Thai Airways flies high carrying tourists in. Thai Airways flies high as numbers skyrocket as it flies tourists into the kingdom from Europe - Thai Examiner

Thai Airways flies high as numbers skyrocket as it flies tourists into the kingdom from Europe

Joseph O' Connor

2022 could be the year that Thai Airways returns to operational profitability as the Minister of Finance reveals that state banks will provide any required facilities for the flag carrier as it currently plays a strategically important role in flying in foreign tourists to the kingdom while now on target to complete its business rehabilitation plan early by 2024.

Thai Airways shares could be traded again on the kingdom's Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) sooner than expected after Finance Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith revealed on Monday that the airline could be on course to exit its bankruptcy rehabilitation plan as early as 2024 as the airline benefits from a stronger than expected recovery being seen in foreign tourism and its role in flying European passengers into Thailand since the beginning of 2022.

Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith (right centre) revealed on Monday that Thailand state banks will facilitate the financial requirements of Thai Airways as its operating performance has improved due to cost-cutting and efficiency measures and surging passenger numbers on flights as the airline focuses on flying passengers in from Europe and other key markets to assist the country's accelerating foreign tourism recovery.

Thai Airways appears to be benefiting from the foreign tourism recovery underway in the kingdom with passenger numbers reported to have risen by over 600% since the beginning of the year.

On Monday, the Minister of Finance Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, long seen as a friend of the national carrier within the cabinet and his ministry, told Bloomberg that a stronger operating performance by the airline this year had left it in a position where it now only required ฿13 billion of loan funding as part of its recovery plans hammered out with the Bankruptcy Court in Bangkok in June last year.

Airline rebuffed last year by key Finance Ministry officials as it sought ฿25 billion in loan funding

At the beginning of 2022, this was set at ฿25 billion and had earlier drawn a negative response from top officials in the Ministry of Finance itself in particular form Director of the Public Debt Management Office, Patricia Mongkhonvanit who argued, in November last year, that it was inappropriate as the airline was no longer a state enterprise.

Thai Airways ฿25 billion funding request from state coffers rebuffed by a senior Finance Ministry official

In May 2020, the then failing airline filed for bankruptcy after the government reduced its shareholding below 50% and afterwards spent no less than 13 months trying to work out a survival plan acceptable to both the Bankruptcy Court and its creditors with repeated requests for additional time.

Thai Airways still requires borrowed time and money as the firm submits a survival plan to the bankruptcy court

On Monday, Mr Arkhom said it now looked like the airline, flying high this year, may emerge from its bankruptcy process up to a year earlier, in 2024, and that state banks would be able to facilitate its borrowing requirements going forward.

Airline recorded a net profit for 2021, first since 2012 with once-off gains and subsidiary profits although it made an operating loss of ฿19.7 billion

The airline began to return to profitability last year posting an ฿11.1 billion net profit for the first six months of 2021 in August last year which was achieved through once-off gains as the airline still posted an operating loss, for the full 12 months of 2021, coming in at ฿19.7 billion although the airlines' subsidiaries and debt restructuring activity generated it a net gain of ฿81.5 billion leaving it altogether with a net profit on its books of ฿55.1 billion for 2021.

This was the first profit for the firm since 2012.

The airline survived during 2021 on the revenue generated from its cargo and postal services business which accounted for ฿10 billion of its total revenue in 2021 which was ฿23.747 billion.

Passengers number in 2022 are up over 600% and still rising as airline takes advantage of rising demand

However, all is changed for the better this year with passenger numbers in recent months climbing to over 13,000 per day from a modest 2,000 a day at the start of the year as Thai Airways focused its passenger flight services on providing access to Thailand for passengers from Europe with flights serving London, Paris, Frankfurt, Copenhagen, Zurich and other Scandinavian airports while the airline has recently opened up flights from India while also reopening its flights to Australia as well as Singapore and Malaysia.

The national carrier is also working with partner airlines as it flies into and out of Doha and Dubai while, at home, its subsidiary airline, Thai Smile, is operating and expanding its schedule of internal flights including from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Roi-Et and Trang with regular flights from Don Mueang airport to Chiang Mai.

The airline is proving itself to be strategically important to the kingdom this year as other international airlines have been slow to resume their full range of services into Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok and other Thai international airports due to resource constraints and a surprisingly strong rebound in demand for international air travel leaving airlines struggling to flight airport-based staff.

International airlines slow to take up their slots at Thai airports after the kingdom fully reopened

British Airways, at the end of July, announced that it would not be resuming its regular flights from London to Bangkok as the UK carrier decided to prioritise its flights into Singapore on which there is superior demand for business class seats.

British Airways snubs Bangkok in favour of elite travellers to Singapore as Thai Airways load levels rise

Recently, the Airports of Thailand (AOT) President, Nitinai Sirismatthakarn, revealed the current number of flight connections to Thailand is only running at 33% of pre-pandemic levels with Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Governor, Yuthasak Supasorn, suggesting that at least 55% of the pre-pandemic level of seats is needed this year for the kingdom to achieve its full potential as it targets more than 10 million visitors for the year.

At the same time, Thai Airways is reported to be organising regular charter flights from the United Kingdom in association with UK travel agents from the end of this year to fulfil strong demand in that market among prospective tourists to Thailand.

Up to mid-May 2022, 85,926 UK foreign tourists had entered Thailand with the figure currently projected to be over 120,000 arrivals making it the country the second largest market up to that point.

On Monday, Minister Arkhom told Bloomberg that the European market was currently the most profitable for the airline.

Airline will not return to its status as a state enterprise with the government aiming for a 40% stake

Nevertheless, although the minister was upbeat about the airline's prospects, he made it clear that the Thai government does not seek to bring it into the fold again as a state enterprise suggesting that a 40% shareholding by the government would be an optimum arrangement to keep the carrier competitive after its reorganisation plan is complete.

That plan saw the airline cutting costs last year by a whopping ฿40.396 billion or 48.2% that an operating level coming in at ฿43.449 billion for the year. 

This year with even greater efficiencies within both its passenger business and its cargo operation despite elevated fuel costs, the airline is expected to see a more profitable performance on rising passenger numbers and fare prices.

This has meant that as well as cutting its borrowing or loan requirements, the airline will be able to achieve its business targets under the rehabilitation plan a year ahead of schedule by 2024 with Minister Arkhom, on Monday, also suggesting the company's suspension of its shares from May 2021 on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) may be lifted earlier than the current projected date given of 2025.



🇹🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: #COVID19 on Tuesday ⬆️ 1,955 new cases in hospital ⬇️ 33 deaths ⬇️ 20,947 active cases ⬇️ 935 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR



PRIME MINISTER PRAYUT Chan-o-cha today (August 8) shrugged off sustained pressure for him to step down since his eight years in power maximumly provided by law might possibly end later this month. Prayut who apparently is not going to step down anytime soon only advised the debatable issue surrounding his eight years in power be finally determined by the Constitutional Court and declined to make comments about it himself. - Thai Newsroom

Thank Prayut shrugs off pressure to step down after eight years in power

August 8, 2022  TNR Staff

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

PRIME MINISTER PRAYUT Chan-o-cha today (August 8) shrugged off sustained pressure for him to step down since his eight years in power maximumly provided by law might possibly end later this month.

Prayut who apparently is not going to step down anytime soon only advised the debatable issue surrounding his eight years in power be finally determined by the Constitutional Court and declined to make comments about it himself.

Neither did Prayut respond to his critics' suggestion that he follow in the footsteps of the late statesman Prem Tinsulanonda who resigned in 1988 after he had assumed his premiership for eight years.

According to Prayut's critics, the embattled premier will have finished his eight-year tenure by August 24, the date on which he orchestrated a coup as army chief and named himself an unelected prime minister in 2014.

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam earlier dared those critics to file a petition for the Constitutional Court to pinpoint exactly when Prayut's eight-year tenure maximumly provided by law will end.

The deputy premier in charge of legal affairs earlier said none of the Prayut cabinet members had had any question about it, thus leaving it to anyone who might wonder to ask the Constitutional Court to pass judgement on it.

Meanwhile, Thai Liberal party leader Seripisut Temiyavej commented today that Prayut might probably be held accountable for any decisions or commitments which he may make in a controversial capacity as head of government and that they might possibly be declared null and void at a later date if his eight-year tenure is finally determined to have already elapsed as of August 24.

Seripisut said any cabinet members other than Prayut himself might as well be held responsible if they continued to abide by the orders of Prayut's allegedly unlawful premiership as of August 24.

Apart from Prayut, all cabinet members might possibly be held accountable for breaking the law given the possibilities of all their decisions, action and legal status in government being finally declared null and void, according to the Thai Liberal party leader.

In the meantime, the Pheu Thai-led opposition bloc has planned to file a petition with the Constitutional Court on August 16 or August 17 for a final ruling on Prayut's eight-year tenure.

If the Constitutional Court declined to judge that Prayut may have finished his eight-year tenure assumed either consecutively or not by August 24, beginning from that date eight years ago when the then- army chief who headed a coup junta managed to name himself head of government, the unelected premier may be given three to five years to prolong his rule.

Prayut might possibly be legally allowed to assume the top government post until 2025 if his premiership is ruled by the court to have begun in 2017, the year in which the current constitution was promulgated.

Or else Prayut might possibly be legally allowed to stay in power until 2027, beginning in 2019, the year in which a previous general election was held, leading to his being named by Palang Pracharath Party as head of a post-election government.



Govt to lower Covid to same disease category as influenza. Thailand will downgrade Covid-19 from a “dangerous” communicable disease to one that “needs monitoring” starting from October, as the country’s virus situation has started to stabilise, according to the Ministry of Public Health. Bangkok Post

Govt to lower Covid to same disease category as influenza

A boy waits his turn to receive a Covid-19 jab at the Central Westgate shopping mall in Nonthaburi on Aug 4, 2022. (Photo: Pattarapong Chatpattarasill)

Thailand will downgrade Covid-19 from a "dangerous" communicable disease to one that "needs monitoring" starting from October, as the country's virus situation has started to stabilise, according to the Ministry of Public Health.

The move, which will remove Covid-19 from the same category as plague and smallpox to the same level as influenza and dengue, is to reflect the reality of the situation in the country, said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.  

The move reflects Thailand's health-system readiness, availability of treatments and "appropriate self-protection behaviour" of people around the country, Mr Anutin said in a statement. The government will also adjust the country's post-pandemic management plan to allow private hospitals to start directly procuring antiviral drugs "soon", rather than going through government channels, he said. 

Authorities said last week that the country should start seeing a decline in severe Covid-19 cases and deaths by mid-August. The government on July 1 lifted virtually all travel restrictions and an outdoor mask mandate.  



🇹🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: During a meeting today chaired by the PM to discuss the upcoming #APEC meeting, it was agreed that a special holiday from 16-18 November will be declared for people living in Bangkok and nearby provinces in order to help alleviate traffic problems. Meaning the PM doesn’t want the world leaders to see Bangkok’s notorious traffic jams. However, this needs to be approved by the cabinet first. Richard Barrow

 



WEEKLY UPDATE: Tested positive using ATK outside of hospital: 😷 31 Jul-6 Aug: 235,753 - average of 33,679/day 😷 24-30 July: 201,554 - average of 28,793/day 😷 17-23 July: 204,615 - average of 29,230/day 😷 10-16 July: 143,827 - average of 20,546/day. Richard Barrow / TNR





The Centre for Medical Genomics at Thailand’s Ramathibodi Hospital is closely monitoring a new sub-variant of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, BA.4.6, which spreads faster than others, including BA.4 and BA.5, although it has not been detected in Thailand yet. https://www.thaipbsworld.com/more-transmissible-covid-19-sub-variant-ba-4-6-not-yet-detected-in-thailand/ PBS World





Anutin Tacitly Tells Media To Shut Up Over Vow He’s Ready To Be PM Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Monday chided reporters who asked him about his declaration that he was ready to be the next prime minister. The Nation



Anutin gave a terse reply when reporters approached him for comment on the statement he made while campaigning in Lopburi on Sunday.

The minister used a Thai term that borrows the Chinese word sounds, "si sua ta", and walked away. The term is defined by the Office of the Royal Society as "speaking without thinking".

On Sunday, Anutin held a rally in Lopburi to introduce four Bhumjaithai Party MP candidates for the province. While asking for support from Lopburi locals, Anutin said he was ready to take the post of prime minister if his party received overwhelming backing from voters at the next general election.

Bhumjaithai is the second-largest party in the coalition government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Reporters approached Anutin at Government House on Monday, where he was attending a meeting with Prayut on preparations to host November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit.

According to political etiquette, the leader of a coalition partner does not publicly challenge the coalition leader for the post of prime minister while the House is still in session. The House is scheduled to complete its four-year tenure in March – the last date on which the general election can be called.

🇹🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: #COVID19 on Monday ⬇️ 1,842 new cases in hospital ⬇️ 34 deaths ⬇️ 21,319 active cases ⬆️ 953 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR





Public Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul stated today publicly for the first time he would be willing to run for Prime Minister in the next election if he got enough support, a role he had been rumored as interested in for some time. https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/07/public-health-minister-anutin-vows-to-be-a-candidate-for-prime-minister-in-next-election-if-he-receives-peoples-support/

 



YTTERLIGARE EN SOM DRAR IVÄG NÄR DET ”HETTAR TILL” - German man believed to have monkeypox briefly fled police | Thaiger

German man believed to have monkeypox briefly fled police

By 

Neill Fronde 

Sunday, August 7, 2022 18:58

Results are pending for the test of what could be the fifth person in Thailand to be confirmed with monkeypox, another German man, this time on Koh Chang island. Similar to the first case, when a Nigerian man fled the country before being caught in Cambodia, this tourist attempted to escape when asked to submit to testing for monkeypox.

The man was staying on Koh Chang in the eastern province of Trat before going to a private hospital in the Muang district on Friday after experiencing symptoms. He had rashes on his genitals and hands, similar to what a patient with monkeypox would have, according to the director of Trat Hospital where the German man ended up eventually.

When doctors suggested a monkeypox test on Friday, the man resisted and was uncooperative before making a break for it. The hospital called the police and alerted them of a possible monkeypox case now on the run. Police chasing him down, as refusing to submit to the mandatory test is in violation of Thailand's communicable disease control laws.

The details of his arrival into Thailand are not yet confirmed, but local disease control authorities have established that he entered Thailand from France, though the exact date is unclear.  He was eventually found in Koh Chang and taken into custody before being transferred to the government hospital in Trat where he will be under observation in an isolation unit.

Now he has been properly tested for monkeypox and his blood sample has been sent to Bangkok where doctors at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital are analysing it to confirm if the man has monkeypox or not.

If positive, the man would be the fifth confirmed case of monkeypox in Thailand, after a local woman in Bangkok tested positive on Friday. The third confirmed infection was also a German man, a 25 year old tourist in Phuket who arrived in Thailand on July 18, and then later developed rashes, a fever, blisters on his body, swollen lymph nodes, and a genital rash. Authorities believe that German man contracted monkeypox shortly before travelling to Thailand, and not inside the kingdom.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post



Owner of pub inferno arrested; 15 confirmed dead, 38 injured - Pattaya Mail

Owner of pub inferno arrested; 15 confirmed dead, 38 injured

Pattaya MailAugust 7, 2022

Plutaluang police interrogate Pongsiri Punprasong the owner of the Mountan B Pub and will dig deep the case of building and operating an entertainment venue without a license and for gross negligence resulting in the deaths of others.

Police have taken Pongsiri Punprasong the owner of the Mountan B Pub into custody after the provincial court in Pattaya issued a warrant for his arrest.
Pongsiri is charged with negligence for building and operating an entertainment venue without a license and for gross negligence resulting in the deaths of others.



The latest report of casualties stands at 15 deaths including 11 men and 4 women with 38 injured.
Sattahip District chief and senior police officers in the Sattahip police station were relieved of their duties pending further investigation into how the pub was allowed to be built and operate without a license and how it was allowed to operate without any safety and fire prevention controls in place.

🇹🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: #COVID19 on Sunday ⬇️ 2,250 new cases in hospital ⏺ 35 deaths ⬆️ 21,526 active cases ⬆️ 952 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR



A musician who played regularly at Mountain B pub revealed that the backstage entrance was always locked to prevent pubgoers from sneaking away without paying. Thai Newsroom

Fire-gutted pub's singer confirms backstage entrance was always locked

August 6, 2022 TNR Staff

THE lead singer-keyboard player at Mountain B pub where an inferno at 1 a.m. yesterday (August 5) killed 15 people and injured 37 others revealed that the backstage entrance was always locked to prevent customers from sneaking away without paying, Matichon newspaper said this afternoon.

Mr. Thanaphat Phuangpae, 24, or Peach, of Taew Waew band, brought flowers to the burnt pub to mourn for Mr. Chatchai Chuenkha, or Im, another lead singer, and Mr. Rangsiman Wanichrotchana, or Win, a keyboardist, who died in the blaze.

He said the flowers were also meant to pay tribute to Chatchai, who stood in for him that night, and keyboardist Rangsiman, as he did not know this disaster would happen and also wanted to cheer up three other musicians now recovering from their injuries.

He added that as he played at this pub every Thursday night he was familiar with the backstage entrance. There were two doors there, a white one and after passing through that people had to go through a glass door.

While he did not know whether the two doors were locked when the fire broke out, he mentioned that everytime he had to go through this entrance he had to ask the guard to open them for him because they were always locked.

They were not left open even to allow the musicians to go out and relax or smoke a cigarette. The musicians had all agreed that they should only use one entrance, especially those standing in for musicians playing permanently at the pub.

Thanaphat admitted that he never worried about a fire breaking out, only about how the musicians would flee if pubgoers started brawling as happened a few months ago.

He was also not sure whether the pub management had checked the safety of electronic devices as a few months ago he did get whiffs of something burning on stage but was uncertain whether it was a cigarette or something else.

He admitted that he never noticed whether there were fire extinguishers and fire exit signs at this entertainment venue with it only becoming clear through video clips circulating on social media.

Thanaphat said he had talked to the pub owner who was polite but he was uncertain whether he was a military officer or not.

French tourist likely infected with monkeypox. A FRENCHMAN who developed blisters on his hands while holidaying in Trat province has likely been infected with monkeypox and if so he would become the country’s fifth case of this infectious viral disease, TV Channel 7 said today (August 6). Thai Newsroom

French tourist likely infected with monkeypox

August 6, 2022 TNR Staff

A FRENCHMAN who developed blisters on his hands while holidaying in Trat province has likely been infected with monkeypox and if so he would become the country's fifth case of this infectious viral disease, TV Channel 7 said today (August 6).

The unnamed 32-year-old tourist rode a motorcycle to a private hospital in this province and after initial examination doctors here coordinated with Trat Hospital to send him there for treatment.

While his transfer was being arranged he tried to leave the hospital room where he was quarantined with hospital staff then calling the police to come in and handle the situation.

Policemen spent an hour explaining why he was quarantined after which he agreed to undergo tests to ascertain whether he had caught monkeypox.

Bangkok shutters 83 pubs after fire-safety inspections. Eighty-three of the 400 Bangkok venues inspected have been shuttered after inspectors found problems with fire exits and escape routes.

Dozens of pubs in Bangkok were temporarily closed on Saturday after fire-safety inspections ordered in the wake of a deadly blaze in Chonburi.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said he had ordered inspections of entertainment venues in every district of the capital.

Eighty-three of the 400 Bangkok venues inspected have been shuttered after inspectors found problems with fire exits and escape routes.

Chadchart, an engineer by profession, said escape routes should be obvious and clearly signposted to aid victims' chance of survival in dangerous situations.

He ordered further inspections in a bid to weed out Bangkok entertainment venues that are operating illegally.

Chadchart said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will ensure thorough inspections across the city.

The move comes after a blaze at an unlicensed pub in Chonburi's Sattahip district left 15 people dead and 37 injured in the early hours of Friday.

Authorities across the country have ordered inspections of nightspots.

Death toll from pub inferno rises to 15. CHON BURI: The death toll from a blaze that tore through a nightclub in Sattahip district rose to 15 on Saturday, as one more injured victim was pronounced dead. The number of injured people stood at 37. Bangkok Post

Death toll from pub inferno rises to 15

Relatives of dead victims in the Mountain B pub inferno arrive at the nightspot in Sattahip district, Chon Buri, on Saturday to hold religious rites for their loved ones. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)

CHON BURI: The death toll from a blaze that tore through a nightclub in Sattahip district rose to 15 on Saturday, as one more injured victim was pronounced dead. The number of injured people stood at 37.

Thanakit Meenoi, 36, succumbed to his injuries at Rayong Hospital, said a source.

His sister, Nittaya Meenoi, 30, said her brother had gone to the Mountain B pub with more than 10 friends to celebrate his birthday. He had reserved a table in front of the stage where a live band was playing, she said  

Thanakit and his friends ran out from the pub when the fire broke out, but two of his friends, Surakarn Ruengrit, 35, and Suthep Mongkolkaew, 33, died while the others suffered serious injuries, she said.

The pub owner and the executives have yet to contact her family to show responsibility over the death of her brother and his friends, said Ms Nittaya.

• Mountain B illegally built, operated

The inferno started about 1am as customers packed the pub, according to the Sawang Rojana Thammasathan Foundation.

Eyewitnesses said they heard two explosions near the DJ's booth and saw sparks that ignited soundproofing foam, and the fire spread quickly.

The pub opened about a month ago and was popular with young local people. The fire erupted when customers were enjoying live music, leading to a stampede for safety.

• Prayut wants swift pub fire action

Officials from the Chon Buri provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office and Sattahip district officials on Saturday morning inspected the fire-gutted pub to gather further evidence for submission to police investigators to issue arrest warrants for those involved in the inferno, which killed 15 people and injured 37 others.

Relatives and friends of victims on Saturday went to the pub with Buddhist monks performing religious rites for the dead. 

Some victims arrived at the Phlu Ta Luang police station to give their statements. Chayanin Seethapthim, 25 and his mother Chaninan Chanfong, 48, were among the injured victims who arrived at the police station.

A Buddhist monk performs a religious ceremony for the victims in the pub inferno. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong)

An injured woman, assisted by her family members, arrives at Phlu Ta Luang police station to give a statement. (Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong) 



COVID still a killer for 500,000 vulnerable people – but Thailand has new defense. Thailand is strengthening its defenses against COVID-19 for about 500,000 immunocompromised people who – vaccinated or otherwise – remain vulnerable. This extra protection comes in the form of AstraZeneca’s long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination. | Thai PBS World

COVID still a killer for 500,000 vulnerable people – but Thailand has new defense

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Thailand is strengthening its defenses against COVID-19 for about 500,000 immunocompromised people who – vaccinated or otherwise – remain vulnerable. This extra protection comes in the form of AstraZeneca's long-acting antibody (LAAB) combination.

The antibody combination is produced by AstraZeneca under the name Evusheld. It comprises tixagevimab and cilgavimab – a combination that helps protect immunocompromised individuals from developing symptomatic COVID-19. Although the virus is seldom lethal for healthy individuals outside of at-risk groups, it has already claimed more than 6.4 million lives worldwide.

In Thailand, confirmed deaths from COVID-19 total 31,529. Most of those who succumbed to the disease had underlying health conditions that made them more vulnerable than others. Worried about these groups, the government has been seeking an extra layer of defense to keep them safe.

"We want to ensure that people with low immunity, vaccinated or otherwise, get adequate protection against COVID-19," explained Public Health Ministry permanent-secretary Dr Kiattiphum Wongrachit. He was referring to Thailand's procurement of about 250,000 Evusheld doses from AstraZeneca.

What is LAAB?

LAAB is an antibody combination that helps neutralize the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19, including the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 that are dominant in Thailand, and all other variants of concern.

Also, results from the PROVENT Phase III pre-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate that LAAB reduces the risk of developing symptomatic COVID-19 by 77 percent in primary analysis and by 83 percent in the follow-up analysis six months later.

LAAB, also known as AZD7442, has been approved for sale in the European Union and conditionally approved in the United Kingdom for the prevention of COVID-19. It is also authorized for emergency use in the US and is being supplied to several other countries across the world.

The Thai Food and Drug Administration approved the emergency use of AZD7442 in June.

While the government has not revealed the cost of each LAAB treatment, it says that studies show this drug is cost-effective because it prevents severe symptoms or death from COVID-19.

Who is eligible?

The Public Health Ministry, which has already taken receipt of 7,000 doses of Evusheld, said priority for treatment with the new drug will go to people battling end-stage kidney disease. Also in line for LAAB treatment are patients with transplanted organs, those using immunosuppressants, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, and others with low immunity.

To be eligible, patients must be at least 12 years old and weigh at least 40 kilos. LAAB will be administered every six months and prior to patients' exposure to COVID-19.

There are some 500,000 immunocompromised people in Thailand, according to Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul.

People with such low immunity, even when vaccinated, usually have weak defenses against COVID-19. So, if they are infected, they are still at significant risk of developing severe symptoms that could be fatal.

The Public Health Ministry has instructed all provincial public health offices to draw up lists of patients eligible for LAAB treatment.

The drug is given through intramuscular injections, which are administered on both sides of the buttocks, with each jab containing 1.5cc of the antibody combination.

More on the way

AstraZeneca has promised to fulfill Thailand's order of more than a quarter of a million (257,500) doses by the end of the year.

"As we transition from pandemic to endemic, AstraZeneca remains committed to ensuring that no one in need of ongoing COVID-19 protection is left behind," James Teague, country president of AstraZeneca (Thailand), said. "The long-acting antibody combination provides people at high risk of COVID-19 infection with another important prevention option alongside vaccination."

There is a strong possibility that Thailand will order more LAAB doses, as people with compromised immunity are likely to require booster shots at least twice a year.

Traisulee added that the government plans to provide LAAB treatment for all 500,000 immunocompromised people in the country.

By Thai PBS World's General Desk



Thai Public Health Minister Anutin visits Phuket giving seminar speeches to develop the public health care system - The Phuket Express

Thai Public Health Minister Anutin visits Phuket giving seminar speeches to develop the public health care system

Goongnang SuksawatSaturday, 6 August 2022, 9:22

Phuket –

  Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited Phuket yesterday, (August 5^th), giving a speech at a major seminar to develop the public health system.

At Pamookkoo Resort Phuket, more than 400 doctors and public health officers joined Mr. Anutin and Doctor Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the Department of Medical Services (DMS) in the seminar.

Mr. Anutin said at the seminar, "Our target is to provide the best health services for people in order to develop the economy and the country. We have done our best during the Covid-19 pandemic. More tourists and investors are coming to Thailand now as a result of the work we completed."

Doctor Somsak added, "We are ready for medical development and services to support Thailand with 'Smart Hospitals, 'Precision Medicine', 'and Telemedicine 'and 'AI systems. Patients are our main concern."



A top virologist shed some light on why monkeypox patients develop pus-filled cysts on their bodies, especially in the genital area. Read More: https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40018576

 

🇹🇭 THAI NEWS REPORTS: #COVID19 on Saturday ⬆️ 2,381 new cases in hospital ⬆️ 35 deaths ⬆️ 21,250 active cases ⬇️ 910 serious cases. Richard Barrow / TNR