HAR DET INTE VARIT CIRKUS TIDIGARE SÅ BLIR DET DEFINITIVT DET OM/NÄR DETTA BLIR VERKLIGHET. 😂😂😂😂😱😱😱😱 Anutin declares he's ready to be the next Prime Minister of Thailand. Thailand's health minister and DPM Anutin Charvirakul declared at the weekend that he is ready to lead Thailand and become the next Prime Minister. ASEAN NOW



Picture: Sanook

 

Thailand's health minister and DPM Anutin Charvirakul declared at the weekend that he is ready to lead Thailand and become the next Prime Minister.

 

The Bhumjaithai Party leader was at a party gathering in Nakhon Ratchasima.

 

He stressed the importance of Korat even though he is from elsewhere.

 

The controversial minister - nicknamed "Sia Noo" or Mighty Mouse in the Thai press is well known for controversial and sometime offhand comments more in line with "Mighty Mouth".

 

Sanook had a picture of him with the caption that he was now a candidate for PM.

 

Party secretary and transport minister Salsayam Chidchob - himself from a controversial political dynasty - threw his full weight behind Anutin for PM. 

 

Anutin stressed his continuing allegiance to PM Prayuth but said that when he steps down he is ready to step into the breech as a fully elected leader of Thailand, reported Sanook. 

 

Anutin shot to fame - in foreign circles at least - with comments made about a "dirty" foreigner who wouldn't accept his gift of a mask in the earliest days of the pandemic. 

 

He is well known as a billionaire businessman whose party shot to prominence on the back of election promises to legalize certain aspects of marijuana. 

 

Last week at a function in Loei  he said that Covid was no match for the brilliance of Thailand and the health ministry and the doctors and health personnel that he leads.

 

He called the virus "inferior" in comparison. 

 

He has also proved to be bulletproof in several instances of being caught not wearing masks brushing these off in his now familiar style. 



63 Omicron COVID-19 cases confirmed in Thailand, first local transmission confirmed | #COVID19: The spread of #Omicron in #Thailand has accelerated over the past week. 25% of the COVID-19 cases detected in infected arrivals from overseas have been of the variant. PBS World

 63 Omicron COVID-19 cases confirmed in Thailand, first local transmission confirmed

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Thailand has confirmed a total of 63 Omicron cases to date, with more cases awaiting confirmation, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Most of the confirmed and initially detected cases are arrivals from abroad, but there is also one case of a Thai female case who is Thailand's first local transmission, as her husband is a pilot who contracted the virus overseas.

Anutin also revealed that travel measures may be readjusted. Based on initial discussions, all arrivals may have to go through quarantine again, with the cancellation of the Test & Go scheme. The "sandbox" scheme will remain in place. Such measures will have to be proposed to the CCSA first.

The Public Health Ministry (MoPH) also asked provincial health offices to report their COVID-19 situation, particularly regarding Omicron cases, as well as other measures to be imposed during the New Year holidays, with possible adjustments to the measures or cancellations.

The ministry said, in its online press conference today, that the majority of COVID-19 infections currently being detected in Thailand are of the Delta variant, representing 96.61% of 1,595 samples collected between December 11^th and 19^th. Of all the samples collected, Omicron accounted for 3.26%, overtaking the Alpha and Beta variants, which were each at 0.06%.

The spread of Omicron in Thailand has accelerated over the past week. 25% of the COVID-19 cases detected in infected arrivals from overseas have been of the variant.

Citing data from the World Health Organisation, the MoPH confirmed that the effectiveness of approved vaccines in preventing the spread of Omicron will be reduced, but booster shots can help increase the neutralisation level.

First reported in South Africa, the Omicron variant has now been detected in 89 countries worldwide.



AJ, AJ, AJ 😢😢😢😢 Thailand may cancel Test & Go due to Omicron: Anutin. Thailand could be about to cancel its Test & Go scheme due to concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Thailand’s Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday morning. ASEAN NOW



FILE PHOTO: Thai health minister Anutin Charnvirakul attends a meeting to address the measures against coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

 

Thailand could be about to cancel its Test & Go scheme due to concerns over the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Thailand's Minister of Public Health, Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday morning. 

 

Speaking to The Nation TV, Anutin said that due a spike in Omicron cases among arrivals, alternative state quarantine measures may be reintroduced at the expense of Test & Go.

 

Anutin said that there had been 63 confirmed cases of Omicron among arrivals to Thailand with another 20 cases awaiting confirmation. 

 

Because of this, a proposal will be put before Thailand's Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) later this week that would see the Test & Go scheme scrapped, at least for the immediate future. 

 

Test & Go, which was officially launched on Nov 1, allows people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter Thailand without mandatory quarantine. 



Effectiveness of Pfizer vaccine against Omicron plummets, says Thai doctor - Sinovac study awaited. A leading Thai doctor went on Facebook with bad news for those who bigged up the Pfizer vaccine in recent months over other options. ASEAN NOW

Reuters file photo for reference only

 

A leading Thai doctor went on Facebook with bad news for those who bigged up the Pfizer vaccine in recent months over other options.

 

Many people on online forums this year said they would not have Chinese vaccines like Sinovac or Sinopharm as Pfizer or Moderna were much better. They started getting the former and were willing to wait for the latter and even pay for it.

 

(Both are now free in Thailand and widely available especially Pfizer).

 

Based on little more than selected studies and the source country where the vax is produced this has been panned by some as "Vaccine Snobbery".

 

Now along has come the fast spreading and mutant laden new variant Omicron. This is changing perceptions. 

 

Dr Chalernchai Banyaleephan - deputy chair of the senate health committee - claimed that studies coming out of South Africa and other studies by Discovery Health showed that 2 doses of Pfizer offered only 33% protection against being infected with Covid-19.

 

And those two doses only gave 70% protection against developing severe illness. 

 

The Thai media said that further studies were being awaited as regards the likelihood of Sinovac vaccine also being less effective against Omicron. 

Thai hotel leader predicts continued tourism misery in 2022. After Thailand tourism minister and the governor of the TAT came up with their latest bullish predictions and strategies - as reported today on ASEAN NOW - the chairwoman of the Thai Hoteliers' Association has made more sober judgments. ASEAN NOW

Marisa Sukosol Nunphakdee. File photo: 

 

After Thailand tourism minister and the governor of the TAT came up with their latest bullish predictions and strategies - as reported today on ASEAN NOW - the chairwoman of the Thai Hoteliers' Association has made more sober judgments.

 

Marisa Sukosol Nunphakdee was talking at Thammasat University's "2022 Survival Guide" forum.

 

She predicted that next year more small hotels would go to the wall and close. 

 

The sector needs to shift their focus to domestic tourism and press the government to reengage with the Chinese over encouraging the return of their nationals to Thailand. 

 

Marisa predicted around 300,000 foreign tourists a month thru 2022 making an assessment of 3.9 million for the year.

 

She agreed with the government and TAT, however, that aiming for VoVs - value over volume tourists - was the way to go for future sustainability. 

 

And agreed that it was an opportune time to seek new markets to take up the slack.

 

She said that basically 2021 had been a washout with only 300,000 to 400,000 foreign tourists coming in the entire year. 

 

This compares to 40 MILLION pre-pandemic, notes ASEAN NOW with around 20% of those thought to b



Thais test positive for Omicron. They were quarantined at a hospitel (hotel-cum-hospital) on Soi Ramkhamhaeng 5 in Bangkok. Doctors conducted the tests, he said, adding that results showed seven were infected with the Omicron variant. Mr Preeda said there are also six people who are deemed to be at high risk as they came in close contact with the seven. Bangkok Post

Thais test positive for Omicron

A large Christmas tree stands outside Assumption Chathedral in Bangkok on Sunday. The grounds of the cathedral have been adorned with lights and other deocorations to welcome one of the important dates on the Christian calendar. (Photo: Wichan Charoenkiatpakul)

Eight Thais, from two tour groups, tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant after returning from an annual pilgrimage to the Islamic holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

Authorities have urged people not to panic over the imported cases as those infected have been quarantined.

Preeda Chueaphudee, adviser to the Chularatchamontri -- the country's Muslim spiritual leader -- said about 30 Thais returning from a pilgrimage arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on Dec 15.

They were quarantined at a hospitel (hotel-cum-hospital) on Soi Ramkhamhaeng 5 in Bangkok. Doctors conducted the tests, he said, adding that results showed seven were infected with the Omicron variant. Mr Preeda said there are also six people who are deemed to be at high risk as they came in close contact with the seven.

All are now quarantined at the hospitel which has a contract with a hospital, Mr Preeda said.

After leaving Saudi Arabia, the returnees flew to Qatar where they transited before arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport, he said.

Some had already developed symptoms such as fever while in Saudi Arabia. The returnees come from various provinces, such as Nonthaburi and Ayutthaya, he said.

Kusak Kukiatkul, the Phuket public health office's doctor, said another group of 137 Thai returnees from a pilgrimage to Mecca arrived in Phuket and underwent testing for Covid-19 on Dec 13.

Five tested positive for Covid-19 and were quarantined for five days in Phuket.

After the quarantine, the five, who were categorised as green patients with mild or no symptoms, were allowed to seek further treatment at hospitals in other southern provinces under close surveillance by health authorities, Dr Kusak said.

However, Phuket's centre for medical sciences reported on Dec 17 that one of the five returnees tested positive for Omicron. The patient is now quarantined and being treated at Khok Pho Hospital in Pattani, Dr Kusak said.

He added that four foreign visitors to Phuket also tested positive for Omicron on Dec 17. They arrived on four separate airlines and entered Phuket under the Test & Go scheme. They are an American, a Swede, a Tunisian, and a German.

All are now quarantined and being treated in a hospital in Phuket, Dr Kusak said, adding that about 20 at-risk people who came into contact with the four are also being quarantined.

Anurak Saraphap, Pattani's public health doctor, said the 137 Thai returnees underwent RT-PCR testing in Saudi Arabia before flying to Phuket where they underwent further RT-PCR testing.

He also urged residents in Pattani not to panic over the imported case of the Omicron variant but to continue taking precautions against the virus.

The Pattani public health official also said the Omicron patient who is now quarantined at Khok Pho Hospital is an imported case, not a local transmission case.

Local sources said people in Pattani were also concerned about the possible spread of the Omicron variant from Thai returnees from Malaysia.

Currently, some 57 Thai returnees from Malaysia are still in quarantine, but no Omicron infections have been detected among them.

However, the cases have prompted provincial authorities to step up screening of arrivals from foreign countries to keep the Omicron variant at bay, the sources said.

Meanwhile, Thailand logged 2,899 new Covid-19 cases and 22 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Sunday.

🔴 #COVID19 update on Monday: ⬇️ 2,525 new cases ⬆️ 31 deaths. Richard Barrow



Bangkok Post highlights 20/12