Thailand News - Corona - By Ola J.

onsdag 5 januari 2022

Bangkok Post highlights 5/1

tisdag 4 januari 2022

Chonburi chasing two infected Indian tourists. Both tourists had entered Thailand via the Test & Go procedure and got a negative result at their first test. However the second test by RT-PCR showed that they were infected. Thai Newsroom

Chonburi chasing two infected Indian tourists

January 4, 2022 TNR Staff

THE Chonburi Provincial Public Health Office posted an announcement on its Facebook page this afternoon (Jan. 4) that they searching for two Covid infected Indian tourists with those who know of their whereabouts urged to immediately contact Vibharam Laem Chabang Hospital, TV Channel 7 said

The announcement identified the two tourists as Mr. Ankit Sejwal, 30, and Miss Preeti Panwar, 32. Those who know where they are were told to call Vibharam Laem Chabang Hospital, telephone number 0 3300 9800.

Both tourists had entered Thailand via the Test & Go procedure and got a negative result at their first test. However the second test by RT-PCR showed that they were infected.

Chonburi authorities had coordinated with the Indian Embassy in trying to trace these two tourists.

Suspension of Test & Go continues amid Omicron spike. "Under the current circumstances, there's no plan to bring back Test & Go," Dr Opas told a media briefing. He did not elaborate on how long the scheme will remain suspended. He said the clusters in Ubon Ratchathani, Chon Buri and Khon Kaen could accelerate the spread of Omicron due to the high number of infections detected in some locations in these provinces. Bangkok Post

Suspension of Test & Go continues amid Omicron spike

Chinese tourists wearing protective suits arrive at Suvarnabhumi airport during the first day of the country's reopening campaign on Nov 1, 2021. The country continues to suspend the quarantine-free scheme for fully vaccinated air travellers. (Reuters photo)

Thailand continues the suspension of the Test & Go scheme for travellers, as the country is battling the spike in Covid-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant, a senior Public Health Ministry official said on Tuesday.

Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the country will not reimpose the quarantine-free programme due to the spread of Omicron.

"Under the current circumstances, there's no plan to bring back Test & Go," Dr Opas told a media briefing.

He did not elaborate on how long the scheme will remain suspended.

On Monday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he would ask the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) to keep the programme on hold until the end of this month.

Neither Dr Opas nor Mr Anutin mentioned the CCSA meeting, and it was unclear whether the meeting took place.

Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said on Tuesday air travellers who had successfully applied for Test & Go can enter the country by next Monday.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was also concerned about the potential spike in Omicron cases, after many people returned from the long holidays, the spokesman added.

Thailand temporarily suspended the scheme from Dec 22 to at least Jan 4, according to an announcement in the Royal Gazette published on Dec 22.

The Phuket Sandbox is the only sandbox scheme in effect. Other similar schemes have been temporarily shelved since Dec 22. Another entry into Thailand is through the quarantine programme.

The highly contagious Omicron variant has spread fast in the country from only 205 accumulated cases reported on Dec 24 to 2,062 as of Monday, according to official data.

The variant fanned from 33 provinces reported on Dec 29 to 54 provinces on Monday, according to the Public Health Ministry.

Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences, appealed for calm as most patients had fully recovered after a two-week quarantine. The rest still received hospital treatment.

Dr Supakit said Bangkok reported the most Omicron cases at 585, followed by 233 in Kalasin, 180 in Roi Et, 175 in Phuket, 162 in Chon Buri and 106 in Samut Prakan.

Dr Opas said the ministry was concerned about clusters linked to pubs, restaurants, factories, worker camps, markets and religious gatherings detected in 14 provinces.

The 14 provinces were:

Amnat Charoen
Chiang Mai
Chon Buri
Kalasin
Khon Kaen
Maha Sarakham
Phuket
Prachin Buri
Roi Et
Songkhla
Ubon Ratchathani
Udon Thani
Yala
Yasothon

He said the clusters in Ubon Ratchathani, Chon Buri and Khon Kaen could accelerate the spread of Omicron due to the high number of infections detected in some locations in these provinces.

With over 2,000 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus detected in Thailand to date according to the Ministry of Public Health, the country is entering a widespread wave of COVID-19 infections in the next two years, following the long New Year holidays, which will see daily infections spiking into the tens of thousands of cases in the near future, predicted Dr. Manoon Leechawengwongs, a doctor specializing in respiratory and pulmonary diseases at Vichaiyut hospital. PBS World

With over 2,000 Omicron cases in Thailand so far, expert predicts beginning of new wave

With over 2,000 cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus detected in Thailand to date according to the Ministry of Public Health, the country is entering a widespread wave of COVID-19 infections in the next two years, following the long New Year holidays, which will see daily infections spiking into the tens of thousands of cases in the near future, predicted Dr. Manoon Leechawengwongs, a doctor specializing in respiratory and pulmonary diseases at Vichaiyut hospital.

In his Facebook post today, he said, however, that there is no cause for alarm.

He noted that, despite its rapid and easy transmissibility, the Omicron variant has mutated and evolved to the extent that it is causing mild flu-like symptoms, instead of aggressively attacking the upper and lower sections of the respiratory, just like the numerous other coronavirus strains with which the world has been familiar for the past 50 years, such as human coronavirus-229E, NL63, OC43 and HKU1.

These four old coronavirus strains, said Dr. Manoon, cause ordinary flu among children, who can recover, while adults are immune because they have natural immunity after being infected when they were young. He added, however, that there are currently no vaccines to prevent the spread of these strains.

In this new wave of Omicron infections, he said that people who have been inoculated or infected with other variants will contract the rapidly spreading variant sooner or later, but they will have developed herd immunity, instead of falling sick and, in the end, the COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end.

Dr. Manoon also said that there is no need for third or fourth booster shots "because every one of us will have been infected by the Omicron variant, as if we had been injected with live attenuated vaccine, which can better enhance immunity than the vaccines already available. The ability of manufacturers to produce COVID-19 vaccines will not be as promising as it has been to date", he added.

Meanwhile, Director-General of Medical Sciences Department Dr. Supakit Sirilak said that the department is keeping track of people infected by the Omicron variant for at least 14 days and will test their blood to find out whether the anti-bodies generated by the variant will have the neutralising effect against the Delta variant, as reported in some cases in South Africa.

The South African study shows that people, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, who were infected by the Omicron variant, have developed immunity which is capable of neutralising the Delta variant as well.

"If this is proven to be true, infection by the Omicron variant can help fight off Delta variant infection," said Dr. Supakit.

According to the Medical Sciences Department, the Omicron variant has already spread through 54 provinces in Thailand, infecting 2,062 people. He disclosed that the Omicron variant has already mutated into two sub-variants, B.1.640.1 and B.1.640.2.

Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has indicated that the reopening of pubs and bars, scheduled for January 16th, may have to be postponed indefinitely as, in several provinces, they are being blamed for outbreaks of COVID-19 infections during the long New Year holidays. PBS World

Thailand's health minister disagrees with plan to reopen pubs on January 16

Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has indicated that the reopening of pubs and bars, scheduled for January 16^th, may have to be postponed indefinitely as, in several provinces, they are being blamed for outbreaks of COVID-19 infections during the long New Year holidays.

An apparently disappointed minister told the media today (Tuesday) that the authorities have sympathy for pubs, bars and karaoke bars, after being closed for a long time, and had allowed them to reopen by converting into eateries during the festive season.

He said that some of them were, however, not responsible enough and had defied the COVID-19 free setting measures, resulting in the spread of COVID-19 infections. He also blamed their customers for not strictly complying with the preventive measures.

"It is a pity, because this could have been prevented. If someone gets sick, we are obliged to provide them with treatment. We don't know how to deal with them, because this is about awareness of public responsibility," said Anutin.

The minister claimed that most of them, not just a handful, have violated the COVID-19 free setting measures. As far as he is concerned, he said he will object to any proposal for their reopening, while adding that the final decision is not his.

His remark echoed that of Disease Control Department Chief Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong who blamed several entertainment venues in touristic towns such as Chon Buri (Pattaya), Udon Thani, Ubon Ratchathani, Phuket and Chiang Mai, of poor ventilation and lax COVID measures.

Suggesting that COVID-19 is here to stay, Dr. Opart quelled fears of the virus, saying that it would become less fatal, and that more people have now been fully vaccinated and even got booster shots, reflecting Anutin's remark that it is fortunate that most of the population have already been vaccinated, otherwise the spread of the disease would become more serious during the festive season.

The minister also said that authorities should have dealt more decisively with rogue bars and pubs.

25% at Pattaya's Tree Town Bar Area Tests Positive for Covid-19 - A quarter of employees and customers screened for Covid-19 at Pattaya’s Tree Town Market tested positive on the first day, confirming it as the raging source of the city’s soaring number of coronavirus cases. Bangkok Herald

25% at Pattaya's Tree Town Bar Area Tests Positive for Covid-19

4 January 2022

A few of the alleged "restaurants" at Pattaya's Covid-19 cesspool, Tree Town Market.

A quarter of employees and customers screened for Covid-19 at Pattaya's Tree Town Market tested positive on the first day, confirming it as the raging source of the city's soaring number of coronavirus cases.

Banglamung public health officers Netiwat Piromrat said Jan. 3 that testing on the second night of required testing for all employees and customersfound 10% of all subjects tested positive for the coronavirus, lower than the first night's 25% but still a shockingly high figure.

Pattaya has seen more than 700 new Covid-19 cases in the past three days.

Tree Town, the epicenter of Pattaya's law-bending nightlife industry over the past nine months, on paper is a group of "restaurants". And while there are indeed many food booths that validly hold restaurant licenses, there are also a dozen straight-up beer bars and the Area 39 live-music nightclub that are making a mockery of the "restaurant" label.

Area 39 has long queues of people waiting to get in every night with free-flowing liquor and a busy dance floor during a time when nightclubs supposedly are closed and dancing prohibited. The beer bars surrounding Tree Town have no kitchens.

Packed-in tables, few masks and lots of booze and shouting make for a ripe petri dish for Covid-19 yet, only now, are Pattaya police and bureaucrats professing surprise that the only thing growing in Tree Town, besides money, is disease.

Banglamung Deputy District Chief Pornchai Sungeid and Pattaya deputy police chief Pol. Lt. Col. Kerkrit Saiwanna joined Netiwat at the Tree Town Covid-19 testing point Jan. 3.

They expressed concern about the number of customers socializing at the Soi Buakhao night market and the lack of social distancing and said venues were warned to clean up their act.

Kerkrit also warned operators to adhere to legal opening and closing times.

The original version of this story appears in the Pattaya Mail, a Bangkok Herald partner.

Tourism Ministry eyes sandbox schemes for other tourist islands. In a bid to tackle a drop in tourist arrivals after the temporary suspension of the Test & Go scheme, the Tourism and Sports Ministry will this Friday propose that other islands be reopened under the sandbox scheme. The Nation

Tourism Ministry eyes sandbox schemes for other tourist islands

In a bid to tackle a drop in tourist arrivals after the temporary suspension of the Test & Go scheme, the Tourism and Sports Ministry will this Friday propose that other islands be reopened under the sandbox scheme.

"We need a new campaign to attract foreigners who cannot enter Thailand under the Test & Go scheme until at least next month," Tourism and Sports Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakan said on Monday.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will evaluate the Test & Go scheme at the end of January after it was suspended on December 21 to curb the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The Test & Go scheme allows fully vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand without having to quarantine and the CCSA was scheduled to reevaluate the suspension on January 4.

On Monday, the CCSA announced that foreigners who had registered for the scheme must enter the country before January 10. After that, they can register under the Phuket Sandbox scheme or use alternative quarantine (AQ) services.

"We chose islands [for the new scheme] because they have limited access, which makes it easier to contain cases in case infection clusters erupt," Pipat said. "Initially, islands in five provinces will launch their own sandbox programmes, with a possibility of connecting with the existing Phuket sandbox programme."

The islands being considered are:

• Surat Thani's Koh Samui, Koh Pha-ngan and Koh Tao

• Chonburi's Koh Larn

• Rayong's Koh Samet

• Trat's Koh Chang and Koh Kut

• Krabi's Phi Phi Islands

"Under the sandbox scheme, vaccinated travellers who test negative against Covid-19 will be allowed to travel on sealed routes to selected attractions, without having to quarantine," Pipat added.

He added that the ministry also estimates that up to 15 million tourists will come to Thailand in 2022, based on several factors including the pandemic situation, availability of the Test & Go scheme and government policy in target markets.

Countries such as the US, Russia, India and China are still limiting flights to and from Thailand.

Thailand News - Corona - By Ola J. - Palmtree