A woman covers her eyes and turns away as she receives a Covid-19 vaccine jab at the government complex in Bangkok on Thursday. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)
The hospitalisation rate for people injected with the Sinovac and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines is 20-24 per 100,000 administered doses, according to the Department of Disease Control .
Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director for emergency diseases and health hazards, said on Thursday that 3.21 million doses of Sinovac vaccine and 1.94 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine had been administered in Thailand so far.
Of the Sinovac vaccine recipients, 993 had serious undesirable symptoms and were admitted to a hospital, a ratio of 20 per 100,000 administered doses (0.020%).
Of the AstraZeneca vaccine recipients, 472 had serious undesirable symptoms and were admitted to a hospitals, a rate of 24 per 100,000 administered doses (0.024%).
Dr Chawetsan said common undesirable symptoms of inpatients who received Sinovac vaccine were dizziness (20%), nausea (15%), headache (12%), vomiting (8%), rash (7%), muscle pain (6%), diarrhea (5%) and itching (4%).
"The symptoms are common to other vaccines administered," he said.
Among admitted recipients of AstraZeneca vaccine, common undesirable symptoms were fever (31%), headache (27%), dizziness (21%), nausea (21%), vomiting (20%), muscle pain (15%), fatigue (13%) and diarrhea (7%).
Dr Chawetsan also said 68 people had died after receiving Covid-19 vaccines. Experts had considered 13 of the cases to date, and concluded they had nothing to do with the inoculations.
They died of coincidental events - eight with acute coronary syndrome (sudden, reduced blood flow to the heart), one with Immune Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (a blood disease), one with a pulmonary embolism (lung blood clot), one with purulent meningitis, one with intraabdominal aneurysm and one with a rupture aneurysm in the brain.
Dr Chawetsan said the Covid-19 vaccines being administered in Thailand were safe.
The Cabinet has requested the immigration police to submit a new policy for retirees and insurance.
Early reports that the Thai Cabinet has agreed in principle that all non-immigrant, one year visa holders will need cover for Covid to renew their stay appear overblown. The suggestion was that all foreigners needing an annual renewal would require coronavirus cover to the tune of 3 million baht.
It now appears that only O/A annual visa holders will be affected. O/A visas are issued only by Thai embassies abroad although the annual renewal can be done at Thai immigration offices. Most holders are retirees. The Cabinet has suggested that those unable to purchase Covid insurance in Thailand – there is usually a maximum age of around 70 to start – can also purchase from foreign-based companies.
The reality is that most retirees in Thailand have an "O" visa either granted by a Thai embassy abroad or, more likely, awarded by the Thai immigration bureau. They do not currently require any insurance to renew their annual permission to stay and there is no mention of them in the Cabinet announcement. Some holders of O/A visas have changed to "O" in recent years, but many immigration offices require you to leave the country first to cancel the O/A.
However, the key point is that nothing has been set in stone at this point. The Cabinet has asked the immigration bureau, with other agencies, to look at the detail and come up with firm proposals. Thus it will likely be many months, maybe longer, before there is an action mandate appearing in the Royal Gazette. A lot could change in the interim period.
The whole issue of foreigners and insurance in Thailand is heavily bogged down. All foreign visitors arriving since early 2020 have needed Covid insurance, but this is easier to obtain before entry than when your visa comes up for renewal. Some foreign visitors are required separately and additionally to have general medical insurance (non-Covid), but not all: it depends on which visa you apply for.
So, as usual, the devil will be in the detail which we will not see for a long time. But most observers believe that elderly long-stayers in Thailand, sooner or later, will require some sort of insurance cover to satisfy Thai critics who have long claimed foreigners are bankrupting the health service because they don't pay their bills. Covid-19 has brought this debate to a confusing head.
It is also true that Thailand's advanced elderly expats – between the ages of 75 and 100 – often can't obtain any kind of insurance in Thailand, especially if they have pre-existing conditions. But private Thai hospitals confirm that they are often wealthy individuals who have no choice anyway but to self-insure. Thus it is very likely that self-insurance will become a clear option for the first time and that extra wads of cash in the bank or other proofs of financial soundness will do the trick. As regards how much and in what form, only Time Will Show.
Doctors sound alarm over plan to reopen borders by October
Doctors on Thursday slammed the government's plan to reopen Thailand within the next 120 days.
"To reopen while knowing that people inside the country have yet to comprehensively receive good vaccines is like climbing a mountain at night without a light," Dr Thira Woratanarat, Chulalongkorn University's professor of medicine, wrote on his social media page on Thursday.
According to the Health Ministry's Immunization Center, 4.95 million people have received their first dose as of June 15. Thailand's population is 69 million.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha said on Wednesday evening that the government's plan to vaccinate 50 million people by October, when the plan reopening is supposed to take place.
Dr Thira also said the country should have permanent Covid testing stations in every province to provide free testing for Thais and foreigners before the reopening.
"Countries that have successfully reopened must be able to suppress the virus with highly effective testing capability, highly effective vaccines, and a vaccinated majority," he added.
Dr Nitipat Jiarakul from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, posted on his social media page on Thursday that he was worried about a fourth wave because the country has yet to control the outbreak within the illegal migrant group.
At the same time, there is also an outbreak of the Delta variant which could spread further.
The Medical Sciences Department said on Wednesday that the Delta variant could become the dominant variant in Thailand over the next two to three months.
So far, 496 cases of Delta variant were found in 20 provinces since the country started to test for it at the beginning of June. Of that, 404 were found in Bangkok alone.
"If we do not stop the outbreak within the illegal migrant group now then I am afraid that a fourth wave is inevitable," he said.
"The measure to reopen the country in 120 days by hoping that vaccines will take care of all the problems gives me a chill down the spine," he added.
Dr Chalermchai Boonyaleepun, deputy chairman of the Senate's public health committee, posted on his social media page on Thursday that Myanmar has already discovered Alpha, Delta and Kappa variants and cases with these variants could find their way into Thailand via illegal entries.
Myanmar's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that the country has so far found two cases of Alpha variant, five case of Delta variant and four cases of Kappa variant since they started to test for them on June 3.
"If new variants find their way into Thailand, the country will be in great trouble as we have yet to reach herd immunity," he said. "That could impact the plan to reopen the country in the next 120 days."
Many skeptical over PM's ability to reopen Thailand fully in 4 months
views 283
Many people remain uncertain about Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha's mission to reopen Thailand in four months, which he stated in a televised announcement yesterday (Wednesday), due to the ongoing high COVID-19 infection rate and current low vaccination rate.
A food vendor in Bangkok's Laksi district said that he believes the country can be reopened as planned, telling Thai PBS that the government "must have already thought it through."
He is, however, still worried, because the COVID-19 situation has not improved, especially with the new infections exceeding 2,000 cases every day. "The number hasn't dropped," he said.
Another food vendor thinks the country may not fully reopen to tourists, as some countries have not reopened their own borders, due to ongoing infections.
"Vaccines can help protect the people, but there's still a chance of infection after vaccination," she said.
The noodle vendor also cited the low vaccination rate in the country, saying "Many people only got their first doses, and with second doses far apart. I haven't even got my first dose yet."
The Thai government has stretched the gap between the two doses of AstraZeneca vaccine, from the recommended 10-12 weeks to 16 weeks. About 7% of the entire population has received the first dose of vaccine, while only 2.5% have been fully vaccinated.
A former tour operator admits that reopening is a good thing, but the government must assure the public and foreign tourists that the country is able to control the spread of the virus.
"For almost two years, the tourism industry, from hotels and restaurants to tour buses, has been suffering from the pandemic. Many people have had to sell their cars and homes to survive. If the country reopens it would be great," he said
"I want the country to reopen, but people in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai must be fully inoculated first. The vaccines must be of high quality, and must be vaccines which have been approved internationally," he added.
Meanwhile, many other people took to social media to express their skepticism over the prime minister's announcement, suggesting the decision may change in the next four months.
"This may be an attempt to boost confidence among the people, tourists and investors, but let's wait and see if the circumstances will allow for reopening in the last 30 days," tweeted @sKywalker.
"This is not the first time that a promise was made and won't be fulfilled," tweeted @bckpm1214.
"Even now, those who registered for vaccination on Thai Ruam Jai website are still being postponed. This government is not to be trusted," tweeted @LungThi1.
Thailand is set to reopen to fully inoculated foreign tourists, starting with the southern resort island of Phuket on July 1st, under the "Phuket Sandbox" project, where arriving tourists are required to stay on the island for a period of time before being allowed to travel elsewhere in the country.
Bangkok, Krabi, Phang Nga, Surat Thani, Chiang Mai, Chonburi, Buriram, Phetchaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan are expected to open for quarantine-free visits, following the Phuket model, in October.
Kata Beach in Phuket during the tourism slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo by Dusida Worrachaddejchai)
As vaccinations gather pace in many countries, the global tourism industry is starting to see a glimmer of hope as leading destinations start to gradually remove mandatory quarantine and ease travel regulations.
However, these attempts are no beds of roses as some countries have yet to find the right formula as seen in the prelude to the Phuket sandbox scheme slated for next month.
One of the new regulations introduced this week has sparked another controversy yet again as the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) wants to make the scheme exclusive to international tourists and prohibit local residents and diplomats from taking part in quarantine-free entry through Phuket.
"What's the purpose of having the Phuket sandbox if Thais cannot benefit from this programme? This is a basic right that they should get just like foreign visitors," said Bhummikitti Ruktaengam, president of the Phuket Tourist Association.
A sub-meeting of the CCSA on Wednesday stressed that Thais and diplomats returning from abroad cannot take part in Phuket sandbox, even if they are inoculated.
Mr Bhummikitti said all tourism-related associations in the province will submit a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha today, hoping the government will reverse its decision in a general meeting of CCSA on Friday.
"We did not raise this issue because we want to reap benefits from guests, however, this rule is obviously not fair for Thais. We understand the government is worried about containing the virus, which is still a challenge, and the fact that local people can escape the island before 14 days much more easily but preventive measures should be adopted rather than excluding them altogether," he said.
Yuthasak Supasorn, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor, said the purpose of the Phuket sandbox since the start has been to stimulate tourism through international visitors.
Therefore, the CCSA, which consists of several authorities, decided to make it clear that only international visitors will be included.
"The quarantine-free entry is only available to those without permanent residency in Thailand. Thai citizens can enter the country but have to follow the existing rules, which requires them to lodge in alternative state quarantine for 14 days," he said.
Before the CCSA announced the new rule, the private sector in the tourism industry estimated that Phuket sandbox in the first few months would lose its appeal to leisure tourists due to stringent screening measures that have been introduced.
The most likely group in the early months will be Thais and foreigners who want to return home.
NEW DAYS, NEW RULES
Besides this latest rift in the past few weeks, the reopening initiative has consistently experienced setbacks due to clashes between the local tourism industry in dire need of visitors and medical experts who have voiced concern over a possible new wave triggered by new arrivals.
In the end, health and safety won the dispute as the sub-meeting of the CCSA on Wednesday confirmed it will take precautionary measures towards reopening in July, requiring three negative RT-PCR tests during a 14-day mandatory stay on the island and a tracking system for tourists.
Besides the number of documents that tourists have to prepare beforehand -- vaccine certificates, Covid-19 certificates and health insurance -- they must book hotels with SHA Plus certification (Thailand Safety and Health Administration) which has over 300 properties already enrolled in the programme.
"We will not fight with the authorities over the number of days of compulsory stay which was increased from 7 to 14 days, even if these rules deteriorate travel sentiment. We have retreated to just letting the Phuket sandbox get started as planned. If they say strict rules are for the sake of public safety, let's give it a try," said Mr Bhummikitti.
He said there are a number of confirmed international flights to Phuket, starting with an inaugural flight from Singapore Airlines on July 1 while Thai Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways will follow suit.
However, more reliable numbers will be seen in the fourth quarter as tourists will prefer to book hotels in that period when they are more confident that rules will be ironed out by then.
He added that every component in the province is ready, particularly herd immunity as over 62% of the local population has already received two doses of Sinovac and 10% have received one dose of AstraZeneca.
The provincial government also has plans to procure its own vaccine as a third booster this year after the government is allowing them to purchase vaccines for local use.
Mr Yuthasak said the standard operating procedures of Phuket sandbox will need two stamps from the CCSA meeting chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday and a cabinet approval next week to officially get underway.
Visitors to Phuket under the 'Phuket Sandbox' scheme will be required to wear a wristband that will track their location, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The GPS enabled wristband will be able to inform the authorities of the exact location of each tourist on the island.
GPS enabled wrist bands first debuted earlier this year during a pilot project on Phuket.
Ten tourists who arrived in Phuket from Australia under the 'Digital Yacht Quarantine' were required to wear the wristbands during their stay.
The news regarding wristbands was confirmed as officials in Phuket this week began preparing the security protocols that will be put in place for all foreigners arriving on the island from July 1.
Thai news site Manager reported on some of the security protocols that will be put in place, which include security checkpoints on the main road leading to the island screening everyone arriving or trying to leave.
The checkpoints will feature facial recognition cameras that will be able to detect any tourist who tries to leave Phuket before the 14 day mandatory quarantine period.
The foreigners who arrive on the island will also need to produce a certificate of entry before boarding the plane to Thailand and will need to take a COVID-19 immediately after arrival before being transferred to their hotel.
Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will be required to go directory to quarantine.
Other requirements include proof of health insurance covering treatment for COVID-19 up to $100,000, confirmation of hotel booking, and a negative PCR taken no more than 72 hours before departure.
Tourists included in the Phuket Sandbox scheme will then need to take another COVID-19 test after six days, before taking a third test on day 13 prior to them being given permission to leave the island and travel to other areas of Thailand.
Officials said they expect approximately 129,000 foreigners to visit Phuket under the Sandbox scheme.
Last week, the Pipat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Tourism and Sports, said that over 50 percent of foreigners who had confirmed they would visit Phuket as part of the 'Phuket Sandbox' scheme have now cancelled their plans.
The cancellations were due to the Center for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) increasing the minimum period of stay from 7 days to 14 days.
This resulted in 29,700 foreigners cancelling their plans to visit Phuket, Mr Pipat said.
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration's (CCSA) sub-committee has asked the Tourism Authority of Thailand to revise the Covid-19 control plan proposed for its Phuket Tourism Sandbox programme, due to kick off on July 1.
A revision is required before it can be forwarded to the CCSA's main committee tomorrow, Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman for the CCSA, said yesterday.
Suggestions made by the Department of Disease Control as well as the CCSA's sub-committee at a meeting yesterday will be incorporated into the revision to improve the effectiveness of Covid-19 control, she said.
"The sub-committee is concerned about public understanding of the tourism programme's Covid-19 safety measures, which may still worry many people as to what action will be taken in the event of new infections," she said.
"So the province has agreed to improve public understanding about its Covid-19 safety measures that will be implemented when the Phuket Tourism Sandbox programme begins."
Other weak points in the reopening plan identified at yesterday's meeting will also be addressed before its submission to the CCSA's main committee, she said.
Aside from Phuket, other popular resort islands such as Samui in Surat Thani, Phi Phi in Krabi and some islands in Phangnga will later take part in the tourism reopening programme too, Dr Apisamai said.
Popular mainland tourist destinations will also join this programme, such as in Krabi, Phangnga, Chon Buri, Bangkok, Cha-am district of Phetchaburi, Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan, Buri Ram and Chiang Mai.
Under the Phuket Tourism Sandbox programme, foreign tourists from countries with low or medium risk of Covid-19 transmission who are fully vaccinated will from July 1 be allowed to enter Phuket and later travel to other destinations if they fulfill the 14-day stay requirement, she said.
These tourists will be required to show proof of them testing negative for Covid-19 within 72 hours before travelling, undergo another test upon arriving in Phuket and have repeat tests during their stay, she said.
Prayut sets 120-day deadline for fully reopening Thailand
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha appears on a nationally televised programme to declare the full reopening of the country within 120 days.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha announced on Wednesday the country will be fully reopened within 120 days, with all businesses able to resume normal operations and visitors free to travel across the country.
"I am setting a goal for us to be able to declare Thailand fully open within 120 days from today, and for tourism centres that are ready, to do so even faster, the prime minister said in a nationally televised programme.
Phuket has been set as the first destination in the country to be opened for fully inoculated tourists from July 1, but with some conditions applied. Visitors to the country after the full reopening would enter without restrictions, he added.
Gen Prayut acknowledged the decision to fully reopen the country would carry risks, but would help all businesses to get back on their feet again after they were buffeted by the coronavirus outbreak.
"When we take into consideration the economic needs of people, the time has now come for us to take that calculated risk," he said.
"We cannot wait for a time when everyone is fully vaccinated with two shots, or for when the world is free of the virus, to reopen the country ," he said.
His 120-day target would fall in mid-October and Gen Prayut said about 50 million people would have received at least their first Covid jab by then.
Only about 5 million people -- only 10% of the targeted 50 million -- have now received at least one shot of vaccine, 1.8 million, or 3.7% of the target, were fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration as of Tuesday. Vaccinations in the country started on Feb 28.
The country therefore still needs to vaccinate another 45.5 million people -- more than 10 million a month -- to achieve Gen Prayut's stated goal before opening the doors again.
The prime minister said the 50-million-people goal was achievable "if there are enough vaccines."
The country has secured agreements with six vaccine producers — Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Moderna, Sinovac, Sinopharm and AstraZeneca — for 105.5 million doses to be delivered this year, according to the prime minister.
FORMER Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said in a Clubhouse chat, where he uses the alias Tony Woodsome, that both the government's 50:50 co-payment scheme and the Phuket Sandbox tourism project have shortcomings, Siam Rath newspaper said this morning (June 16).
Joining the discussion at CARE ClubHouse x CARE Talk on the topic, "Tony wants to ask when will the confusion end? Why has something easy turned into something difficult?" he said the government is only half right with the co-payment scheme.
He wondered whether the government listened to his previous Clubhouse chats where he had mentioned that the people's debts have to be restructured because the authorities actually did it and has signed up approximately 130 million accounts. But he pointed out that they had only got it half right with there being many other issues that have to be studied along with this project.
"With the economy shut like this, paying 1 percent interest is a burden, half a percent is a burden, because people don't have income.
"To put it simply, the 50:50 co-payment scheme, 31 million people have been given the right but it turns out people aren't using this right.
"This shows that 1. the scheme might not have reached the people 2.People don't have money to spend, even half, no one wants to spend it.
"You have to understand that today there are lots of people who don't have anything to eat. Today can't stay calm and go along steadily," he said.
Where the Phuket sandbox project is concerned, the former premier said he does not know whether sand is being put in the box or will be flowing out. From having to spend seven days in Phuket before being allowed to travel elsewhere in the country this has gone up to 14 days and they also have to report to the authorities two to three times, the tourists are saying bye-bye, not coming, he said.
The Chonburi Department of Public Health announced 108 new and confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, June 16th.
This makes a total of 5,569 cases of Covid-19 in the current round of infections, with 877 still in medical care, and with a total of 34 recorded deaths in Chonburi since the start of this recent round of infections in early April.
Additionally, 4,658 people in total have now been released from medical care and fully recovered since this current wave began. 39 people were released yesterday.
The district-level new cases were as follows today:
Mueang Chonburi 30, Si Racha 38, Banglamung 17, Panat Nikhom 1, Sattahip 2, Ban Bueng 3, Pan Thong 3, Bor Thong 13, and one new case transferred from other provinces for medical care.
The details on the cases are as follows:
Workers from migrant camps who moved from Bangkok, 10 cases
Risky occupations who meet many people, 2 cases
Contact from a previously confirmed case in Bangkok, 2 cases
Contact from a previously confirmed case from New Market cluster, 14 cases
Contact from a previously confirmed case from Baan Thung Market cluster, 6 cases
Contact from a previously confirmed case living together with migrant workers, 5 cases
Contact from a previously confirmed case in family back from Samut Prakan, 1 cases
General close contacts:
Family members of previously confirmed cases, 23 cases
Co-workers of previously confirmed patients, 15 cases
Close contacts under investigation, 16 cases
Under investigation in general, 14 cases
In the last day, a total of 307 close contacts were tested from contact tracing, and 139 people were tested in proactive testing when medical staff goes out into the community. All are pending results.
New rules to support Covid health insurance for long-stay expats
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved in principle new rules to support health insurance for long-stay foreigners under the Non-Immigrant "O-A" visa.
The old rules required purchasing Thai health insurance through the website Longstay.tgia.org, which has suffered operating problems. The new rules offer a lifeline for expats over the age of 70 who cannot purchase insurance in Thailand and thus face having their applications for extension of stay rejected.
The new rules were set out as follows:
1. The first visa application must include health insurance or government welfare with minimum coverage of $100,000 or 3 million baht for medical expenses and treatment of Covid-19.
2. Applications for extension of stay can use health insurance from abroad or government welfare from abroad. This must be certified by a relevant government agency, such as a foreign embassy in Thailand or the country's Foreign Ministry.
3. If an insurer refuses coverage due to health risks, visa applicants must submit additional documents including the letter of refusal, plus securities, deposits and other health insurance accounting for at least 3 million baht.
The Cabinet assigned the Immigration Bureau to improve rules and conditions governing applications for short-term visas, while the Foreign Ministry has been tasked with upgrading guidelines for O-A visa applications.
Phuket International Airport runs training prior to full dress rehearsal to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists prior to "Phuket Sandbox" island reopening
Airport director Thani Chuangchu, along with Business Deputy Director Kanyarat Suttipattanakit and Operations and Maintenance Deputy Director Manat Sotharat, have observed the preparation of the international departure passengers at the Phuket International Airport, according to the plan to welcome vaccinated foreign tourists on July 1st as part of the "Phuket Sandbox" project.
The full dress rehearsal will be conducted at the international terminal on June 23rd in order to build confidence for both arrivals and local residents that the island is conducting serious Covid-19 preventive measures upon the island reopening.
