The following is our weekly feature in which we take a look at the top developing stories and things to follow over the next week. We are focusing on what is happening for the fourth week of July, ending July 24th, 2021. Pattaya News

Feature-What the next week is likely to bring in Thailand news: New Covid-19 restrictions coming, Protests continue despite ban on assembly

The following is our weekly feature in which we take a look at the top developing stories and things to follow over the next week. We are focusing on what is happening for the fourth week of July, ending July 24th, 2021.

Saturday, 17 July 2021, 22:35

Thailand-

As we publish dozens of stories a week, this allows our readers to get a quick glimpse of the most important stories taking place in Thailand and Pattaya and to monitor and follow for the week ahead, as chosen by our editorial team.

Let's get started:

1. New Covid-19 restrictions coming…but what exactly will they be?

The media world has been abuzz for the past two days with news that news Covid-19 related restrictions and measures were coming but almost 48 hours after the news first came from the Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration we still don't know what those measures will be.

The Thai Prime Minister, Prayut Chan O'Cha, went on his own social media accounts last night, Friday, July 16th, stating that new restrictions would have to take place, especially around travel. You can read that original article below.

Today, Saturday, July 17th, the Ministry of Public Health and the Department of Disease Control both stated that new restrictions were coming but had not yet been decided upon and made official. The afternoon press conference even contained advice that was met with criticism and even laughter such as wearing a mask at your house at all times and socially distancing from one's family as well as keeping your fridge clean to avoid sharing food.

The CCSA mentioned seven provinces, including Chonburi, as being added to the highest level of control zones (dark red) but as of press time this has still not been made official and the Chonburi province has yet to issue new orders or regulations. It is, however, widely expected to happen due to Chonburi hitting a new record of Covid-19 cases nearly every day over the last week.

We don't speculate here at TPN media, but there has been a lot of it on other media. We anticipate announcements possibly tomorrow, Sunday, July 18th that may outline what the immediate future will look like. We advise our readers to stay tuned.

Thai Prime Minister states further Covid-19 restrictions and controls coming, says it is necessary

2. Protests continue against government and measures despite a ban on assembly

This past week saw protests at the Ministry of Public Health and even right here in Pattaya, amongst others.

You can read a recap of the Pattaya protest below.

The protesters are from a variety of groups and organizations but most have three goals-Demanding the resignation of the Thai Prime Minister, anger at the vaccine rollout and types of vaccines being used, and anger at Covid-19 restrictions and measures and what the protesters claim is a lack of appropriate financial aid.

A major protest in Bangkok is scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday, July 18th, however, the Thai government banned public assembly nationwide yesterday, Friday, July 16th in a late-night order posted in the Royal Thai Gazette. Protesters, however, claim this order will not deter them despite possible penalties of stiff jail time and high fines.

This will be something to keep an eye on as anger has become palpable in Thailand with some sections of the population.

Pro-democracy protesters hold car protest rally in Pattaya against Thai government, Covid-19 measures and vaccine program policies

Royal Gazette releases fresh order banning mass gatherings nationwide in Thailand

3. Next weekend (and the following week) will bring religious holidays, although activities will be online

Finally, some major holidays are approaching later this month including two major religious holidays and the birthday of His Royal Majesty The King. However, the Ministry of the Interior has ordered these events to be celebrated online to avoid any potential spread of the Covid-19 virus.

Normally, the religious holidays are highlighted by an alcohol sales ban and a closure of entertainment venues, bars, etc. However, bars and other venues have been closed for three and a half months almost, although alcohol sales will be forbidden on the religious holidays so stock up!

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul admits he received a letter from the AstraZeneca company saying it has the capacity to supply Thailand with just three million doses of its vaccine a month. Bangkok Post

Anutin insists AZ lift local jab target from 3 million

Anutin: AZ must do more

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul admits he received a letter from the AstraZeneca company saying it has the capacity to supply Thailand with just three million doses of its vaccine a month.

However, Mr Anutin insisted he wrote back to say the country needed at least 10 million doses a month to combat surging daily infections.

The company's letter was dated June 25 and Mr Anutin's reply was made five days later.

In an interview with Isranews Agency, which obtained the leaked letter, Mr Anutin said he argued the country needed a much larger quantity. He advocated for at least 10 million doses a month for the national vaccination campaign.

Mr Anutin said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha backed his stance.

The minister said the government hoped AstraZeneca will be able to deliver the vaccine to meet the government's target.

The correspondence came as vaccine supplies are reportedly running short, forcing several non-hospital vaccination points in Bangkok to suspend operations.

On Thursday, AstraZeneca asked Thailand to extend the timeline for delivery of 61 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine until May next year, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said. The move was feared to strike a further blow to the country's vaccine roll-out.

In its letter, AstraZeneca referred to an agreement reached in September last year that it would supply the Public Health Ministry with one-third of the vaccines it can produce, or three million doses per month.

It intends to export the remaining two-thirds, spurring talks about the government placing curbs on vaccine exports to ensure local supplies are met first.

In his reply, the minister said the government expected the company to roll out more than one-third for Thailand.

On Saturday, the minister said the Department of Disease Control (DoDC) has been in talks with its contractual partner, AstraZeneca (Thailand), to increase vaccine supplies and deliver them as fast as possible.

The talks are conducted through a special panel comprised of DoDC director-general Opas Karnkawinpong, National Vaccine Institute director Nakhon Premsri and legal experts.

"The government will get hold of the vaccine and administer it to every Thai citizen until the virus is wiped out or becomes a common disease," Mr Anutin said.

Record deaths put govt on alert. Tougher lockdown measures, including closing down nearly all businesses in Greater Bangkok, will be presented to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), sources said. Bangkok Post

Record deaths put govt on alert

Officials conducts the final check at a new field hospital near Mongkutwattana Hospital on Changwattana Road in Lak Si district on Saturday. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

Tougher lockdown measures, including closing down nearly all businesses in Greater Bangkok, will be presented to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), sources said.

Meanwhile, the country also recorded two grim milestones on Saturday as daily Covid-19 fatalities reached triple digits and new infections hit five figures for the first time.

The Ministry of Public Health said 141 people died in the previous 24 hours and 10,082 new cases were found. Both were single-day records. Of the new cases, 9,955 were among the general population and 127 were prison inmates.

The 10,082 new cases consisted of 10,040 local infections and 42 imported cases. Of the local infections, 7,443 were confirmed at hospitals, 2,470 were found during mass testing and the remaining 127 were in prisons.

Bangkok logged 2,302 new cases, followed by Samut Prakan (849), Samut Sakhon (680), Chon Buri (659), Nonthaburi (471), Nakhon Pathom (288), Songkhla (286), Pathum Thani (251), Chachoengsao (245) and Yala (196).

Greater Bangkok, which comprises the capital and its five neighbouring provinces, reported 108 fatalities, with 71 deaths in the capital, 18 in Nonthaburi, seven in Samut Sakhon, six in Pathum Thani, five in Nakhon Pathom and one in Samut Prakan.

The additional lockdown measures were proposed at a meeting of the CCSA's operation centre on Saturday, attended by state agencies and medical and health experts, sources said.

"The meeting agreed that tougher measures should be imposed to restrict people's movement and close all businesses in Greater Bangkok, except goods transport, businesses selling food and medicines, communication devices and public utility work,'' the sources said.

Another proposal involves businesses adopting a "sealed route'' system for workers and employees, the sources said. However, no details have been given yet.

The meeting agreed the government should come up with clear measures to support active case finding, treat patients and create a system to support people's livelihoods.

No details were available about what extra government assistance measures will be provided or what form they will take.

The meeting also discussed deployment of a Covid-19 comprehensive response team (CCRT), along with arrangements for home isolation and community isolation.

It also discussed how to manage hospitals in a way that will reduce work duplication and look after as many infected patients as possible.

Efforts will also be made to speed up vaccinations for the elderly and people with chronic diseases, the sources said.

The proposals will be presented by the CCSA, chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, in his capacity as CCSA director, the sources said.

Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the latest wave was severe.

"Without any additional containment measures, the number of daily infections and fatalities will continue to rise for at least 3-4 months,'' he said.

"The existing measures must be intensified, particularly to restrict travel and movement to curb transmissions," Dr Opas said.

Prof Surapon Nitikraipot, chairman of Thammasat University Hospital's executive board, posted on Facebook that the public health system would collapse if those in the government fail to quickly procure enough vaccines.

"Why did the Thai government not do the same as India which banned exports of vaccines temporarily two months ago?'' he asked.

"This was despite the National Vaccine Committee putting forward such a proposal last week," Dr Surapon wrote.

"We only needed 6 million of the 15 million doses made by the company to prevent more fatalities here first.''

Ten new Covid-19 clusters were reported in eight provinces on Saturday with 203 new infections. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said the 10 new clusters were in Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Prachin Buri, Ayutthaya, Saraburi and Kanchanaburi. Bangkok Post

10 Covid clusters found in eight provinces

People wait for their turns to take Covid-19 tests as the National Health Security Office in cooperation with Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital and the Princess Mother National Institute on Drug Abuse Treatment (PMNIDAT) provide testing via rapid antigen Covid-19 test kits for 5,000 people a day free of charge until July 21 at the PDNID or Thanyarak Hospital in Thanyaburi district, Pathum Thani on Saturday. (Photo: Apichit Jinakul)

Ten new Covid-19 clusters were reported in eight provinces on Saturday with 203 new infections.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said the 10 new clusters were in Samut Sakhon, Chon Buri, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Prachin Buri, Ayutthaya, Saraburi and Kanchanaburi.

In Samut Sakhon, a cluster was found at a frozen seafood factory in Muang district, where 39 tested positive.

Another cluster was reported at a metal parts factory in Muang district of Chon Buri, where 13 were diagnosed with coronavirus

Two more clusters were found in Nonthaburi — a furniture factory in Bang Bua Thong district, where 20 were infected, and a construction camp in Bang Kruai district, where 16 caught the virus.

The other clusters are a fragrance factory in Sam Phran district of Nakhon Pathom (15 cases), a TV screen factory in Sri Maha Phot district, Prachin Buri (25 cases); two clusters in Ayutthaya — Talat Chaophrom market in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya district (7 cases) and a lathe factory in Wang Noi district (7 cases); a cement factory in Kaeng Khoi district of Saraburi (12 cases), and a canning factory in Tha Maka district of Kanchanaburi (47 cases).

The country had 141 new Covid-19 fatalities and 10,082 cases over the past 24 hours, both at record highs.

😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😥😱😱😱😱‼️NEW HIGH - #COVID19 Update on Sunday: 11,397 cases & 101 deaths. 13 July: 8,685 - 56 dead 14 July: 9,317 - 87 dead 15 July: 9,186 - 98 dead 16 July: 9,692 - 67 dead 17 July: 10,082 - 141 dead. Richard Barrow

 







Bangkok Post highlights 18/7

 



Fate of 100m-dose vaccination hangs in the air. Leaked correspondence between the Thai government and the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca has raised a big question about the former’s commitment to administer 100 million doses by the end of this year. The letter explains to the ministry that the most Thailand would get from the European drugmaker’s local contract manufacturer would 5-6 million doses a month, which is consistent with their earlier discussions. Bangkok Post

Fate of 100m-dose vaccination hangs in the air

A health worker holds a vial of AstraZeneca vaccine at a gymnasium inside Thammasat University in Pathum Thani on June 7, the day Thailand started its mass inoculation campaign. (Reuters photo)

Leaked correspondence between the Thai government and the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca has raised a big question about the former's commitment to administer 100 million doses by the end of this year.

Isra News Agency on Saturday posted a letter sent by Sjoerd Hubben, vice-president for global corporate affairs of AstraZeneca Inc, to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul 22 days ago.

The letter explains to the ministry that the most Thailand would get from the European drugmaker's local contract manufacturer would 5-6 million doses a month, which is consistent with their earlier discussions.

Siam Bioscience Co Ltd, a company owned by His Majesty the King, was retooled to manufacture the vaccine. The government subsidised 600 million baht for the upgrade and officials later said the company would pay back the sum in the form of shots.

The letter caught many by surprise since the government had repeated many times that 100 million doses would be administered by the end of the year to inoculate at least 70% of the population, with 61 million of them being locally produced AstraZeneca.

On various occasions, the government assured people that AstraZeneca would supply at least 10 million doses a month for the rest of the year.

The question that naturally followed is what vaccines the government would buy to achieve that goal, especially when all sides have agreed that Sinovac, which is the most readily available, cannot effectively shield against the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Sinovac also costs at least four times more than AstraZeneca.

According to the letter, the Ministry of Public Health to date has placed two orders for 61 million doses of AZ vaccine in total. The first, concluded in January this year, was for 26 million doses, and the second, closed in May this year, was for 35 million doses.

These 61 million doses were part of the 175 million that Siam Bioscience has been contracted to make. Thailand is to get 34.9% of its output, or 5-6 million doses a month. The rest will be shipped to other countries, AstraZeneca says in the letter.

Furthermore, the letter revealed that in early September last year the government was committed to buying only 3 million doses a month. Therefore, AZ says it hopes Thailand should be pleased that it is now receiving 5-6 million doses a month.

The company also mentioned that it had urged the government back in September last year to enter the Covax vaccine-sharing facility, along with buying directly from manufacturers. Thailand is one of a handful of developing countries that have not joined Covax.

The dates when the agreements were actually concluded, as mentioned in the letter, also raised eyebrows. It showed the agreement for the second batch of 35 million doses was concluded as recently as May this year, even though the third wave has been raging through the country since the start of April.

Mr Anutin told Isra that Thailand had in fact reserved the supply early this year. In any case, the cabinet approved the budget for it on March 5 and it took two months after that to sign the agreement.

Dr Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, on July 2 was the first to reveal the shortfall of AstraZeneca supplies.

Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha also admitted on Thursday that AstraZeneca would not be able to deliver all 61 million doses under the two contracts until May next year. The original deadline was supposed to have been December.

Contrary to what people had assumed earlier, he said 10 million doses a month was in fact Thailand's capacity to vaccinate people, not the number of vaccines it would get from AstraZeneca. He said the company had seen the vaccination plan but had said nothing.

The revelation had led some Thais to think it was AstraZeneca that had failed to honour the contract, potentially derailing the country's immunisation plan.

The Opposition even urged the government to exercise its authority under the vaccine law to ban exports of Thai-made vaccines when there are shortages in the country.



Less than 100 days before it plans to throw open its borders to international visitors, Thailand is in the grip of a worsening Covid outbreak and a sluggish vaccine rollout. That’s been the case in the Maldives and Seychelles, tropical-island paradises that have seen record surges in infections since opening their borders despite having vaccinated about 70% of their populations. In contrast, at current rates it will take Thailand almost a year to reach that level. Bangkok Jack

Thailand Risks Becoming the Next Seychelles as Tourists Return

July 17, 2021

It's hardly surprising that nobody is going to the temple anymore...

Less than 100 days before it plans to throw open its borders to international visitors, Thailand is in the grip of a worsening Covid outbreak and a sluggish vaccine rollout.

It's a position familiar to other travel-reliant countries facing the unenviable task of rescuing crucial tourism industries decimated by 18 months of pandemic while guarding against the risk that an influx of international travelers could inflame the spread of the virus.

That's been the case in the Maldives and Seychelles, tropical-island paradises that have seen record surges in infections since opening their borders despite having vaccinated about 70% of their populations. In contrast, at current rates it will take Thailand almost a year to reach that level.

Before the pandemic, tourism contributed about 20% of Thailand's gross domestic product — double the global average.

The pandemic-sized hole in the industry has impacted more than 7 million workers, ranging from street-food hawkers to taxi drivers and hotel-room cleaners to tour guides. One of the country's main sources of foreign currency has dried up in the process.

That makes opening the border a "calculated risk" worth taking for the government. Thailand "can't wait for a time when everyone is fully vaccinated or for when the world is free of the virus," Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha said last month when he unveiled the Oct. 14 reopening date.

While infections may rise, "the economic needs of the people" must be taken into consideration, he said.

"We can't close the borders, especially in Asia with the sheer size of the population," said Bill Barnett, managing director at hospitality consultancy C9 Hotelworks Ltd.

"These are subsistence economies and they can't survive long term like this. At the end of the day, you have to put rice in people's bowls."

In a precursor to the broader opening, vaccinated tourists were this month allowed to travel to the resort island of Phuket without needing to quarantine. As of July 13, more than 4,700 people arrived there, with six testing positive for the coronavirus.

Prayuth himself had to isolate at home for a week after coming into close contact with a person who later tested positive for coronavirus during events held to mark Phuket's reopening.

Thailand has reported an average 7,600 new infections a day in the past week, more than the total number of cases recorded in all of 2020.

The surge in Covid patients, driven by the highly-contagious delta variant, has overwhelmed hospitals, with deaths rising to new record highs each week since June 27.

The central bank said that it may revise down its 2021 GDP growth forecast because the outbreak has worsened, with a key private-sector group recently lowering its growth estimate to just 0%-1.5%.

Other countries are also welcoming back travelers to support ailing economies, despite virus resurgences.

Sri Lanka last week relaxed entry requirements to revive a tourism industry that contributed almost 5% of GDP before the pandemic.

The government is seeking to boost its foreign-exchange holdings before more than $2.5 billion of dollar debt comes due in the next 12 months.

The island nation will allow most vaccinated tourists to quarantine for just one day while a Covid test is processed. They can then move between hotels in a travel bubble and visit approved sites.

Long-Term Damage

Health experts warn that restarting the tourism sector amid an active outbreak of the more infectious delta variant, in combination with low testing and vaccination regimes, could worsen the economic damage in the long run, regardless of location.

"With a prolonged outbreak, the socio-economic impact will be the worst that people have ever experienced," said Thira Woratanarat, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine in Bangkok.

"The problem is the majority of people won't be able to cope because resources have already run low."

Other tourism hotspots that have opened their borders are also grappling with a spike in Covid cases, forcing them to tighten entry requirements.

The British Virgin Islands, which started welcoming tourists in December, said this week that all visitors must take a test upon arrival and quarantine until a negative result is received because of an uptick in infections.

Greece, which like Thailand got about one-fifth of its GDP from tourism pre-Covid, lifted most of its restrictions ahead of the peak European summer travel season.

The move attracted criticism from leaders such as Germany's Angela Merkel, including for accepting visitors inoculated with Chinese and Russian vaccines that don't have EU approval.

Some restrictions have since been tightened, including the banning of unvaccinated people from bars, cinemas and theaters, including on the popular Greek islands, after infections started to take off in late June, driven by the spread of the delta variant.

For Thailand, a hurried reopening may prove to be the catalyst for another wave of the virus, Chulalongkorn University's Thira said.

"As the outbreak continues and budget and resources have been used up, Thailand may be forced to loosen all curbs and the infections will rise," he said. "That's the worst-case scenario." 

Thailand considering stricter LOCKDOWN MEASURES. Pattaya Mail

 Thailand considering stricter LOCKDOWN MEASURES

July 17, 2021

Thailand is considering bringing in tighter coronavirus curbs in a bid to contain soaring infections, as authorities reported on Friday a record number of cases despite imposing partial lockdowns in Bangkok and nine other provinces this week.

Since Monday, areas considered high risk in Thailand have been under the toughest restrictions in more than a year, with new curbs on movement and gatherings, the closure of malls and some businesses, and curfews between 9 pm to 4 am.

"After assessing the measures there are still concerns," said Apisamai Srirangsan, a spokeswoman for the government COVID-19 task force.

"We may close more places and intensify the measures," she said.

The government also plans to increase the number of COVID-19 tests which currently cover 70,000-80,000 people per day by introducing home-testing kits which will be available from drugstores next week, Apisamai said.

Thailand on Friday reported a daily record of 9,692 coronavirus infections and 67 new deaths, taking total cases to 381,907 and fatalities to 3,099, as authorities struggle to tackle the country's biggest wave of infections so far.

The Thai health ministry this week also gave the go-ahead for home isolation of coronavirus patients with mild symptoms.

The Thai Red Cross on Friday said it had bought 1 million doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines from the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO).

The GPO is due to sign a deal next week to import five million doses of the Moderna vaccine that should arrive in Thailand sometime in the fourth quarter or the start of next year.

In a statement, the Red Cross said some vaccines will be administered free of charge for medical personal and vulnerable groups, while others will be sold to organizations around the country for general distribution.

Thailand's main vaccine rollout started last month and has relied mainly on the AstraZeneca and Sinovac shots, though the pace of the rollout has been slower than in some neighbouring countries.

More than 5% of its more than 66 million people have been fully vaccinated so far. – Reuters