How Covid-19 Might Spread to You

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Thailand loses 1.45m tourism jobs from pandemic

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

that didn't go well did it FO Jeff?

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Thailand - Two doctors in Khon Kaen have been diagnosed with Covid-19.

The male doctors worked in the Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, at Khon Kaen University's Srinagarind Hospital, provincial public health office chief Dr Somchaichote Piyawachwela said at a press conference on Sunday.

They were the province's 15th and 16th Covid-19 infections.

Dr Somchaichote said the 15th infection, who is 26 years old, tested positive for the virus on April 2. He said a timeline revealed that he ate and shopped at a department store, went to his house and returned to work at the Department of Surgery where he met with other doctors, medical staff and several patients.

The 16th, who is 25 years old, also worked at the Department of Surgery. He had been in close contact with other doctors, medical staff and several patients, and had also travelled to Bangkok.

The two also attended a concert in Khon Kaen, Dr Somchaichote said. He did not give details on the dates and times of their activities.

Covid-19 controls at the hospital have subsequently been lifted to the highest level, Dr Somchaichote said.

The Srinagarind Hospital also issued an announcement, saying that since some medical personnel had been infected with Covid-19 and many other staff had subsequently been suspended from work, the hospital's ability to provide medical services were limited.

Patients scheduled to see doctors between April 5-16 with sufficient medications were asked to postpone their appointments as the hospital would give priority to emergency cases. Surgical operations which were not urgent would be postponed.

Dr Pongsak Kiatchusakul, director of Srinagarind Hospital, said all hospital staff and patients who had been in close contact with the infected doctors between March 22-April 2 had been told to report for testing and quarantine.

Jaruek Laoprasert, the Khon Kaen deputy governor, said despite the new Covid-19 cases the Songkran festival would still be held as planned. However, restrictions imposed by the Public Health Ministry would be observed. Activities involving large gatherings of people, such as water splashing, would be prohibited, he added.

Mr Jaruek said Magenta at Hugz Mall in Khon Kaen, the venue where the two doctors attended the concert, would be examined to see if it had properly observed the Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the province.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...9-in-khon-kaen

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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96 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Thailand on Sunday

Thailand recorded 96 new COVID-19 cases today (Sunday), including 87 locally-acquired infections and 9 cases among those who arrived from abroad and are in state quarantine.

Of the locally-acquired infections, 78 are those under observation and treatment and 9 were found during proactive screening in communities.

Bangkok recorded the highest number of new cases with 35, followed by 13 in Samut Sakhon, 9 in Samut Prakan, 7 in Chon Buri, 6 in Surat Thani, 5 in Suphan Buri, 3 in Nakhon Pathom, 2 each in Khon Kaen, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani and 1 case each in Narathiwat and Ayutthaya.

The 9 imported cases include 2 each from Russia and Malaysia and 1 each from Ukraine, India, Japan, Sweden and Qatar.

The CCSA said that today’s total does not include the 112 cases found among prisoners and prison officials in the southern province of Narathiwat.

Cumulative infections, since early last year, are 29,127, with 27,774 recoveries and 95 deaths.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/96-new-...and-on-sunday/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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Thailand - Co-payment stimulus scheme has ended with ฿102bn spending in six months

Thailand’s Finance Ministry announced the end of the two phases of the populist co-payment scheme on March 31st, with total spending amounting to 102.065 billion baht, 52.2 billion by consumers and 49.8 billion borne by the taxpayer.

Kulaya Tantitemit, director of the Fiscal Policy Office and spokesperson for the Finance Ministry, said Thursday that 14,793,602 registered consumers had taken advantage of the scheme, with 92% of them having spent over 3,000 baht each. 7,819,925 spent up to their 3,500 baht limit.

The highest spenders were in Bangkok, Chon Buri, Samut Prakan, Songkhla and Chiang Mai respectively. The spending helped to support domestic consumption, hard hit by various factors related to COVID-19, in Q4 2020 and Q1 2021.

Hailing the stimulus measure as a huge success, Kulaya said, however, that 85 cases of irregularities were identified among consumers and shops taking part in the scheme, adding that these people and businesses will be barred from participating in future such stimulus schemes.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/co-paym...in-six-months/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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Songkran tainted by virus fear

One of the country's most authoritative voices on Covid-19 transmission, renowned virologist Yong Poovorawan, has warned a third or even fourth wave of Covid-19 could emerge as a result of the government policy to encourage people to enjoy themselves and spend more during the upcoming Songkran festival.

"Be prepared to see the daily infection rates jump from tens to hundreds per day after the Songkran festival," Dr Yong said.

"We have become too complacent and that means we need to waste a lot of financial resources for testing, monitoring and curing the disease."


Dr Yong, the chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, on Sunday wrote on his Facebook page in response to the report of infections in pubs in the Thong Lor area last week. Restaurants and bars in Thong Lor in Bangkok's Sukhumvit area were the source of a cluster of infections last year.

Dr Yong said the relaxed measures in entertainment areas are the main factor when quick transmission occurs.

Despite the availability of vaccines, Dr Yong warned that rates of inoculation in Thailand and around the world could not keep up with infections and it would take another two years for vaccination efforts to immunise 70% of the world population.

After fewer cases were reported, Covid-19 infections on Sunday made a comeback in the capital as health authorities said cases linked to the entertainment cluster had risen to 71, according to Department of Disease Control (DDC) director-general Opas Karnkawinpong.

Dr Opas said the cases linked to the entertainment cluster rose to 71 and are scattered in Bangkok (45), Pathum Thani (11), Nonthaburi (8) and Nakhon Pathom (7).

There was even an unsubstantiated rumour Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow was infected as he had visited one of the venues in Thong Lor on March 25 and attended a cabinet meeting a few days later.

Mr Supattanapong's team was reported as denying he had exposed anyone to any risks. However, the minister already took a Covid-19 test at a state hospital in Udon Thani province and plans to get vaccinated soon, according to Dr Opas.

Possible cluster infections were also reported in other regions.

In Khon Kaen province, Srinagarind Hospital announced it would suspend treating new patients and postpone operations for uninfected people after two of its doctors tested positive for Covid-19.

Dr Pongsak Kiatchusakul, director of Srinagarind Hospital, said all hospital staff and patients who had been in close contact with the infected doctors between March 22-April 2 had been told to report for testing and quarantine.

It was confirmed the first doctor contracted the virus last Friday. He went to a restaurant and shopped at a department store, before meeting with colleagues and some patients.

The second doctor had reportedly been in contact with an infected person while attending a concert at a restaurant, Magenta, in Hugz Mall in Khon Kaen on March 26.

Meanwhile, Thai singer, Violette Wautier, who performed at the Magenta restaurant, posted the result of her own Covid-19 test on Instagram showing a negative result on Sunday.

Jaruek Laoprasert, the Khon Kaen deputy governor, said despite the new Covid-19 cases, the Songkran festival would still be held as planned.

Meanwhile, the Corrections Department on Sunday imposed a ban preventing relatives from visiting inmates at prisons nationwide, according to the Corrections Department's director-general Aryut Sinthoppan.

The temporary ban came after 112 officials and inmates at Narathiwat Prison were reported to have been infected with the virus.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...-by-virus-fear

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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All visitors to Thonglor pubs in March told to report for COVID-19 screening

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is urging all visitors to pubs and other entertainment venues in Bangkok’s Thonglor area in March to log into the “BKKcovid 19” system to arrange COVID-19 tests immediately.

The BMA’s public relations office said, in its Facebook post today (Sunday), that 40 people, who visited entertainment venues in the Thonglor, Ekamai, Sukhumvit and Chatuchak areas, have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.

Details of the infections are as follows:

Crystal pub in Thonglor Soi 25, 21 cases
Baan Phahon Café and Bar in the Chatuchak area, 3 cases
Ekamai Beer House, 8 cases
Bar Bar Bar Pub Thonglor and Dollar Bangkok, 5 cases
The Cassette Music Bar in Ekamai, 1 case
The Emquatier Sukhumvit 39 and The Emporium, 2 cases

The BMA thanked operators of these venues for their cooperation with city officials when disinfecting the venues and help in tracing those who have visited in March.

Those who have visited these venues can contact the BMA hotlines on 02-203-2393 or 02-203-2396.

Meanwhile, government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri told Thai PBS that there is no confirmation yet of a rumor that a cabinet minister visited a pub in the Thonglor area in March and then attended cabinet meetings.

When asked by a reporter whether he had visited one of the pubs, Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob laughed it off, saying he hadn’t, but he promised to find out whether any of his team had done so.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/all-vis...-19-screening/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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Thailand adds 250 Covid cases Tuesday

The government on Tuesday recorded 250 new Covid-19 cases, 245 of them locally transmitted and five imported, raising the accumulated total since the start of the pandemic to 29,571.

No new deaths were recorded, leaving the toll at 95.

The Department of Disease Control said 155 new cases were detected via active case finding: 119 in Bangkok, 30 in Narathiwat, three in Chon Buri, two in Sa Kaeo and one in Samut Prakan.

A further 90 cases were reported by hospitals: 37 in Bangkok, 19 in Samut Prakan, 15 in Chon Buri, seven in Samut Sakhon, two each in Chiang Mai and Pathum Thani, and one each in Tak, Ayutthaya, Nonthaburi, Lop Buri, Kanchanaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Chaiyaphum and Prachin Buri.

Bangkok logged almost two-thirds of the new cases across Thailand. The 37 patients reported by hospitals in the capital comprised 32 Thais, two Japanese and one each from Myanmar, Germany and Laos. Of the 119 new cases detected there via mass testing, two were confirmed to be Thai while the remaining 117 were under investigation.

The 20 new cases in Samut Prakan comprised 19 Thais and one Cambodian, while the 18 new cases in Chon Buri consisted of 14 Thais and four Japanese nationals.

Of the 30 new cases found in communities in Narathiwat, 23 were Thais and seven Vietnamese.

The five imported cases were quarantined arrivals from the Czech Republic, Madagascar, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

Of the 29,571 total cases in Thailand since the pandemic began, 27,948 (94.51%) have recovered, including 108 discharged over the past 24 hours, leaving 1,528 at hospitals.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...-cases-tuesday

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BMA reserves 6,000 doses of vaccine for people related to Thonglor COVID-19 cluster

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) COVID-19 vaccine management committee is to set aside 6,000 doses of vaccine for people at high risk linked to the Thonglor cluster.

Spokesman for City Hall, Pol. Cpt. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang, said Monday that the committee, at its emergency meeting today, decided to use 6,000 doses to inoculate health officials, employees of entertainment venues, and people who had close-contact with the infected in the

Thonglor area. The inoculations will take place outside a hospital, in the same way as for the Bang Khae cluster, he added.

Since the end of March, the BMA has used 66,000 doses of vaccine to inoculate frontline health workers and people with seven types of congenital disease.

For the second batch of 100,000 doses, 66,000 doses have been allocated for those who have already received their first jab, leaving 34,000 doses, 24,000 of which are reserved for medical personnel.

The remaining 10,000 doses are divided into 4,000 for health workers and those at high-risk from the Bang Khae cluster and 6,000 for those related to the Thonglor cluster.

Pongsakorn also said that the city’s administration is considering whether all entertainment venues in Bangkok should be closed during the Songkran festival, following the emergence of the Thonglor cluster.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/bma-res...id-19-cluster/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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^not looking good

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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Bangkok bars may shut at 9pm amid ‘critical’ Covid situation

The Health Ministry plans measures to limit the spread of Covid-19 ahead of the Thai New Year holiday next week, after new clusters of infections were detected in night-entertainment venues around metro Bangkok.

“The situation has reached a critical level, with a 48% positivity rate from these nightclub clusters,” Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday, adding that measures may include closures of clubs in districts that have reported new infections.

These new virus clusters are a repeat of outbreaks last year, when a high rate of infections were found among patrons and workers of bars and entertainment centres. The government reported 194 cases on Monday, a quarter of which were detected in the nation’s capital. The tally is also the highest single-day increase since March 23.

Thailand has lifted most of its strictest containment measures after an outbreak wave that started in December eased. But the latest clusters will likely force the government to reimpose some curbs ahead of the peak travel and celebration period, the Songkran Festival. Countries ranging from France to India and the Philippines have also tightened measures to curb recent spikes.

A large movement of people and festivities during the holiday will lead to more infections, Yong Poovorawan, chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, posted on Facebook. Dr Yong said Thailand’s low vaccination rate makes the situation “worrying”, and “there are chances of a third or fourth wave of outbreaks.”

Thailand’s benchmark SET Index fell 1% in Bangkok, as the gauge of tourism and leisure companies declined 2.5%. Minor International Plc, the nation’s biggest hotel operator, slumped 3.9% and Central Plaza Hotel Plc slid 3.5%.

Separately on Monday, Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said the Health Ministry will propose that all restaurants, bars and nightclubs in Bangkok and four surrounding provinces be closed daily at 9pm and those venues cannot sell alcoholic beverages. These proposals, which will be effective for two weeks, will be submitted to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s subcommittee on Wednesday.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration also plans to prioritise some of its vaccines for residents and workers in a district that’s popular for night-time entertainment, according to Governor Aswin Kwanmuang. So far, more than 240,000 vaccine doses have been administered in Thailand, with about 42,000 people fully vaccinated.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ovid-situation

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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City bars in three districts shut

Entertainment venues in three Bangkok districts have been ordered closed from April 6-19 to contain the spread of Covid-19, city governor Aswin Kwanmuang announced on Monday.

The decision to temporarily close the venues in Klong Toey, Watthana and Bang Khae was reached at the Bangkok's communicable disease committee on Monday evening.

If the disease spreads to other districts, the affected establishments will also be shut. "We're monitoring the situation," the governor said.

The closure affects 196 entertainment establishments in the three districts, he added.

The Public Health Ministry also plans tougher restrictions on other eateries and entertainment venues in Bangkok and surrounding provinces ahead of the Songkran holiday next week after new clusters of infections were detected in night-entertainment venues in the capital.

Closing hours will be brought forward from 11pm to 9pm with a ban on the sale of alcohol.

Department of Disease Control (DDC) director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said the number of Covid-19 infections is expected to rise after new clusters of infections were detected in a Narathiwat prison and Bangkok bars.

In light of this, the meeting of the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) on Monday agreed that Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, and Nakhon Pathom will be designated as red zones under maximum control.

Eateries in the red zone provinces will be allowed to open until 9pm. Customers will be allowed to dine in but no consumption of alcoholic beverages will be allowed.

Entertainment venues can open until 9pm. Customers will be allowed to eat in but no alcohol consumption will be permitted.

Department stores and shopping malls can still operate as usual, under health and safety protocols. Schools and education institutes will remain open.

The proposals will be presented for consideration by the subcommittee of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday. The new restrictions will be enforced for two weeks and they will then be assessed, Dr Opas said.

After fewer cases were reported, Covid-19 infections on Sunday made a comeback in the capital as health authorities said cases linked to the entertainment cluster had risen to 71, according to the DDC.

Of the 71 cases, they are scattered in Bangkok (45), Pathum Thani (11), Nonthaburi (8) and Nakhon Pathom (7), according to the DDC.

The cluster is thought to have originated at an entertainment venue in Pathum Thani province before spreading to others in Thong Lor and Ekamai in Bangkok.

"Employees were the conduits as they contracted the disease from customers and then spread it to others. Most patrons also visited more than one place and musicians and employees working at entertainment places tend to work multiple jobs, accelerating the spread," Dr Opas said.

He identified risky behaviour such as not wearing masks, shouting, drinking -- which led to poor judgement -- and sharing glasses.

Apisamai Srirangson, assistant spokeswoman of the CCSA, said on Monday that the CCSA subcommittee discussed Covid-19 control measures for entertainment venues.

An entertainment venue will be closed immediately for two weeks if an infection is detected on the premises. If infections cover a large zone of entertainment venues and cannot be contained, provincial authorities will have authority to close the zone or seal off the entire province, Dr Apisamai said.

The measures will be submitted to the CCSA for endorsement, she said.

Even though no infection clusters have been found at eateries, patrons from entertainment venues visited them and ate with their relatives. Therefore, operators of these premises have been urged to strictly follow disease control measures, particularly during Songkran, Dr Apisamai said.

Gen Natthapon Nakpanich, chief of the Covid-19 operations centre under the CCSA, denied reports that a curfew would be imposed to curb the new cluster in Bangkok.

He said selective containment measures will be adopted to deal with each particular area affected by infections, rather than using comprehensive measures that will have an impact on people who live outside those areas.

The Public Health Ministry on Monday also provided details about the new hotspot among inmates and warders at a Narathiwat prison.

It said that like the cluster at the Immigration Bureau's detention facility, the prison was a crowded, enclosed space and the risk of the virus spreading to the public was limited.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...districts-shut

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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No quarantine for people visiting home provinces for Songkran

Travellers from Bangkok and other risk areas heading to their home provinces for Songkran will not have to go into quarantine, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Tuesday.

Mr Anutin said that although provinces had been divided into zones, designated by colours according to the infection rates, none would be locked down. People could still travel to other provinces without having to go into quarantine on arrival at their destination.

Only people who had been infected with the virus, or were considered at high risk, would be quarantined, he said.

On the suggestion that travellers from provinces designated as red zones could spark worries on arrival in other provinces, Mr Anutin said that in the true Songkran tradition people go home primarily to seek blessings from respected elders.

They do not head there just to look for fun, go around drinking and visiting crowded places, he said. During the Covid-19 pandemic, people should avoid large gatherings.

The public health minister asked that people remain alert and careful, and not be too fun-loving. It was clearly evident the virus spread among groups of people visiting entertainment venues, he said.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...s-for-songkran

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

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• Do you need to wear masks after Covid vaccine? New NIH-backed study hopes to answer that

A new study backed by the National Institutes of Health aims to help doctors and public officials figure out what people can and cannot do after they get vaccinated against the coronavirus, including whether they will still need to wear masks and practice social distancing.

The study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease within NIH, will test the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine’s ability to prevent infection of the coronavirus, limit the amount of virus in the nose and reduce transmission from inoculated people to close contacts.

“We hope that within the next five or so months we’ll be able to answer the very important question about whether vaccinated people get infected asymptomatically and if they do, do they transmit the infection to others,” White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a press briefing Friday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said fully vaccinated people can gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people and some unvaccinated people without any precautions like wearing masks or maintaining distance. Vaccinated people should still mask up and practice social distancing in public, according to the CDC’s initial guidance.

Scientists still don’t know whether immunized people can get asymptomatic infections or act as carriers that spread the virus to others. As more and more Americans get vaccinated, this NIH study aims to answer those questions.

The randomized, controlled study will follow 12,000 college students aged 18 to 26 years old at more than 20 U.S. universities over five months. Preliminary study sites opened Thursday.

Study participants will be randomly split into two groups. Six thousand students will be vaccinated right away with Moderna’s two-shot vaccine spread 28 days apart while. Six thousand will be vaccinated four months later as an initial control group.

The students will swab their nose daily to test for coronavirus infection, complete electronic questionnaires and provide blood samples periodically.

Around 25,000 individuals identified as “close contacts” of participants will also participate in the study and provide nasal swab and blood samples. Researchers will use the close contacts to measure the degree of virus transmission from vaccinated individuals.

More than 133 million Covid vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. as of Thursday morning, according to the CDC.

President Joe Biden on Thursday set a new goal of 200 million coronavirus vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office.: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/03/26/do-y...swer-that.html

• Coronavirus Cases: 128,978,966

Deaths: 2,819,210

Underreported US death count: 564,199

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

it's been blown way out of proportion.

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334 new Covid-19 cases confirmed, majority in Bangkok

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Wednesday reported 334 new cases, seven of which were overseas arrivals in quarantine.

Of the 327 local cases, 153 had been discovered via proactive testing.

The majority of the local patients or 221 were found in Bangkok, followed by 30 in Samut Prakan and 20 in Sa Kaew.

Meanwhile, the infections from overseas included three Thais returning from India, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates, as well as nationals from Japan, Pakistan, India and Sudan.

Meanwhile, 121 patients have recovered and been discharged.

As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed cases in Thailand had risen to 29,905. Of these, 26,742 had been contracted locally, including 16,496 who were found via proactive testing, while 3,163 were returnees.: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30404620

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.