lördag 21 augusti 2021

New Phuket order revises conditions for suspending Sandbox scheme. Phuket News

New Phuket order revises conditions for suspending Sandbox scheme
Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew (left) at the meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday (Aug 20). Photo: PPHO

PHUKET: A new provincial order issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew has revised the conditions required for determining whether or not officials are to suspend the Phuket Sandbox scheme in light of the current high number of COVID-19 infections across the island.

The revised conditions came in Phuket Provincial Order No. 4781/2564 issued yesterday (Aug 20), which was introduced with immediate effect.

The order was announced during a major meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall in Phuket Town, to which the presidents and mayors of all major municipalities across the island were called to attend.

The order, posted online by the Phuket office of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) late yesterday afternoon, was labelled as introducing the requirements of entry to Phuket for tourists arriving under the 'Sandbox 7+7' scheme, which allows fully vaccinated tourists to travel to other 'Sandbox' areas, including Khao Lak, Phi Phi Island and Samui, after spending only seven nights on Phuket, instead of the previously required 14 nights.

The requirements brought into effect for Sandbox 7+7 tourists were no different than already announced by national tourism figures and agencies, including the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT).

The Centre for COVID Situation Administration (CCSA) approved the Sandbox 7+7 conditions on Monday (Aug 16). TAT Governor Yuthasak Supasorn said that from Aug 16 tourists can join the programme, but must apply for a Certificate of Entry (COE) for each route before departing for Thailand.

According to the 7+7 Phuket extension plan, the areas to included are Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao in Surat Thani; Khao Lak, Kho Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi in Phang Nga; Koh Phi Phi, Railay Beach and Koh Ngai in Krabi.

Mr Yuthasak said the CCSA on Monday also approved every Sandbox area to receive tourists who have been vaccinated with the Sputnik V vaccine, which could help clear an obstacle for Russian tourists

TAT Phuket director Nanthasiri Ronnasiri on Wednesday assured that all tourists entering Phuket under the 'Sandbox 7+7' scheme will be tested twice before being allowed to leave the island.

The move to extend Sandbox project areas has already received much support from the beleaguered tourism industry, along with the move to approve Sputnik-vaccinated tourists.

Under the new order, as with any Sandbox arrivals, the sandbox 7+7 tourists must come from countries specified by the ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and must stay in the country they are arriving from for at least 21 days before travelling to Phuket.

They must be fully vaccinated by a vaccine recognised by the MoPH and they must test negative for COVID-19 by RT-PCR test no more than 72 hours before boarding the aircraft to come here. Antigen tests were not listed as acceptable for proving the traveller is not infected.

Sandbox arrivals must have healthcare and medical treatment insurance of not less than US$100,000 and must prepay their booked stay at a SHA+ accommodation venue on the island. Any travellers staying less than 14 days must present their return ticket for exiting the country.

Sandbox tourists looking to travel any of the 7+7 areas must present to provincial border officers evidence proving they have been tested at least twice and have successfully completed their required stay on the island.

Of note, under the new order as an increased safety measure following the murder of Swiss Sandbox tourist Nicole Sauvain-Weisskopf, all Sandbox tourists must now report to the SHA Managaer at the accommodation venue where they are staying each day on returning to the hotel.

The order also listed the conditions for boat operators providing transport for Sandbox tourists to areas outside Phuket, and listed the conditions for boat operators providing boat tours to nearby islands.

THE WRINKLE

However, buried in the six-page order was Article 3, "The Phuket Provincial Public Health Office response plan and a plan to delay or cancel the project."

No longer are the criteria set out in announcing the "response" plan" and consideration for introducing stricter measures or even suspending the Phuket Sandbox scheme the same as those originally announced.

The 90 infections in one week requirement has been removed, the issue of infections in three districts and infections in at least six subdistricts have also been removed.

Also removed is the 80% hospital bed occupancy limit.

Instead, the new criteria for deciding whether to "consider adjusting measures" for the Phuket Sandbox scheme to continue under the order issued yesterday are listed as three points:

  1. Readiness to accommodate new infected Sandbox tourists, to be estimated from the total bed occupancy rate of hospitals that accept tourists.
  2. Readiness to support new infected local people, to be estimated from the rate of bed occupancy per total number of beds in hospitals receiving all types of infections.
  3. Characteristics of the epidemiology of COVID-19 in the area, the level of the situation and the resources for disease control investigations.

While rewriting the criteria for considering what measures are to be taken regarding a COVID outbreak, the response measures remain the same:

  1. Reduce activities for tourists, such as limiting places to visit. Reduce activities that come into contact with service providers, for example by starting to reduce activities when one of the criteria is met.
  2. Sealed Route by organising a travel system to have a specific group of vehicles and set travel routes without having to have close contact with people in the area, by starting to have tourists follow a Sealed Route when traveling. The Sealed Route measure is to come into effect when two or more criteria are met.
  3. Hotel Bubble by allowing tourists to stay in hotels only, and able to do activities and not in close contact with service providers or people in the area. This is to be done by starting to have tourists remain in a Hotel Bubble when two or more criteria are met.
  4. Stop accepting new tourists when the outbreak is widespread and uncontrollable, by accepting only tourists who are already registered in the [Sandbox] project and who have received a COE [Certificate of Entry], and have tourists who already entered the country [Phuket] by allowing them to stay in their hotel only until the 14 day quarantine period has been completed.

Under the order the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee is to review the COVID-infection situation on the island on a daily basis and assess the situation according to the guidelines every one to two weeks.

The Phuket Communicable Disease Committee is to take action by "adjusting the measures for tourists" according to two scenarios.

First, if the COVID situation meets any of the three criteria, response measure No 1 listed above ("Reduce activities") is to be implemented for at least two weeks and then re-evaluated. 

If the situation does not change, the "reduced activities" measure is to be maintained and if the situation improves the stricter measures may be eased ‒ but if the situation becomes worse, even stricter measures are to be implemented.

However, if the COVID situation in Phuket meets two of the criteria, the committee is to observe the situation for at least two weeks and then re-evaluate what measures have been implemented. There are now no prescribed measures of action for any level of infection across the island. The committee is to decide which action is appropriate as the situation unfolds.

VIOLATION WARNINGS

The order also included the standard warning that violations of the order was punishable under the Communicable Disease Act B.E. 2558 (2015) and under Section 9 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration B.E. 2548 (No. 26), now the version issued on June 29, 2021, which incurs penalties under Section 18 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations 2005.

A special warning was included for Sandbox tourists who breach the conditions of stay in Phuket under the Sandbox scheme.

"Violation of the order under the preventive measures for travelers entering the Kingdom and the rules of action prescribed by the government, such as traveling out of Phuket before a period of 7 nights or as prescribed without permission. or not cooperating to receive treatment, etc., may be the cause of revocation of permission to stay in the Kingdom under the Immigration Act B.E. 2522, Section 36 and [may result in] consideration of not allowing [the tourist] entry into the Kingdom according to the order of the Minister of Interior No. 1/2015 dated 27 November 2015 regarding the prohibition of certain classes of aliens from entering the Kingdom," the order noted.

Thai nationals were warned of possible charges under the Communicable Disease Act B.E. 2558 (2015) under Section 9 of the Emergency Decree.

Tour operators, tour leaders and guides, including vehicle owners, vehicle operator and boat crews carrying a foreigner on board were also warned of the same charges and that they stood to have their operating permits and licenses revoked under Section 46 of the Tourism Business and Guide Act B.E.

As the situation is deemed to be a national emergency and the regulations are being brought into effect under an emergency decree, people have no right to contest the regulations under Section 30 of the Administrative Procedure Act, B.E. 2539, the order also noted. 

The Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have discussedapproaching more countries to acquire COVID-19 vaccines, looking to meet a target of 100 million doses this year. Pattaya Mail

Thailand ventures to obtain 100 million COVID-19 vaccines by year-end

Minister of Public Health Anutin Chanvirakul and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Poramudwinai are engaged in a high-level exchange of information on COVID-19 vaccines, agreeing that they would help one another find sources of the vaccine to meet both current and future demand.

The Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have discussedapproaching more countries to acquire COVID-19 vaccines, looking to meet a target of 100 million doses this year.

Minister of Public Health Anutin Chanvirakul and Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Poramudwinai are engaged in a high-level exchange of information on COVID-19 vaccines, agreeing that they would help one another find sources of the vaccine to meet both current and future demand. The Foreign Ministry is to initiate further negotiations with international governments to secure donations, seeking AstraZeneca shots from Japan, Sinovac vaccine from China and Pfizer from the USA. Most recently, it achieved an AstraZeneca exchange with Bhutan.



On authorizing the vaccination of foreigners entering the Phuket Sandbox, the Foreign Minister explained that Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines are all approved, with only Sputnik V still pending registration. The National Communicable Diseases Commission is set to hold a meeting soon to approve the use of Sputnik V.

The two ministries also discussed the vaccination of foreigners residing in Thailand in accordance with the Prime Minister's order, acknowledging that a list of such individuals and foreign laborers has been compiled in preparation for a roll out.

They then agreed on beginning preparations to distribute a Thai-made vaccine, as research and development is continuing on approving a Thai mRNA inoculation. If successful, Thailand would be the first ASEAN nation to have created its own vaccine. The Health Ministry has prioritized the matter. (NNT)


Expats to be jabbed soon, promises Health Minister. He made this remark after discussing the subject with Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai. Anutin said government agencies have been cooperating with embassies to set up vaccination appointments for expats at several venues, including MedPark, Vimut and Bangrak hospitals as well as at the Central Vaccination Centre at the Bang Sue Grand Station. He said the government will also cooperate with the Department of Consular Affairs to cover expats living in other parts of the country. Bangkok Jack / The Nation

Expats to be jabbed soon, promises Health Minister

Over 300,000 expats living in Bangkok have received at least one Covid-19 shot, Public Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday.

He made this remark after discussing the subject with Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

Anutin said government agencies have been cooperating with embassies to set up vaccination appointments for expats at several venues, including MedPark, Vimut and Bangrak hospitals as well as at the Central Vaccination Centre at the Bang Sue Grand Station.

He said the government will also cooperate with the Department of Consular Affairs to cover expats living in other parts of the country.

As of August 14, 356,337 foreign residents have received a Covid-19 vaccine, and of them 107,106 have received both their shots. Of them, 27,028 are above the age of 60.

"Most of the expats vaccinated come from Myanmar, China, Cambodia, Laos, Japan, India, the Philippines, UK, France and the US," he said

Anutin said the Foreign Ministry will continue cooperating with other countries to procure more vaccines, citing the ongoing negotiations with Bhutan over a batch of AstraZeneca vaccines.

Meanwhile, foreigners with certificates showing they have received Sinovac, Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson jabs can enter Thailand under the Phuket Sandbox scheme, Anutin said.

He added that the National Communicable Disease Committee is looking into allowing people who have taken Sputnik V jabs to enter the country soon. – The Nation 

The Bangkok North Municipal Court on Thursday sentenced 19 adult partygoers to three years imprisonment and THB15,000 fine per person for breaching the emergency-decree ban on gatherings of more than five people. The Nation

19 people get jail sentence for partying in defiance of emergency
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The Bangkok North Municipal Court on Thursday sentenced 19 adult partygoers to three years imprisonment and THB15,000 fine per person for breaching the emergency-decree ban on gatherings of more than five people.

19 people get jail sentence for partying in defiance of emergency

The court reduced the previous sentence of six years imprisonment and THB30,000 fine, as they had pleaded guilty.The court also suspended the imprisonment for a year per person as the partygoers did not have a criminal record.Police had arrested 28 people, nine of them underage, for partying at a swanky resort in Bangkok's Din Daeng district in the early hours of Wednesday.The nine underage suspects will be charged separately by the Central Juvenile and Family Court.

Published : August 20, 2021 

By :  The Nation 

Foreign ministry pullling out all the stops to get vaccine - Thailand belatedly set to join Covax scheme. Thailand has been widely criticised for not joining the scheme earlier - something done by several other countries in the Asian region that has aided their vaccine rollouts, notes ASEAN NOW.


6pm.jpg

Picture: Sanook

 

Sanook quoted the IT expert and spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as saying that the ministry were working hard all over the world to secure vaccine deals.

 

Thanee Saengrat said that his chief Don Pramudwinai - minister and DMP -  had ordered embassies and consulates throughout the globe to make representations to get more vaccine. 

 

This was being done in China, the USA, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and Russia.

 

He also spoke of vaccine swap deals with several countries including one with Bhutan. Under these deals Thailand gets vaccine now and pays it back later.

 

Thailand is also finally preparing to join the Covax scheme and payments have been made to the WHO to facilitate this.

 

Thailand has been widely criticised for not joining the scheme earlier - something done by several other countries in the Asian region that has aided their vaccine rollouts, notes ASEAN NOW.

  

MoFA: Hails "Sandbox" success - all systems go for 7+7 and all agencies onboard over CoE. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs's IT whiz Thanee Saengrat spoke to Daily News about developments connected to the reopening of Thailand via the much heralded "Phuket Sandbox". He said that his ministry and embassies around the world and other agencies were all now singing from the same hymn sheet when it came to the issuance of Certificates of Entry for the Sandbox. ASEAN NOW


5pm.jpg

Picture: Daily News

 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs's IT whiz Thanee Saengrat spoke to Daily News about developments connected to the reopening of Thailand via the much heralded "Phuket Sandbox".

 

The article was accompanied by an infographic that was designed to highlight clearly what the changes all meant.

 

The idea is that since a CCSA decision on Monday tourists can do seven days on Phuket then go to other islands in the south of Thailand and areas in Phangnga.

 

ASEAN NOW notes that the infographic took a little understanding.

 

Phang Nga (sic) was referred to as Prompt, Samui Plus was relatively straightforward and apparently Krabi was "Even More Amazing".

 

Whether this was Thanee's handiwork or not was not explained. The term "Amazing Thailand" featured in one corner.

 

He said that the Sandbox in July welcomed 14,055 tourists who booked 190,843 nights accommodation.

 

Two figures were mentioned in the Daily News story - 872 million baht in direct tourism spending was brought in and 1.9 billion baht when businesses related directly or indirectly to tourism were included in the figure.

 

If this was not totally clear Thanee helpfully explained it was all a great success and a significant boost for the economy.

 

He said that his ministry and embassies around the world and other agencies were all now singing from the same hymn sheet when it came to the issuance of Certificates of Entry for the Sandbox. 

Signs have emerged that suggest Covid-19 infections are about to level off despite a doctor warning the country could see up to 400,000 new cases. BangkokPost





Apisamai Srirangson, an assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said there are encouraging indicators about the outbreak situation, noting that the number of new infections is no longer on a steep upward curve. The rate of infections in Greater Bangkok is at 41% while it is at 59% in the provinces, and the trend is expected to continue, she said. However, she warned the public to keep their guard up because fully vaccinated people can still be infected. Bangkok Post

Covid-19 infections 'may have peaked'
The monitor shows Covid-infected people on Friday rest at a flood response centre which the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration turned into an isolation facility in Prawet district. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)
The monitor shows Covid-infected people on Friday rest at a flood response centre which the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration turned into an isolation facility in Prawet district. (Photo: Apichart Jinakul)

Signs have emerged that suggest Covid-19 infections are about to level off despite a doctor warning the country could see up to 400,000 new cases.

Apisamai Srirangson, an assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), said there are encouraging indicators about the outbreak situation, noting that the number of new infections is no longer on a steep upward curve.

The rate of infections in Greater Bangkok is at 41% while it is at 59% in the provinces, and the trend is expected to continue, she said. However, she warned the public to keep their guard up because fully vaccinated people can still be infected.

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"There are signs that the number of infections and fatalities are about to level off," Dr Apisamai said. "We hope the situation is getting better, and we must not make a mistake in this critical period."

She said the home and community isolation programme has also freed up hospital beds for Covid-19 patients with more severe symptoms and reduced wait times for critically-ill patients in the past week.

According to her, there are 70 community isolation centres in Bangkok with 9,426 beds. Of these, 14 can provide standard RT-PCR tests and seven are equipped to treat some 1,000 patients showing mild symptoms, Dr Apisamai said.

Meanwhile, Dr Kampanat Porn- yotkrai, a urologic surgeon who runs the "Sarikahappymen" Facebook page, wrote that the current Covid-19 infection wave in Thailand is already past its peak.

However, the outbreak is far from over, he said.

He said his analysis is based on the number of local infections over the past two weeks, outbreak statistics from other countries and the nature of the outbreak, which will eventually start to slow down after its saturation point.

Dr Kampanat noted that the Delta outbreak in India saw daily infections of more than 400,000 cases before rapidly slowing down. Thailand may have passed the peak at 23,000 cases recently, he said.

He said the kingdom's vaccination programme played a vital role, no matter how messy it has been. Currently, a quarter of the population, or 18 million people, have had their first shot and the vaccine administration is gearing up for up to 500,000 shots per day.

However, he pointed out that the pandemic is not over.

"The upward curve took two to three months, so it will also take two to three months on the way down," he said. "We will likely see infections drop from 19,000 to 18,000 to 17,000 until the curve is flat."

"There will be about 300,000-400,000 new infections during the downward trend," he said. "Based on statistics, fatalities will peak after two weeks, so there could be 2,000–3,000 fatalities before this wave is finally over."



There are several lessons the country must learn from the mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis after Thailand reached the grim milestone of more than one million accumulated cases on Friday, according to the president of the Rural Doctors Society. Bangkok Post

Virus cases pass 1 million
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha talks to a Covid patient via a telehealth system during his visit to 'Sanam Saeng Haeng Jai' field hospital in Samut Prakan province on Friday. The facility has 450 beds and uses robots to get food and medicines to patients. (Government House photo)
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha talks to a Covid patient via a telehealth system during his visit to 'Sanam Saeng Haeng Jai' field hospital in Samut Prakan province on Friday. The facility has 450 beds and uses robots to get food and medicines to patients. (Government House photo)

There are several lessons the country must learn from the mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis after Thailand reached the grim milestone of more than one million accumulated cases on Friday, according to the president of the Rural Doctors Society.

The first domestic case on Jan 12 last year was a 61-year Chinese woman from Wuhan where Covid-19 had first been detected the previous month.

Then, the first Thai to test positive was on Jan 31 after a 50-year-old taxi driver drove an infected arrival from Wuhan to hospital.

As of Friday, 1,009,710 Covid-19 cases have been recorded in Thailand since then, with the death toll at 8,826.

Dr Supat Hasuwannakit, the chief of the society, said that it proves that no country in the world is safe, despite Thailand's early confidence that it had succeeded in containing the first wave of the pandemic. Mistakes involving later, more contagious variants put the country on alert, he said.

"Another lesson is that we failed to take advantage of an opportunity to prepare when the pandemic slowed down. We did not learn from other countries enough. When the third wave struck in April, chaos ensued with a lack of vaccine preparations, medical management and proactive testing,'' Dr Supat said.

He also criticised the government's procurement of vaccines from AstraZeneca, saying it underestimated both availability and demand. Originally, it ordered only 3 million doses per month, and then five and now ten million doses per month.

"In order for the government to prevent the situation from worsening any further, it must procure as many vaccine doses as possible quickly. Although mRNA and viral vector vaccines would be preferable, Sinovac and Sinopharm can also help reduce death rates. Mixing and matching different vaccines can actually help,'' he said.

Nimit Tien-udom, director of the Aids Access Foundation and member of the National Health Security board, said that the government must lift the lockdown and allow activities and businesses to resume.

He said that the current lockdown restrictions have achieved little so the government should review the measures and allow people to resume their normal lives while ramping up vaccinations for all.

Suchatvee Suwansawat, rector of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, said that Thailand was not the first country hit by the severe impacts of the pandemic.

Several countries and regions such as China, Europe and the US suffered the worst effects of the pandemic before Thailand. Thailand had the time to learn from their experiences and should have handled the pandemic better.

But as it happened, lessons were not learned after the new wave triggered by clusters at camps for construction workers and night entertainment venues, he said.

"The government should not rely solely on medical professionals' advice. It should brainstorm ideas from all sectors to look at what direction the world will move in and how the country should prepare. The government should gather opinions from a variety of experts and use them for national planning," Mr Suchatvee said.

Supensri Phungkhoksoong, director of the Social Equality Promotion Foundation, said that the pandemic has had a widespread impact, leaving many penniless and unemployed.

"There has been a sharp rise in street sleepers among those with no money to pay their rent," she said, adding that the government should find ways to help ease their plight such as by offering debt moratoriums and finding ways to create jobs for them.

She also said budget spending by state agencies should be reviewed and funds should be diverted to assist needy people.

"Covid-19 is now a national agenda item. The government and private sector must work together to achieve the aim [of economic recovery]. Some regulations should be relaxed for the sake of everyone's survival,'' Ms Supensri said.

Opinion: Thailand should seriously consider just letting vaccinated foreign visitors in with much lesser rules. The following is an opinion. The thoughts and statements in this article are the author’s own and may not reflect those of the entire Pattaya News Company Limited. Pattaya News

Opinion: Thailand should seriously consider just letting vaccinated foreign visitors in with much lesser rules

The following is an opinion. The thoughts and statements in this article are the author's own and may not reflect those of the entire Pattaya News Company Limited.

  Nobody can deny currently that things are tough here in Thailand. 

It's almost a perfect storm-daily protests, 29 areas/provinces under partial lockdown measures that have shuttered tens of thousands of businesses and put an estimated three million people out of work according to the Thai Chamber of Commerce (and likely much, much higher if you count the informal sector), a vaccination program not moving as fast as people would like, continued pressure on the government from multiple sectors and conflicting goals, and much more.

That being said, contrary to some belief, one fairly successful metric cannot be ignored and that is in the Sandbox program in Phuket, the current program that allows vaccinated foreign visitors to enter the country without quarantine and roam the island but with a set of rules, paperwork, and tests. That metric I am referring to is the risk that foreign vaccinated tourists present in terms of having and spreading Covid-19. We will get to that in a moment.

  The Sandbox program even recently fairly quietly expanded, allowing foreign vaccinated tourists to travel to other islands after seven days and two negative Covid-19 tests. This shows that officials have confidence in the Sandbox program, mainly due to what the data shows so far, again, we will get to that momentarily.

A lot of the comments on social media about the Sandbox are negative, and I certainly understand why someone would feel that way. It certainly isn't 2019 era travel and the amount of paperwork and steps to take, as well as Covid-19 tests, is fairly intimidating, especially to the average traveler. The tragic murder of a foreign tourist that was taking part in the program was a huge black mark. There continue to be a decent number of local Covid-19 cases in the Sandbox, although it is very important to note the vast majority are from local residents or people who went to the island domestically, and not Sandbox tourists.

These cases have led to rules being tightened on the island, including an unpopular ban on alcohol at restaurants (officially, anyway) and strict domestic travel rules that basically put the island off-limits for anyone wanting to travel there internally.

So, what is that about a positive metric I mentioned? Well, contrary to some belief, the Sandbox was NEVER meant to bring in tens of thousands of tourists like prior to Covid-19. In fact, the rules were so strict specifically to discourage legions of tourists from returning. This is partially why bars and nightclubs and entertainment remain closed as well, as Thailand doesn't seem to want that type of visitor at this time, despite Phuket being well over 70% vaccinated and all tourists entering vaccinated. And yes, most visitors are not tourists but are ex-pats or what we call in America "snowbirds" who come in for three to six months at a time. Many of them are also Thai people returning from overseas.

That's fine. They all contribute to the economy in some way and serve the purpose of testing the risk of letting in foreign-vaccinated tourists without quarantine. It's also important to note that most (of course, not all) people who have actually participated in the Sandbox have given fairly positive feedback as you can see in this major Facebook group. P.S. It is also a great place to learn more about the program from those who actually have gone through it and not random negative comments online.

So, what was/is the point of the Sandbox? Simple, to measure the risk of letting in foreign vaccinated tourists without quarantine. I'm not going to get into a debate on vaccinated or unvaccinated in this article or the Delta variant, transmissibility, viral load, or anything like that. I am simply going to state the following-Thailand wanted to see what the risk level was of letting in vaccinated foreign tourists without quarantine. Should Thailand reduce quarantine for unvaccinated who pass negative tests as well? That's a whole different topic and article and I'm not going to get into that here. It's worth noting though that currently they go through a fourteen-day hotel quarantine under very strict rules, despite the number of cases of Covid-19 in Thailand.

As for vaccinated foreign tourists without a strict quarantine in Phuket, that particular test appears to have gone very well. No, it's not perfect. Yes, there have been cases. However, they knew they would have cases, and quite frankly with the situation in Thailand currently with still over 20,000 cases a day (although importantly recoveries are starting to outpace new cases and vaccination speed has accelerated) the level of precaution to let in visitors is, by nearly every standard, overly cautious.

Let's dig in for a moment. The chart below is the most recent Phuket Sandbox Daily Report, as of August 19th, 2021.

Yes, it is in Thai, but we will explain a few of the most important things, without going into detail about the whole chart. As of this date, 22,389 people have entered Phuket from the Sandbox program, as seen in the lower left-hand green box. The new boxes next to it represent the second and third Covid-19 tests for those that stay that long. The second box is a Covid-19 test around day 7 and the last is around day 13, just before the visitor would be allowed to go anywhere in Thailand. (Although due to the current Covid-19 situation some provinces have additional measures.)

As you can see 22,327 people in total have tested negative for Covid-19 on that first test. 10,724 on that second test, and 6897 on that third test (Only TWO people tested positive on the day 13 test, which is another major reason they now allow visiting other islands after day seven.)

Based on the 22,327 number and a total of 62 positive cases (several unvaccinated children, as they are allowed in), that is a 0.28 percent chance of a foreign vaccinated tourist having Covid-19 after going through the initial process. (Which includes a test in their home country prior to coming.) Interestingly, the vast majority of those positive tested positive on arrival, despite that first test.

0.28 percent. Let's dig into that further.

Of that 0.28 percent, which is actually around 0.26 or 0.27 due to unvaccinated children, there have been no cases of a "superspreader" or even much spread at all up to this point.  And of those positive, nearly all have been asymptomatic or extremely mild, which means they put no pressure on the hospital system. (Of course, in Thailand, the rules require medical supervision if you test positive but they are gradually starting to further accept self-isolation if available.)

Now, yes, Phuket recorded a record high of Covid-19 cases yesterday-129 new cases. Only two, however, were from vaccinated foreign tourists, the remainder were all from local residents/domestic visitors.

The data so far from the Sandbox, which began on July 1st is pretty clear-the overall risk of vaccinated foreign tourists having and spreading Covid-19 is very low, especially when compared to the domestic situation in Thailand currently. Additionally, one of the pushbacks to letting in visitors at a wider scale right now is hospital availability-but they also show, so far, that the foreign vaccinated tourists don't put much pressure on that system.

Therefore, it is my belief that Thailand should let in vaccinated foreign visitors on a much wider scale. At the very least, it is the time based on the data to relax the rules and let those who want to come, come. Maybe not "open the total gates" yet, but let's seriously consider letting them go to most places in the country instead of just the islands (and it's being considered and likely coming with Chiang Mai and Hua Hin on the agenda).  Ok, I can understand the pushback to let them into areas that are maximum control with major outbreaks like Bangkok and sadly Chonburi (Pattaya.) Regardless, every single visitor that comes will help the local economy currently.

Sure, many people may comment or say why would anyone want to come to a country with many places in partial lockdowns or lots of cases and that is certainly a valid point. However, I am quite sure there are plenty who still would come, even if they are "snowbirds" or ex-pats if the rules are relaxed some. And remember, every single one of these people will spend at least some badly needed money currently. Additionally, other countries like Mexico, Turkey, Dubai, and the Maldives have proven previously that even with many cases of Covid-19 people will still travel, if they are allowed to.

So, in conclusion, I personally believe the Thai government should give some serious thought to letting in vaccinated foreign tourists with significantly fewer rules. They already are discussing it behind closed doors and we may very well see this in Octoberish, but it is something that must be in the back of officials' minds.

At the very least, continuing the plan of wider sandboxes outside of Phuket (not just safe and sealed, but actual sandboxes), reducing quarantine/sandbox length to seven days, and killing some of the paperwork such as a COE would be a fantastic start to help bring in much-needed income at this difficult time from a segment of the population that, compared to the situation domestically, appears to be fairly low risk.

Thanks for reading, as always. I will be doing a sort of follow-up to this article in the near future around the importance of restoring domestic tourism by quarter four of this year as well and why that should be a major focus. For those not here, I hope the situation improves in the next six months and we can see you all again soon in Thailand! Take care of yourselves, and be safe.

Adam Judd, Co-Owner, TPN media.


🔴 #COVID19 on Saturday: ⬆️ 20,571 cases ⬆️ 261 deaths. Richard Barrow



Bangkok Post highlights 21/8

 

fredag 20 augusti 2021

Thailand crosses the one million COVID-19 infections mark on Friday. Thailand’s total COVID-19 infections since last year have surpassed the one-million mark to reach 1,009,710 cases today (Friday), with 19,851 new cases and 240 more deaths reported, including a seven-month old and a one year old, according to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). The accumulated infection total puts Thailand at 34th place on the global COVID-19 ranking. PBS World

Thailand crosses the one million COVID-19 infections mark on Friday

Thailand's total COVID-19 infections since last year have surpassed the one-million mark to reach 1,009,710 cases today (Friday), with 19,851 new cases and 240 more deaths reported, including a seven-month old and a one year old, according to the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The accumulated infection total puts Thailand at 34th place on the global COVID-19 ranking.

Total deaths, since last year, are 8,826 and 205,079 people are still being treated in general and field hospitals, as well as at other health facilities. 5,388 people are in a severe condition, including 1,161 on ventilators. Recoveries today were 20,478.

CCSA Assistant Spokesperson Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan said that rapid antigen tests on people in Bangkok, conducted between August 1st and 19th, show an infection rate of 14.4%. Those testing positive are required to enter home isolation immediately and to enter community isolation facilities or hospitals if the results are confirmed by RT-PCR tests.

She disclosed that the waiting list to be admitted to hospitals has shortened to just a day, as more hospital beds become available.

Regarding the daily death toll, she said the number of fatalities in the provinces is tending to increase, adding that a study of 4,656 COVID-19 related deaths shows 2,969 (63.8%) had not been vaccinated, 316 cases (7%) had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine two weeks before falling ill, 118 (2.6%) had received one dose of AstraZeneca four weeks before falling ill and 26 cases (0.6%) had received two doses of AstraZeneca.

The ten provinces with the highest numbers of new infections today are:

  1. Bangkok (4,181)
  2. Samut Sakhon (1,556)
  3. Chon Buri (1,348)
  4. Samut Prakan (1,055)
  5. Nakhon Ratchasima (575)
  6. Saraburi (494)
  7. Pathum Thani (461)
  8. Nakhon Pathom (460)
  9. Ayutthaya (453)
  10. Rayong (414)

Mix and match vaccination. PRD

 
 The Department of Medical Sciences joined hands with Siriraj Hospital in researching the level of immunity in serum from people who have been vaccinated with different brands, which also includes the "mix and match" vaccinations and the heterologous prime-boost with a third dose. The researchers are focusing on the Delta variant, which has a 90% infection rate in Thailand. They use the Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT), which is a standard test that operates in laboratories that work at biosafety level 3 (BSL-3), to find the antibodies after vaccination.

There are six groups of volunteers: 
(1) those who got two doses of CoronaVac (SV+SV); 
(2) those who got two doses of AstraZeneca (AZ+AZ); 
(3) those who got CoronaVac and followed it with AstraZeneca (SV+AZ); 
(4) those who get AstraZeneca, followed by CoronaVac (AZ+SV); 
(5) those who got two doses of CoronaVac, followed by Covilo (SV+SV+Sinopharm); and 
(6) those who got two doses of CoronaVac, followed by AstraZeneca (SV+SV+AZ).

The research indicates that each group of volunteers has a different immunity level to the Delta variant. 
- The mix and match vaccine SV+AZ has higher immunity than SV+SV and is equal to AZ+AZ but takes a shorter time. 
- The vaccination with two doses of CoronaVac and followed by the AstraZeneca as a booster dose can stimulate 11 times the immunity level
- The third dose, a boost with Sinopharm, can stimulate 2.5 times the immunity level. 

The department has reassured the public that the vaccine combinations SV+AZ and SV+SV+AZ are safe and proper for the current situation in Thailand. They will research the immunity level for the Beta variant in the next phase to collect more data for managing vaccinations with the most effectiveness for the public.

Source: https://bit.ly/3svyWM1