press briefing. 



The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 65 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, which is a jump in cases from having 39 yesterday. Pattaya News

Chonburi –

The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 65 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, which is a jump in cases from having 39 yesterday. (May 20th). Chonburi has significantly stepped up testing at industrial estates and workplaces, doubling the number of daily tests in the province, which is a major reason cases rose due to findings in Mueang Chonburi related workplaces.

This makes a total of 3,874 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 955 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.

Additionally, 2,903 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began. 102 people were released yesterday.

The district-level new cases were as follows today:

Mueang Chonburi with 26, Si Racha 12, Banglamung (including Pattaya) 13, Sattahip 5, Ban Bueng 5, Pan Thong 2, and two patients were transferred from another province to Chonburi for medical care.

The details on today's cases given were:

1. Close contacts of previous patients
   • In families, 15 cases
   • In workplaces, 21 cases
2. Close contact under investigation 11 cases
3. Under investigation in general, 18 cases

In the last day, a total of 147 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 2,173 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community.

All are pending results. Additionally, another 770 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 1,178 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.

The vast majority of cases, according to Public Health Ministry Officials are asymptomatic or mild, with only roughly ten percent having moderate or serious symptoms, generally those with pre-existing health conditions.

There are nearly 8,000 beds available across Thailand to accommodate Covid-19 patients as the number of infections continues spiking in the country. The Nation



Thailand’s dilemma: how to shore up economy as infections surge. The economy shrank 2.6 percent year on year in the first quarter, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)’s quarterly report released on May 17. Thailand has now suffered economic contraction for five consecutive quarters since the virus outbreak in early 2020. PBS World



Thailand's economic outlook is bleak, with the daily COVID-19 caseload hitting four figures following mid-April's Songkran holiday.

The economy shrank 2.6 percent year on year in the first quarter, according to the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC)'s quarterly report released on May 17. Thailand has now suffered economic contraction for five consecutive quarters since the virus outbreak in early 2020.

Publication of the NESDC report coincided with lockdown easing in high-risk zones including Bangkok, as the government sought to kickstart economic activity. Customers are now allowed to dine at restaurants until 9pm, one diner per table.

Critics are questioning why the government is easing restrictions at a time when the daily caseload is high and rising while the vaccine rollout is slow.

"The government is attempting to shore up the economy and so has allowed restaurants to reopen," said Charl Kengchon, executive chairman of Kasikorn Research Centre.

Bleak second quarter

The economy is expected to contract further in the second quarter given that this third wave of infections only emerged in early April.

In March, consumers showed more confidence in the economy, resuming their shopping habits after the second wave that emerged in December appeared to have been contained.

However, that optimistic mood reversed in April and May as consumers were urged to stay at home in a move to combat the resurgent contagion.

"Economic impacts are expected to be much more serious in the second quarter than in the first," warned Charl.

This is a key reason why the government has eased lockdown restrictions, as this allows businesses to reopen and achieve at least some cashflow.

Another important reason is that the government is running out of money to finance its extended COVID-relief packages.

"If the government imposes strict lockdown restrictions, it needs to allocate more money to support workers and business owners impacted by the tough lockdown," said Charl.

"The government is trying to make the best use of available financial resources, and it does not want to add more borrowing to the Bt1 trillion it borrowed last year following the first wave," he added.

Critics are also questioning whether the government has allocated enough budget for public health and to assist those who have lost businesses or their job.

China's poverty solution hailed as model for Thailand

Leaders of the ruling Palang Pracharath Party recently met with their Chinese Communist Party (CCP) counterparts to learn from China about how to reduce the poverty rate. Since the Thai military coup of 2014, the Thai junta and current Palang Pracharath-led government appear to have leaned closer to China by forging submarine, high-speed rail, and vaccine deals with Beijing.

Are funds running low?

The government has tried to assure the public that it has adequate relief funds in the draft budget for the fiscal year 2022, which will be debated in Parliament at the end of this month.

The NESDC on May 18 issued a breakdown of spending to deal with the third wave of infections. It said the government still had Bt166.5 billion left to spend from the Bt1-trillion loan.

Meanwhile, Bt98.2 billion is left over from the central fund for the 2021 fiscal year for emergency spending.

The amount still available from COVID-relief funds is Bt37.1 billion.

In its 2022 budget, the government also set aside an emergency fund worth Bt89 billion to spend on virus-related issues. Spending under the 2022 budget will start in October this year if Parliament approves the draft bill.

Vaccination plan

Economic recovery largely depends on how fast the government can roll out vaccines, say economists.

The government aims to fully vaccinate (two doses) 50 million people by the end of this year, hoping to create herd immunity in Thailand's population of 69 million.

However, the current vaccination rate is far less than 100,000 doses per day. "To meet its target, the government needs to speed up the jabs," Charl pointed out.

The government is facing two challenges in its jab drive: reluctance to be vaccinated due to worry over side effects, and inadequate vaccine supplies.

Meanwhile, to ease the financial burden on individuals, the Bank of Thailand recently launched the third phase of its loan-relief package. The May 17-December 31 phase covers credit card and personal loans, car and motorcycle collateral loans, auto and motorcycle hire-purchase loans, and mortgages. Lenders and borrowers are encouraged to restructure their debt agreements by, among other things, extending the repayment period.

By Thai PBS World's Business Desk 

🔴 BREAKING: Thai health ministry reporting 25 deaths and 2,636 cases (*) on Thursday. Full update at 12:30pm. 16 May: 2,302 - 24 dead 17 May: 9,635 - 25 dead 18 May: 2,473 - 35 dead 19 May: 3,394 - 29 dead 20 May: 2,636 - 25 dead <— TODAY * 671 from prisons. Richard Barrow



Bangkok Post highlights 21/5