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A Singaporean's guide to living in Thailand

Today covid reporting, recorded highest number of deaths per day since covid started:

15 deaths

2,179 new cases

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Google translate

“Today the number of deaths is the highest since there are 15 cases of COVID !! I would like to express my condolences to all the relatives of the deceased: the total number of cases of infection is still two thousand, rising 2179 cases. Oh, oh ..... I don't know what to say. There are 6 provinces that ask for cooperation. Or begging you not to come out at this time”
https://fb.watch/56t9VhjL7a/
 
https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/lockdown-decision-expected-tomorrow-for-bangkok

Lockdown decision expected tomorrow for Bangkok

Published 23 mins ago on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 By Ann Carter



A full lockdown decision is expected tomorrow for Thailand’s capital of Bangkok after record daily Covid-19 infections have sent the city into a frenzy trying to stop the spread of the virus. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is expected to make the recommendation which will be forwarded to the full committee chaired by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The CCSA will also discuss a proposed 21 day quarantine for those travelling from Covid-19 hotspots abroad. The recommended hot spots include India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Yesterday, the capital recorded 901 infections and 4 deaths, sending the city into a partial lockdown with mask wearing compulsory. But even Thailand’s PM was caught skirting the mask-wearing rule as he has had to cough up 6,000 baht after the Bangkok governor fined him for not wearing a face mask while attending a meeting at Government House yesterday.

Thai PBS World reported that a photo of the PM sitting at a meeting table without a face mask was posted on his own Facebook page after the meeting. The photo was later removed, but by then, it had already been shared by eagle-eyed netizens.

Meanwhile, 31 types of businesses in Bangkok were ordered to shutter for at least 2 weeks from yesterday. And, today, 2,179 new Covid-19 cases and 15 deaths, in Thailand, were reported by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Disease Control. The recent wave of infections over the past month makes up more than half of Thailand’s total count with 30,824 people infected with Covid-19 since April 1. This month, 69 Covid patients have succumbed to the virus. There are now 25,973 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand including 169 patients in critical condition.

Bars and nightclubs are linked to the majority of Covid-19 cases reported in Bangkok over the past month. Data from Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration show that nearly two-thirds of the recent wave of Covid-19 infections in Bangkok traced back to entertainment venues. Since the start of the pandemic last year, Thailand has reported 59,687 Covid-19 infections and 163 coronavirus-related deaths.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand
 
‘Soft’ curfews in eight provinces
People in eight provinces are being encouraged to refrain from leaving their residences during the night to keep Covid-19 from spreading further, the Interior Ministry announced on its @prmoithailand Facebook page on Tuesday.

‘Soft’ curfews in eight provinces
The eight provinces are:

1. Trang, from 10pm to 3am

2. Nonthaburi, 9pm to 4am

3. Beung Kan, 11pm to 4am

4. Pathum Thani, 9pm to 4am

5. Songkhla, 10pm to 4am

6. Samut Prakan, 9pm to 4am

7. Samut Sakhon, 11pm to 4am

8. Surat Thani, 10pm to 4am.

Thailand saw 2,179 new cases and 15 deaths on Tuesday, the highest since the arrival of Covid-19. The number of confirmed cases in the country has shot up to 59,687, with 33,551 persons recovering and being discharged, 25,973 patients still in hospital and 163 dying.

Published : April 28, 2021

By : THE NATION
 
Graph for April, today 2012 new cases.

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Unfortunately today death toll is 15, again.

sCvTOvI.jpg
 
image_67219713.JPG

Pad thai wun sen (fried tanghoon), nice with egg omelete. Only bt50 talay (with squid + prawns) at local kopitiam. Pork fritters gratis
 
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/C...VID-wave-slams-hospitals-ignites-public-anger

Thailand's new COVID wave slams hospitals, ignites public anger
Malaysia restrictions prove futile; Philippine medical system short of beds

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Nurses tend to patients in a coronavirus intensive care unit at Vibhavadi Hospital in Bangkok on April 26. © AFP/Jiji
MASAYUKI YUDA, Nikkei staff writerApril 28, 2021 13:59 JST

BANGKOK -- New waves of the coronavirus have prompted Southeast Asian countries to tighten restrictions on business and social activity as shortages of hospital beds stretch from Thailand to Malaysia to the Philippines.

Bangkok has closed more businesses including cinemas, gyms and parks for two weeks starting Monday, while a majority of the country's provinces have imposed a fine up to 20,000 baht ($635) for failing to wear a face mask in public. Malaysia has had new daily COVID-19 cases hover in the four digits for days despite emergency measures meant to control the spread. The Philippines' cumulative cases reached 1 million on Monday.

The new wave hits Thailand just as the country was looking to reopen its tourism-dependent economy and comes as variants of the coronavirus drive surges of infections in other Asian countries, notably India.

Thailand reported 2,179 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 59,687 since the pandemic started. It was the fifth straight day Southeast Asia's second-largest economy recorded more than 2,000 daily cases. On Saturday, the kingdom logged 2,839 cases, a record high.

The epicenter of Thailand's third wave, which started in late March, has been Bangkok. The capital reported 993 cases on Tuesday. On Friday, the government warned that hospital beds in Bangkok could dry up in the next six to eight days if the situation is not brought under control.

Field hospitals have been prepared in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, but some patients have refused to be transferred there and opted to stay home, creating a mini cluster within their close circles of family and friends.

Thailand has recorded 163 COVID-19 deaths so far, but the government appears to be bracing for a higher death toll in coming days. The National Office of Buddhism ordered temples last week not to decline cremation services for people who die from the disease.

"We want to make sure that COVID-19 victims receive their last rites," a director of the agency said, according to local media.

To contain the new wave, Bangkok has imposed new business closures on top of the existing ones that have shuttered nightlife venues, such as bars and pubs, for a few weeks.

Shopping malls will operate for shorter hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., while convenience stores can open only from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hair salons can provide cutting and washing services but will not allow dyeing and perming.

Roughly 50 out of 77 Thai provinces require people to wear a mask in public, enforced by a hefty fine. The mask rule quickly became common across the country after domestic migrant workers in Bangkok brought the virus to their hometown during Thai New Year, known as Songkran, this month.

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Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha became the first known public figure to violate the rule on Monday. A photo of him in a meeting without a mask was shared on his Facebook page and quickly went viral. The prime minister admitted wrongdoing and was fined 6,000 baht that day. Bangkok fines 6,000 baht for the first violation, 12,000 baht for the second, and 20,000 baht for the third and beyond.

The prime minister's bungle did not quell growing public criticism over the government's failure to contain the third wave. The emergence of the third-wave has been traced to nightclubs in Bangkok popular with politicians and powerful businessmen, fueling people's anger along with a slow vaccine rollout.

According to an opinion survey conducted online by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University from April 16 to April 22, 67% of 2,082 respondents fear that the government cannot cope with a resurgence situation or keep it under control.

Opposition party Move Forward accused government officials of negligence for allowing the third wave to spread. It demanded Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul resign over the matter, which he refused to do.

The country's vaccination program is under fire once again. Only 1.8% of its adult population have received a first dose, while 0.3% received a second, according to The Economist. Prayuth said on Facebook Monday that the country has a goal of inoculating 50% of its population by the end of the year or sooner, lower than 70% previously stated.

Thailand relies heavily on domestic vaccine production by Siam Bioscience, which is part of King Maha Vajiralongkorn's vast business holdings. The biotech company aims to pass quality checks by several labs in Europe and the U.S. and register the vaccine with the Thai Food and Drug Administration, before rolling them out in July, about a month behind schedule.

Even though the company is licensed by AstraZeneca, some Thais doubt the company can mass produce the vaccines in a quality manner. The prime minister said the country targets to obtain 10 million to 15 million doses of various brands of vaccine per month, so that it can inoculate at least 300,000 people per day.

In Malaysia, a state of emergency declared in January to control the spread of the virus has proved futile, sparking a debate as to whether the declaration was a political move to safeguard premier Muhyiddin Yassin's shaky position with lack of support among lawmakers.

https%253A%252F%252Fs3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com%252Fpsh-ex-ftnikkei-3937bb4%252Fimages%252F_aliases%252Farticleimage%252F5%252F6%252F7%252F8%252F33888765-1-eng-GB%252Fjpp037679531re.jpg

Malaysians pray before breaking fast during Ramadan at a public park in Shah Alam, outside Kuala Lumpur, on April 25. © EPA/Jiji

The state of emergency was imposed on Jan. 12 when cases were above 3,000 daily -- while a record high of 5,728 was recorded on January 30. The cases, however, declined since then to 1,285 on April 8, only to climb back to consistently above 2,500 now.

The government's flip-flop on policies over restrictions on movement, especially to accommodate fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, is said to be among the factors for the spike in new cases. The reopening of schools has also resulted in increased cases among students and teachers.

As of Tuesday, Malaysia recorded almost 400,000 COVID-19 cases in the country since February 2020 -- from which some 26,000 are active cases. A total of 1,462 people have died due to the pandemic to date.

The immunization process which began this year has also been slow because of a short supply of vaccines and a skeptical public. Only 35% of the 27 million Malaysians eligible for the vaccines have registered for the shots.

Despite the lack of a vaccinated population, the government has eased some restrictions.

Malaysia's Health Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah recently warned new cases in the country could increase to 5,000 a day because people are not complying with restrictions and other preventive measures such as mask orders.

He said the virus' effective reproduction rate stands at 1.16 where cases are expected to climb drastically if compliance remains weak. The Health Ministry had previously targeted for 500 new cases per day for next month.

COVID-19 infections in the Philippines surpassed 1 million on Monday, with nearly 9,000 new cases reported. The country has been grappling with its worst outbreak since last month, leaving hospitals overwhelmed and forcing President Rodrigo Duterte to impose stricter lockdown measures on Metro Manila and four nearby provinces, covering 24 million people.

The government has also set up modular health care facilities to accommodate a rising number of sick patients, but local health officials have advised against relaxing lockdown rules, which are set to expire at the end of the month.

"We see the importance to continue these restrictions to further decongest our health care system, which is primarily our major concern among our parameters," Maria Rosario Vergeire, health undersecretary, told reporters on Monday.

The surge in infections has been attributed to the easing of community quarantine restrictions. But an onslaught of new and believed to more contagious variants, such as those first detected in the U.K. and South Africa, exacerbated the situation. On Tuesday, the Philippines announced a two-week ban beginning Thursday on travelers from India.

Additional reporting by P Prem Kumar in Kuala Lumpur and Cliff Venzon in Manila
 
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Thought this b/w pic (graphically) tells hard life of a drink street vendor in Yaowarat doubling up as a father
 
Local AstraZeneca jab ready by June
Citing progress, FDA OKs Siam Bioscience
Bangkok Post PUBLISHED : 29 APR 2021 AT 04:00
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AstraZeneca's plan to produce its Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand has made significant progress and the first batch of vaccines will be ready for delivery to the government by June.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Siam Bioscience as a manufacturing facility for AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine. The company, together with Siam Bioscience, has been working tirelessly to ensure that the facility is on track to safely deliver supply to support the national vaccination campaign. The collaboration with the Thai government and the FDA has facilitated the swift but careful progress with the manufacturing plant over the past few months, according to a statement issued by AstraZeneca (Thailand) Ltd on Wednesday.

James Teague, Country President, AstraZeneca (Thailand) Ltd, said: "AstraZeneca and our global manufacturing partners, including Siam Bioscience, are committed to maintaining the highest safety and quality standards of our products. Numerous safety tests and quality control measures are carried out at each step. We are working as quickly as possible to supply the vaccine to the Thai government to overcome the ongoing pandemic."

"Thailand will play a central role to support our neighbours in Southeast Asia to combat Covid-19. Together we can join hands to fight this pandemic," said Mr Teague.

Shortly after the announcement, the Ministry of Public Health insisted that the first jab would be given to the first group of 16 million people on June 7. The ministry needs to inoculate at least 70% of the population living in zones having a high level of infections in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Chon Buri shortly to help slow down the spread of Covid-19 throughout the country.

Sathit Pitutecha, a deputy public health minister, said that the ministry has already set up criteria for the first group of 16 million people who are the ministry's first priority to administer AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine to. Their names have already been registered with the "Mor Prom" app which will be launched on May 1, said Mr Sathit.

Sophon Mekthon, assistant to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, said the 16 million people include 11.7 million aged over 60 and another 4.3 million suffering from chronic diseases such as severe respiratory disease, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and stroke. Dr Sophon said the second phase of inoculation will be available for 31 million people aged between 18-59, who can register online in July. The vaccine will be ready for this group from August.
 
Another day of high deaths, 15. But new infection is down again.

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This morning at 7.30am a very famous Thai comedian succumbed to Covid

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Rest In Peace
 
Surely Thailand authorities should know by now that masks don't work and in fact make things worse.
 
Surely Thailand authorities should know by now that masks don't work and in fact make things worse.

Wrong. Again. Call it 0 for 129 tries.

https://www.cnet.com/health/mit-cov...may-be-more-important-than-social-distancing/


MIT COVID study: Masks may be more important indoors than social distancing
Social distancing has its limits, but masks can be "extremely effective," the study's authors find.
Sean Buckley
April 26, 2021 4:41 p.m. PT
LISTEN
- 02:12



6 feet social distancing coronavirus

New MIT study examines the benefit of wearing masks.
James Martin/CNET
For the most up-to-date news and information about the coronavirus pandemic, visit the WHO website.
Wash your hands. Wear a mask. Stand at least six feet away from others. These are the guidelines many of us have lived by for the past year, all of them suggested in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, MIT researchers are taking a closer look at the six-foot recommendation to see how effective social distancing really is.
The short answer? In certain situations, six feet of distance isn't enough to protect you on its own and you should probably still wear a mask.
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The real answer? That's a little complicated. The paper says that in "well-mixed spaces, one is no safer from airborne pathogens at 60 ft than 6ft," but the context of this statement depends on the size of the space, how well ventilated it is and what the persons in the room are doing.
Researchers specifically designed the study to mimic the conditions of certain kinds of indoor "superspreading events," such as the Skagit Valley choir practice that resulted in the infecting 53 of 61 attendees. In other words, researchers were only targeting the transmission of small aerosol droplets in a "well-mixed" indoor space with only moderate ventilation -- one where the air moves around frequently enough that potentially infected particles don't have time to settle.
f1-large
Martin Z. Bazant / John W. M. Bush
For example, the formula researchers devised for calculating indoor safety guidelines suggest that if an infected person was riding on a commercial airline with 100 other people, other passengers would be at risk of infection within 70 minutes. If all of the passengers wore masks, however, that space could be safe for up to 54 hours.
With data like that, it's possible to conclude the study says social distancing isn't effective, but the authors are quick to point out that the paper examines only one method of transmission under very specific conditions. In a statement, the researchers said that their findings had been "mischaracterized by some on social media and in the news," stating that the paper makes a point of calling out the benefits of social distancing and mask-wearing in conditions outside of the study's purview.
"The value of social distancing in limiting COVID-19 transmission by respiratory jets is made clear in the last section of our paper, 'Beyond the well-mixed room,'" they said. "Our study highlights that face masks can be an extremely effective indoor safety measure."
The researchers have built an online tool to help readers calculate how their formula estimates risk for differing room sizes, occupancy levels and mask-wearing behavior. For everything else you need to know about COVID-19, be sure to check out CNET's ongoing coverage here.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
 
Surely Thailand authorities should know by now that masks don't work and in fact make things worse.

Someone today texted me saying Thailand's covid infection had surpassed Singapore's 63,570 against 61,121.

I replied let's compare against each population that is 70mil (Thailand) against 5.7mil (Singapore) and you get:

(1) 0.91 per 1,000 Thais infected vs 10.27 per 1000 sinkies infected that is 1128% more infected in Singapore compared to Thailand

(2) 2.7 per 1mil Thais died vs 5.3 sinkies died that is 196% more deaths in Singapore compared to Thailand
 
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