How Covid-19 Might Spread to You

[S Landreth]

Coronavirus Cases: 246,238,132

Deaths: 4,995,841

Under reported US death count: 763,739

American Civil War Battle Deaths and In Theater (north and south) - 498,332

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

8,968 new Covid cases, 64 more deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

There were 8,968 new Covid-19 cases and 64 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Friday morning.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...64-more-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Merck will share formula for its Covid pill with poor countries

Merck has granted a royalty-free licence for its promising COVID-19 pill to a United Nations-backed nonprofit in a deal that would allow the drug to be manufactured and sold cheaply in the poorest nations, where vaccines for the coronavirus are in devastatingly short supply.

The agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool, an organisation that works to make medical treatment and technologies globally accessible, will allow companies in 105 countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, to sublicense the formulation for the antiviral pill, called molnupiravir, and begin making it.

Merck reported this month that the drug halved the rate of hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk COVID-19 patients who took it soon after infection in a large clinical trial. Affluent nations, including the United States, have rushed to negotiate deals to buy the drug, tying up large portions of the supply even before it has been approved by regulators and raising concerns that poor countries could be shut out of access to the medicine, much as they have been for vaccines.

Generic drugmakers in developing countries are expected to market the drug for as little as US$20 per treatment (a 5-day course), compared to the $712 per course that the US government has agreed to pay for its initial purchase.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/22...poor-countries

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

9,224 new Covid cases, 88 deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Thailand logged 9,224 new Covid-19 cases and 88 new fatalities during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Saturday morning.

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Thailand not eligible to produce generic Molnupiravir anti-viral drug

Thailand is not eligible to produce a generic version of Merck’s Molnupiravir anti-viral drug, which is shown to reduce hospitalisations and deaths among COVID-19 patients by 50%, because it is classified as an upper-middle income economy according to the World Bank, unlike other ASEAN neighbours such as Myanmar, the Lao PDR, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia, which are low to middle income economies.

Director-General of the Medical Services Department Dr. Somsak Akksilp said that this means that Thailand has to buy the drug directly from US pharmaceutical giant Merck.

Merck has entered into an agreement with the Medicine Patent Pool (MPP), a United Nations-backed non-profit, which will act as an intermediary and license the patent to generic drug manufacturers outside wealthy countries.

So far, 50 companies in low and middle income countries have signalled their interest in getting a sublicense to manufacture the drug which, according to a report by the Harvard School of Public Health, costs less than US$18 to produce one course.

Besides Thailand, the Philippines has ordered the drug from Merck.

One course of Molnupiravir consists of forty 200mg tablets per person, with 4 tablets to be taken twice a day for five consecutive days.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailan...ti-viral-drug/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Coronavirus Cases: 247,772,299

Deaths: 5,019,152

Under reported US death count: 766,815

American Civil War Battle Deaths and In Theater (north and south) - 498,332

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

An open letter to the people of Thailand: AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca has increased vaccine production and import doses from other supply chains in a bid to help Thailand overcome the Covid-19 crisis, Managing Director of AstraZeneca Thailand James Teague said on Tuesday.

An open letter to the people of Thailand: AstraZeneca

Details of the open letter are as follows:

Dear friends in Thailand,

As AstraZeneca’s representative here, I am writing to share the latest action we have taken to help Thailand overcome the difficult and ongoing challenges of Covid-19.

We have increased local production by 20%.

In July I wrote an open letter to update you on how we were leaving no stone unturned to accelerate the supply of our Covid-19 vaccine, including efforts to optimise the production process.

Since then, in partnership with our local manufacturing partner, Siam Bioscience, we have been successful in increasing each manufactured batch size by 20%, from 580,000 doses per batch to on average 700,000.

This means more doses than anticipated are being produced in Thailand to help vaccinate people across the country and region.

In October we supplied 10.5 million doses to Thailand, taking the total supplied to date to 35.1 million, as part of our overall commitment to deliver 61 million, ahead of a newer agreement to supply an additional 60 million in 2022.

In addition to increased local manufacturing capacity, we will import doses from other supply chains.

In response to the Delta outbreak, another commitment I made in July was to search the 20+ supply chains in our worldwide manufacturing network, to find additional vaccines for Southeast Asia, including Thailand.

We will soon have several of our global supply chains providing doses to Southeast Asia over the remainder of this year, ensuring accelerated supply for each country, including Thailand. Siam Bioscience is forecast to continue exceeding original manufacturing estimates, alongside the import of additional doses.

Spurred on by the heart and strength that has been shown across Thailand during this extremely difficult time, our efforts to provide more vaccine doses faster does not stop here. Everyone at AstraZeneca will continue working to accelerate vaccine supply wherever possible to support Thailand’s pandemic recovery.

We will continue to keep you informed on our relentless pursuit and progress.

Yours sincerely,
James Teague
Managing Director, AstraZeneca Thailand

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40008297

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

7,679 new Covid cases, 56 more deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

There were 7,679 new Covid-19 cases and 56 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry said on Wednesday morning.

There were 7,143 cases in the general population and 536 among prison inmates.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...56-more-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

7,982 new Covid cases, 68 more deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

There were 7,982 new Covid-19 cases and 68 more fatalities recorded during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Thursday morning.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...68-more-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

6 more Thai provinces added to ‘watch list’ due to rising COVID-19 infections

Thailand’s Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has added six more provinces to its “watch list”, in addition to the southern border provinces of Yala, Pattana, Narathiwat and Songkhla, due to concerns over a rising trend in new COVID-19 infections.

CCSA Assistant Spokesperson Dr. Apisamai Srirangsan said today (Monday) that Nakhon Si Thammarat in the South, Chiang Mai in the North, Khon Kaen in the Northeast, the western province of Tak and two eastern provinces of Rayong and Chanthaburi are now on the list.

She said that tighter controls, similar to those already in force in the southern border provinces, will now be imposed to contain the spread of the disease, pointing out that new infection clusters have emerged from funerals, weddings, at schools and among migrant workers.

According to the CCSA, 58.8% of the Thai population have received their first vaccine shot and 42.9% have received both doses, but only 11.9% of 500,000 pregnant women are fully inoculated.

According to the COVID-19 Information Centre today, Thailand recorded 8,165 new COVID-19 cases, 55 more deaths and 9,574 new recoveries. 99,227 patients are still undergoing treatment.

Meanwhile, the operations centre of the CCSA today agreed to assign police, troops and local administration officials to check the readiness of businesses in Bangkok as a priority, to make sure they meet the requirements for reopening.

The centre, which met today, has expressed concern over continuing infections in provinces which are now open to foreign tourists without the need for quarantine on arrival, but expressed hope that the Thai people will strictly comply with the basic health safety measures.

Tomorrow, the centre will meet with representatives of the tourism sector and remind them of the need to adhere to the measures set by the CCSA, even though qualified tourists are no longer required to enter quarantine.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/6-more-...19-infections/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

First Moderna batch arrives in Thailand

The first batch of 560,200 Moderna doses arrived as scheduled yesterday with 77% of the vaccines to be allocated to privately run hospitals.

It was delivered by Lufthansa and received by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), and will be be examined by the Department of Medical Sciences before being rolled out.

Sunaiyana Kitkasetpaisan, general manager of ZP Therapeutics, a division of Zuellig Pharma and the official Moderna partner in Thailand said the company was delighted that the shipment arrived on schedule.

She said the company already submitted documents to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its plan to import more jabs from another plant in the United States.

It is part of Zuellig's attempts to speed up vaccine deliveries to Thailand after it encountered difficulties in obtaining the vaccine from its production facility in Europe.

Of more than 8.6 million Moderna's mRNA vaccine doses sourced by the GPO on behalf of private hospitals, a total of 1.9 million doses will be delivered by the end of this year and the remainder in the first quarter of next year. According to the GPO, 77% of the first batch would be allotted to privately run hospitals and the remaining to state agencies.

The Thai Red Cross Society, which ordered a total of 1 million doses, would receive 20%, the largest share, before the rest is allocated to privately run hospitals in proportions related to their orders.

Deputy GPO director, Sirikul Methivirangsan, said recipients of the vaccine are insured against deaths and serious complications after inoculation and the coverage is extended to recipients of two doses and a booster shot within 90 days.

Dr Chalerm Harnpanich, president of the Private Hospital Association, on Monday urged those who placed orders to check with their hospitals as to whether they are eligible for the jabs this round.

He reaffirmed that those who had received two Sinovac shots and an AstraZeneca booster can postpone their jabs or transfer them to third parties.

Chulabhorn Hospital, meanwhile, has told customers who booked Moderna vaccines as a third shot to make sure they do not miss their appointments as left-over doses will be thrown away if they don't show up.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...es-in-thailand

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

80 new Covid deaths, 8,148 new cases

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Thailand logged 80 new Covid-19 fatalities and 8,148 new cases during the previous 24 hours, the Public Health Ministry announced on Friday morning.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...-148-new-cases

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Thailand’s first case of severe side effects after receiving Pfizer jab recovering well

Health officials have been trying to wrap up the analysis of what is believed to be Thailand’s first known case of severe side effects, involving a 12-year-old Thai girl, who was inoculated with the Pfizer mRNA vaccine. The case will be submitted to a panel of medical specialists.

Director of the Division of Epidemiology at the Disease Control Department Dr. Chakkarat Pittayawonganon, assured the public that the Pfizer vaccine is safe and only a handful of cases of side effects have been reported, out of over two million students, aged 12-18, who have received the vaccine.

He said that the girl in question, who lives in Ratchaburi province, developed a cough, fatigue and chest pain six days after she was given a Pfizer jab.

On Tuesday, the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health issued a statement about the girl, who was sent to the institute for medical treatment from Ratchaburi provincial hospital on October 26th.

The girl had been admitted to hospital the previous day, after she developed the symptoms, and was immediately given high flow oxygen therapy and antibiotics.

After a thorough examination, the institute said that the girl was physically under-developed and much smaller than other girls of her age, has a Kyphosis and an abnormal body structure, which may have an impact on her lung function.

A check of her heart shows the heart muscle functions properly and there is no sign of inflammation, but she was diagnosed as suffering from a pulmonary embolism.

During her treatment in the ICU at the institute, she was given a blood clotting drug and, initially, was on a ventilator which has been replaced by a high flow oxygen device.

On October 29th, blood circulation in the lungs had improved as the blood clots have almost completely dissolved. Her condition has improved and she was moved out of the ICU to a special children’s ward on November 1st, said the institute, adding that she can now eat by herself.

The institute also said that a panel of medical experts have been trying to determine what caused blood clots.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailan...covering-well/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Girl's illness after vaccine vexes medics

The Department of Disease Control is investigating if a Pfizer Covid-19 shot caused a 12-year-old girl in Ratchaburi to fall severely ill.

The director of the Epidemiology Division at the DDC, Chakkarat Pittayawong-anont, said the girl, who received the Pfizer jab on Oct 19, began coughing and complained of chest pain last Sunday.

The girl was initially admitted to Ratchaburi Hospital on Oct 25, where she was given antibiotics and a diuretic. However, her condition continued to deteriorate and her doctors decided to transfer her to a different facility on Oct 26.

Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, where the girl is currently being observed by doctors, has yet to conclude that her condition is linked to the vaccine she received.

The institute said the girl has a persistent cough, and shortness of breath which resulted in cyanosis.

Dr Chakkarat said the girl's medical records will be sent to an expert panel which will oversee the matter, as the case was a first of its kind in Thailand.

Doctors from QSNICH said the girl has been suffering from kyphosis -- an abnormal curvature of the spine -- since she was nine months old, which led to breathing problems that became apparent when the girl was two years old.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...e-vexes-medics

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Covid vaccination linked to 3 deaths

A committee of health experts has concluded that Covid-19 vaccination killed three people out of the 842 fatalities investigated to date, according to the Public Health Ministry.

Their findings were released on Thursday by Chawetsan Namwat, director for emergency health hazard and disease control at the ministry's Department of Disease Control.

He said two of the three died of thrombosis (blood clots) and thrombocytopenia (low platelet count). The other succumbed to severe allergic reaction and shock.

Dr Chawetsan said as of Oct 24 there were reports of 1,296 deaths after Covid-19 inoculation and experts tasked with investigating the deaths had examined 842 cases.

He said 541 of the deaths were found to be coincidental events, meaning the deaths coincidentally resulted from other illnesses and had nothing to do with the vaccination.

The coincidental events included 257 people with severe lung inflammation, 109 with cardiovascular disease, 37 had strokes and 29 blood infections.

Eight had abdominal bleeding, six had lung cancer, four had pulmonary embolism (blood clots in lungs), two had breast cancer and two had liver failure after eating poisonous mushrooms.

Experts also found they could not determine if 66 deaths resulted from the vaccination or not. The indeterminate events included 47 deaths of people who had cardiovascular disease.

There was also not enough information for experts to determine whether 41 deaths were related to Covid-19 vaccinations. They defined the cases as unclassified events.

"In sum, Covid-19 vaccines are considered as safe," Dr Chawetsan said.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ed-to-3-deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.