How Covid-19 Might Spread to You

[S Landreth]

13,897 new Covid cases, 188 more deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Thailand logged 13,897 new Covid-19 cases and 188 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Thursday morning.

There were 13,503 cases in the general population and 394 among prison inmates.

On Wednesday, 13,527 Covid-19 patients were discharged from hospitals after recovering from the coronavirus.

Since April 1, when the third wave of Covid-19 began, Thailand has treated 1,405,374 Covid-19 patients, 1,263,130 of whom have recovered to date.

Since the pandemic started early last year, there have been 1,434,237 Covid-19 cases, with 1,290,775 complete recoveries so far.

The death toll stood at 14,859 during the third wave and 14,953 since the beginning of the pandemic.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...88-more-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Coronavirus Cases: 227,800,722

Deaths: 4,683,349

Under reported US death count: 688,486

American Civil War Casualties (North and South) - 214,938

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

14,555 new Covid cases, 171 more deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Thailand logged 14,555 new Covid-19 cases and 177 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Friday morning.

There were 13,765 cases in the general population and 790 among prison inmates.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...71-more-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Krabi imposes partial lockdown from Sep 15th, Phi Phi Island closure extended

Thailand’s Krabi province has imposed a lockdown, effective from tomorrow (September 15th), after a cluster of COVID-19 infections was discovered.

84 new infections have been reported over the past two days, raising the province’s cumulative total to 2,459, while 842 are still receiving treatment.

According to the announcement, by Krabi’s Provincial Health Office, those travelling into Krabi must be fully vaccinated or have been inoculated with one dose of AstraZeneca for at least 14 days and must test negative for COVID-19.

Dining-in at restaurants in Krabi is allowed at only 25% of seating capacity with no alcohol served, no air-conditioners and they must close at 8pm. Restaurants in Klong Tom and Nuea Khlong districts can only offer takeaway services.

Shopping centres must close at 8pm, with no promotional activities allowed. Convenience stores can open from 5am to 8pm, while gaming and internet cafes, as well as massage parlours, gyms, fitness centres and sports stadia must close. Schools will remain closed and students must attend online classes. Public transport can be offered from 4am to 8pm, as the curfew will be in place from 9pm to 4am. No gatherings of more than 5 people are allowed.

The provincial health office also agreed to extend the closure of Phi Phi Islands for domestic visitors for another seven days, until September 24th.

Tourists under the “Phuket Sandbox 7+7” scheme can, however, still enter the islands after staying in Phuket for seven days. Tourists who wish to enter must show their certificate proving that they are fully vaccinated and have tested negative for COVID-19 using a RT-PCR test.

This means domestic travellers and other groups are banned from entering the islands, unless they receive approval from disease control officials.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/krabi-i...sure-extended/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

10-20% suffer long Covid

The Department of Medical Services (DoMS) has found about 10-20% of Thai Covid-19 patients are suffering a post-syndrome, also known as 'long Covid' symptoms after their recovery.

The condition is also associated with age and obesity, according to the department.

Several terms have been used to describe the protracted Covid-19 symptoms following recovery. 'long Covid' is one of them.

Dr Piamlap Sangsayan, Pulmonary Medicine chief of the DMS' Central Chest Institute of Thailand, said that the prevalence of long Covid symptoms may increase with age, obesity and daily steroid use.

The long Covid symptoms -- including fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and depression -- may occur from the body's reaction or side effects of drugs administered to the patients during treatment. Some conditions linger well beyond the period of treatment.

Citing the DMS's statistics, Dr Piamlap said between 10-20 % of Thai patients are found to have experienced long Covid symptoms after their recovery, while the condition affects about 40-50% of sufferers post-treatment in other countries.

She added the lower rate among Thais may be attributed to the possibility that people who experienced the symptoms did not provide information to the health authorities after they fully recovered.

From the first and second Covid-19 outbreaks, the data also showed that 5-10% of patients were found to have experienced fascia pain, which took about 6 months to a year to recover from.

The treatments were tailored according to the symptoms. Once recovered, people enter a rehabilitation programme.

Most patients will gradually recover from the long Covid symptom after a month. In severe cases, a full recovery may take up to six months.

Furthermore, Covid-19 vaccine recipients have less chance of getting long Covid symptoms as the vaccine provides protection against the condition, Dr Piamlap said.

Dr Piamlap said that patients who suffer pneumonitis after recovery are not categorised as long Covid sufferers as the virus is dead.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...fer-long-covid

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Moderna Leads The Authorized COVID Vaccines In Lasting Effectiveness

A head-to-head comparison of all three COVID-19 vaccines found Moderna is holding up better than Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides the weakest protection.

But the researchers stressed that all three vaccines are still providing strong protection against people getting so sick that they end up in the hospital.

Researchers studied more than 3,000 people hospitalized between March and August. And found the Moderna vaccine was 93% effective at keeping people out the hospital and that protection appears to be holding steady.

The Pfizer vaccine's protection fell from 91% effective to 77%. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was 71% effective.

The researchers speculated the Moderna vaccine may be the best because it uses a strong dose and spaced out the two shots a week longer.: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...ospitalization - https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/...cid=mm7038e1_w

Meanwhile………

14,109 new Covid cases, 122 more deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Thailand logged 14,109 new Covid-19 cases and 122 more fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Saturday morning.

There were 13,255 cases in the general population and 854 among prison inmates.

The death toll stood at 15,152 during the third wave and 15,246 since the beginning of the pandemic.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...22-more-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Phi Phi island closure extended

The communicable disease control committee of this southern coastal province has extended the closure of Phi Phi island for another seven days from, Sept 18-24.

Only tourists under the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 programmes are allowed to visit the island during the closure.

The resort island was first closed from Sept 11-18 for disinfection after workers bulding the island's new wastewater treatment plant were found infected with Covid-19. The infections spread to grocery shops and Koh Phi Phi police.

On Wednesday, 10 more infected people were evacuated to the province's third field hospital at the National Sports University, Krabi campus, in Muang district for treatment.

The total number of infections on the island stood at 79 on Wednesday. Another 321 people had been tested but the results were not known.

The additional cases prompted the provincial communicable disease committee to extend the closure from Sept 18-24, banning most visitors from the island.

Only tourists under the Phuket Sandbox 7+7 programme can travel to the island, by boat on a sealed route. Other intending visitors require special permission.

As of 11pm on Tuesday, Krabi province had registered 70 new infections, increasing the total to 2,573. Of the total, 1,677 had recovered and 893 were still under treatment.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...osure-extended

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Over 129,000 youths in Thailand infected with COVID-19, number rising

Almost 130,000 youths in Thailand, aged between 6 and 18, were found to be infected with COVID-19 from April until September 11, with 69,628 cases alone in August, said Dr. Suwanchai Wattayingcharoenchai, director-general of Health Services Department, today (Tuesday).

Of all the cases since April, 116,742 are Thai and 12,423 are non-Thai. Infections among youths were 2,426 cases in April this year, 6,432 cases in May, 6,023 cases in June to 31,377 cases in July before skyrocketing in August, even though all schools remain closed.

The death toll is 15 and most of those had underlying conditions.

Dr. Suwanchai attributed the surge in infections among the young to active screening and confirmed cross infection from those close to them, particularly their families.

Provinces with high youth infection rates are Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chon Buri, Samut Sakhon, Nonthaburi, Songkhla, Narathiwat, Nakhon Pathom, Pattani and Ratchaburi.

Regarding the vaccination of those under 18 who have underlying conditions, 74,932 have received their first jab of Pfizer vaccine and 3,241 their second.

Regarding the “Sandbox Safety Zone in School” (SSS) scheme, Dr. Suwanchai said that joining the program is voluntary, but schools wanting to join must be ready and must have consulted the parents of their students and sought the approval of the provincial communicable disease committee in the respective province.

Under the SSS program for boarding schools, all students, teachers and other personnel in a school must be vaccinated, with at least 85% of the teaching staff and personnel having been inoculated and they must take an antigen test every 14 days. Teaching can be done online or onsite and, if classes are to be held in person, the school in question must strictly comply with the guidelines of the Public Health Ministry.

For on-site learning, all students must take antigen tests before entering their schools. Group activities must follow the “bubble and seal” guidelines and there must be no contact between groups. Risk assessment must be held once a week for schools in “green” provinces.

For schools in “yellow” provinces, all the teachers and other staff must undergo antigen tests once every fortnight. For those in “orange” provinces, risk assessment of teachers and other staff must be held twice a week.

For the “red” provinces, besides the measures applied in the “orange” zones, all businesses within ten metres of a school must be subject to a “Thai Stop COVID Plus” assessment and the “COVID free setting” regimen. School passes must be issued for all students and teachers and each class can contain a maximum of 25 students.

For those in COVID-19 “dark red” provinces, students will be subject to risk assessment on daily basis.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/over-12...number-rising/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

2 Bangkok bus drivers, 2 conductors test positive

The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA) announced on Tuesday that four of its public bus staff members have tested positive for Covid-19.

Those infected include drivers of bus numbers 505 and 23, and the conductors of bus number 517 and the shuttle that runs between Bangkok’s Bang Pho area and the Bang Sue Grand Station.

The driver of bus number 505 had been worked from August 31 to September 5 and then again on September 9.

The second driver had driven bus number 23 on September 5, 6 and 9. He also drove bus number 2 on September 4 and 7.

The conductor of bus number 517 had worked on September 5 and 6, while the shuttle bus conductor had worked on September 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40006186

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Large cluster of infections inside prison

A new Covid-19 cluster is reported at the Correctional Institution for Young Offenders in Muang district, with 64 inmates already testing positive and the number expected to soar.

Officials said infections could rise to 1,000 as testing continues. There are more than 2,500 inmates and prison officials at the facility, in tambon Tha-ngiew.

Despite the name, the prison is full of adults, some over 60 years old.

The revelation sparked apprehension in nearby communities that the disease might have spread beyond the prison even though corrections officials insist the department's Covid-19 controls are strict.

Provincial public health office chief Charaspong Sukkree said on Thursday that officials were sent to randomly test inmates within the so-called high-risk 608 group – which comprises people aged 60 years or more, people with a chronic illness, and pregnant women.

Antigen kit tests had returned 64 positive results. Those inmates had been tested again with PCR tests, and all 64 results were confirmed, Dr Charaspong said.

There were more than 2,500 inmates and prison officials at the correctional facility. If all were tested it was likely around 30% or more would show positive, around 900-1,000 people, he said.

Inmates known to be infected had already been separated from the others for treatment, he said.

He tried to allay local communities' fears the disease could spread, pointing out that the infections were all in a sealed up place.

Dr Charaspong also said health officials would speed up the inoculation of market vendors in the Covid-outbreak districts of Muang, Tha Sala and Pak Phanang.

On Thursday, 418 new infections were reported in this southern province, raising the accumulated cases to 11,462. Of these, 8,892 have recovered and been discharged from hospitals. The provincial Covid-related death toll is 76.:

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[lamphun]

^Sloppy reporting Don Laundry. There’s a Muang district in every province. What is the name of this southern province.

[S Landreth]

^nothing else matters but this............

Moderna Leads The Authorized COVID Vaccines In Lasting Effectiveness

A head-to-head comparison of all three COVID-19 vaccines found Moderna is holding up better than Pfizer and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine provides the weakest protection.

But the researchers stressed that all three vaccines are still providing strong protection against people getting so sick that they end up in the hospital.

Researchers studied more than 3,000 people hospitalized between March and August. And found the Moderna vaccine was 93% effective at keeping people out the hospital and that protection appears to be holding steady.

The Pfizer vaccine's protection fell from 91% effective to 77%. The Johnson and Johnson vaccine was 71% effective.

The researchers speculated the Moderna vaccine may be the best because it uses a strong dose and spaced out the two shots a week longer.: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronav...ospitalization - https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/...cid=mm7038e1_w

[S Landreth]

Thailands Food and Drug Administration Expands Authorisation of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for Use in Adolescents 12 to 17 years old

Thailand, 16 September 2021 – ZP Therapeutics, a division of Zuellig Pharma, a leading healthcare services provider in Asia, today announced that Thailand Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the authorisation of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for use in adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old. The vaccination regimen is the same as that for adults – two doses of the vaccine to be administered 28 days apart.

Thailands Food and Drug Administration Expands Authorisation of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for Use in Adolescents 12 to 17 years old
"The approval of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for use in adolescents expands the vaccine arsenal that Thailand has to combat the pandemic. We are grateful that the Food and Drug Administration has authorised the use of the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna for adolescents so that they can be offered protection against the coronavirus, especially in light of the highly contagious Delta variant.

We are working tirelessly to support Thailand's mass vaccination efforts. The more people we help to get vaccinated against the virus, the quicker we will reach herd immunity, and the faster we will be able to transition towards normalcy. We are very proud to have a role to play in this process," said Ms. Sunaiyanaa Kidkasetpaisal, General Manager, ZP Therapeutics, Zuellig Pharma Thailand.

In May, Moderna announced that the Phase 2/3 TeenCOVE study of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna in adolescents met its primary immunogenicity endpoint, successfully bridging immune responses to the adult vaccination. Two-dose primary series of COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna showed 100% efficacy in protecting adolescents aged 12 to 17 from symptomatic infection.

The vaccine was generally well tolerated with a safety and tolerability profile generally consistent with the Phase 3 COVE study in adults. Safety data continues to accrue, and the study continues to be monitored by an independent safety monitoring committee. These data are subject to change based on ongoing data collection.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40006269

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

AZ boosters for those who got 2 Sinovac jabs from March to May to begin on Sep 24

People who received two doses of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine between March and May this year will be the first to be eligible for AstraZeneca booster shots, starting next Friday (September 24th). Those who received the Sinopharm vaccine will be next, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

The move is part of the government’s plan to inoculate those who received two doses of inactivated virus vaccines, such as Sinovac and Sinopharm, with booster shots. Many medics have already received their third shots.

September 24th is Prince Mahidol Day, which commemorates the contributions to Thai medicine and medical education made by late King Bhumibol’s father.

A total of 42.27 million doses of various COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in Thailand to date, mainly AstraZeneca and Sinovac. About 14.28 million people, or just over 20% of the population, have received two jabs, while almost 9% have received their third shots.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/az-boos...gin-on-sep-24/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Phuket reports 5 more Covid deaths, 238 new cases

Five more Covid-19 deaths and another 238 infections, two of them from the Phuket sandbox programme, were reported in this island province.

Provincial health chief Kusak Kukiatikoon said on Friday that the coronavirus infections were found in all three districts of the province, and the occupancy rate of hospital beds was also high.

More community isolation centres and hospitels had been opened.

There were nine clusters - at the provincial prison, a Super Cheap Market store, among fishermen, construction sites and markets, said Dr Kusak. Mass testing using antigen kits at communities and workplaces continued.

The latest figure showed 236 new local infections and two among tourists who arrived under the Phuket sandbox, or 238 cases in total, he said.

Another five fatalities were reported, all in vulnerable groups - people aged 60 years or more and those with underlying health issues.

Four of those who died had not been vaccinated or were not fully vaccinated. The fifth was aged 38, with an underlying health condition, Dr Kusak said.

There were 3,621 patients still under treatment for Covid-19 at hospitals.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...-238-new-cases

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.