How Covid-19 Might Spread to You

[S Landreth]

Sinovac develops over 50 per cent immunity in Thais in 2 weeks: study

The university said it had conducted tests on people who had already received two Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine jabs with the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences.

"The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that 95 per cent of 186 people who had received two Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine jabs had already developed immunity against Covid-19," the university said.

"Meanwhile, blood tests also showed that 70 per cent of 171 people who had received two Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine jabs for two weeks had over 50 per cent immunity against the virus.": https://www.nationthailand.com/life/40002244

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Pak Nam market closed after 100 positive tests

The Pak Nam fresh market in Muang district has been closed for 14 days until July 2 after more than 100 Covid-19 infections were discovered there.

Samut Prakan reported a total of 495 new cases and three deaths on Saturday, provincial public health chief Pornnarong Srimuang said. Of the total, 455 had contracted the virus in the province and 40 had been infected elsewhere and admitted to private hospitals in the province.

The 455 cases were reported in Muang district (345), Phra Pradaeng (27), Phra Samut Chedi (18), Bang Phli (35), Bang Bo (6) and Bang Sao Thong (24). The new infections raised the provincial total to 12,249, the second-highest in the country after Bangkok.

The three new fatalities were all women, aged 60, 61 and 75. This brought the death toll in the province to 121.

Dr Pornnarong said the cluster of 100 infections at the Pak Nam market included Thai and migrant workers.

The market has been closed for until July 2 for cleaning and spraying with disinfectant.

Health authorities reported 3,667 new cases nationwide on Saturday, bringing the toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,609 deaths and 214,449 cases with 1,609 deaths.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...positive-tests

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Thailand’s daily caseload jumps by almost 900 with 35 deaths

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Thailand logged 4,059 new Covid-19 cases and 35 deaths over a 24-hour period on Tuesday, rising from 3,175 cases and 29 deaths recorded on Monday.

Of the total cases, 2,257 tested positive in hospitals, 1,706 were found in proactive testing, 75 were found in prisons, and 21 were arrivals from overseas.

Bangkok topped the list with 1,154 cases, followed by Samut Prakan (696), Chonburi (335), Songkhla (293), Samut Sakhon (250), Pathum Thani (211), Nonthaburi (169) and Nakhon Pathom (162).

Meanwhile, 2,047 patients have recovered and been discharged in the last 24 hours.

Thailand’s accumulated infections rose to 225,365 on Tuesday. Of these, 187,836 have recovered, 35,836 are still in hospital, and 1,693 have died.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002317

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Yala Madrasa COVID-19 cluster spreads to 190 people in 12 Thai provinces

The COVID-19 cluster at a madrasa, an Islamic boarding school, in Thailand’s southernmost province of Yala, has now led to 190 infections in 12 provinces, according to the Disease Control Department.

Most infections, 69, were found in Yala, followed by 37 in Satun, 17 in Songkhla, 14 each in Pattani and Krabi, 13 in Narathiwat, 8 in Surat Thani, 5 in Phang-nga and 3 each in Phuket, Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The madrasa was ordered to close last week, after several of its students, along with worshippers at the Dawah Centre of Thailand, which houses the madrasa, were found to be infected.

Dr. Songkran Maichum, Yala’s provincial public health official, has asked the school’s director to inform its students’ families, and those who came into contact with them, to report to the district’s health office or nearby hospitals. Failure to do so, including omission of details of their whereabouts, may violate the Communicable Diseases Act, he said.

Samples from the cluster have been sent to the Department of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, to determine if the infections are of the Beta (South African) variant, which has been found in the region and neighbouring Malaysia.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/yala-ma...hai-provinces/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Public warned of false positive Covid tests by private labs

The Department of Medical Services has warned of false positive Covid-19 test results by private laboratories.

Dr Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the department, said on Sunday that currently many factories and organisations were using the services of private laboratories for screening new employees before accepting them for work.

“The department’s 1668 hotline is now overwhelmed with people calling in asking for hospital beds after testing positive for Covid-19 in these private labs,” he said. “In fact, these positive results could be false as these labs usually use rapid test or antigen test method, which is cheaper than the standardised RT-PCR (reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction) method, and also inferior in terms of accuracy.”

“The department’s 1668 hotline can allot hospital beds only to patients who have a confirmed result by RT-PCR method” he added.

“Patients who do not have one will need to be tested again after already wasting their time and money on the previous test. This eventually delays their hospitalisation, which could affect the overall treatment,” he said.

Somsak urged factories and organisations to use services of private laboratories certified by the department and make sure that they use the RT-PCR method to get an accurate result and to ensure that patients can be hospitalised immediately in case the result comes back positive.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002271

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[lamphun]

Proxalutamide reduces COVID-19 mortality risk by 92 percent

In a clinical trial, Proxalutamide reduced COVID-19 mortality risk by 92 percent and shortened the median hospital stay of patients by nine days.

The investigator-initiated trial (NCT04728802), conducted by Dr Andy Goren and Dr Flávio Adsuara Cadegiani at 12 sites in the Brazil, is a placebo-controlled, double-blinded randomised parallel assignment study.

The trial has two cohorts (men and women) and two arms (Proxalutamide and control). It enrolled 588 patients, aged 18 years and older with a clinical status of 3, 4 or 5 on the WHO COVID-19 Ordinal Scale (3 = hospitalised patients not needing oxygen therapies, 4 = hospitalised patients needing oxygen by mask or nasal prongs and 5 = severely ill hospitalised patient on non-invasive ventilation or high-flow oxygen).

In the Proxalutamide arm, patients were orally administered 300mg of the drug once daily for 14 days. In the control arm, patients were orally administered placebo once daily for 14 days. Each arm also received standard of care as determined by the principal investigator at the site.

The trial met its primary endpoint, with Proxalutamide significantly reducing patient statuses on the Ordinal Scale at day 14. Proxalutamide achieved a reduction of 4.01 from baseline (5.663 to 1.653), compared to control with a reduction of 0.25 from baseline (5.618 to 5.368).

Proxalutamide was also found to reduce the mortality risk by 92 percent; overall, 11 patients died by day 14 in the treatment arm, making the mortality rate 3.7 percent, comparatively there were 141 deaths in the control arm, a 47.6 percent mortality rate.

Additionally, treatment with the nonsteroidal antiandrogen shortened median length of hospital stay by nine days (five days with Proxalutamide versus 14 with control) and after 14 days, 89.1 percent of those treated with Proxalutamide were discharged, more than double the 32.8 percent in the control arm.

[lamphun]

Ivermectin for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19 Infection
A Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Trial Sequential Analysis to Inform Clinical Guidelines

Repurposed medicines may have a role against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The antiparasitic ivermectin, with antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties, has now been tested in numerous clinical trials.

We assessed the efficacy of ivermectin treatment in reducing mortality, in secondary outcomes, and in chemoprophylaxis, among people with, or at high risk of, COVID-19 infection.

Meta-analysis of 15 trials found that ivermectin reduced risk of death compared with no ivermectin (average risk ratio 0.38, 95% confidence interval 0.19–0.73; n = 2438; I² = 49%; moderate-certainty evidence). This result was confirmed in a trial sequential analysis using the same DerSimonian–Laird method that underpinned the unadjusted analysis. This was also robust against a trial sequential analysis using the Biggerstaff–Tweedie method. Low-certainty evidence found that ivermectin prophylaxis reduced COVID-19 infection by an average 86% (95% confidence interval 79%–91%). Secondary outcomes provided less certain evidence. Low-certainty evidence suggested that there may be no benefit with ivermectin for “need for mechanical ventilation,” whereas effect estimates for “improvement” and “deterioration” clearly favored ivermectin use. Severe adverse events were rare among treatment trials and evidence of no difference was assessed as low certainty. Evidence on other secondary outcomes was very low certainty.

Moderate-certainty evidence finds that large reductions in COVID-19 deaths are possible using ivermectin. Using ivermectin early in the clinical course may reduce numbers progressing to severe disease. The apparent safety and low cost suggest that ivermectin is likely to have a significant impact on the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic globally.

[S Landreth]

Ministry defends decision to grant ThaiBev jab support

Chatchai Promlert, permanent secretary for the Interior Ministry, is insisting that his approval to provide free Covid-19 vaccine doses to over 70,000 Thai Beverage Public Company Limited (ThaiBev) employees and their families is lawful.

Over the weekend Mr Chatchai was asked whether such approval was considered appropriate because many people across the country have yet to receive their jabs.

Mr Chatchai, who is also responsible for dealing with emergency situations and coordinating with provincial governors, was criticised after a letter addressed to governors and signed by him on June 17, went viral on the internet.

The letter details a request for support on the matter.

The company has requested assistance for the vaccination of 43,201 employees and 28,244 families in Bangkok and 76 provinces.

Mr Chatchai said he approved the allocation of free Covid-19 vaccine doses to ThaiBev under the guidelines of the National Communicable Diseases Committee.

The guidelines, dated May 18, open the opportunity for the public and private sectors to request vaccine doses for their people, especially in at-risk areas, he said.

"It is to [prevent] the emergence of new clusters and a spread [of Covid-19]. Please be confident in the vaccine distribution [initiative] of the National Vaccine Committee and the CCSA (Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration)," Mr Chatchai said.

"We observe the same standard -- there will be no selective behaviour since vaccination is a national issue that must proceed quickly," he said.

"[The approval] is in line with the guidelines of the National Communicable Diseases Committee to provide mass vaccinations to all people."

He said many in the public and private sectors are requesting vaccine support, including the Thai Industries Federation.: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ev-jab-support

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Hotel occupancy languishes at 6 per cent, ASQ expected to drop as well

The occupancy rate of Thailand hotels in June is expected to be around 6 per cent, the same as in May, due to the third Covid-19 wave, according to a Thai Hotels Association (THA) survey on Saturday.

THA president Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi said the survey was conducted in May on over 234 hotels nationwide.

According to the survey, the occupancy rate of Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotels is expected to drop to 10 per cent compared to 13 per cent in May.

"The occupancy rate of 'hospitels' in May was higher than others at 30 per cent, but its revenue is still lower compared to before the Covid-19 era," she said.

The survey also showed 38 per cent of hotels were open, 41 per cent were partly open and 20 per cent were temporarily closed, while the majority of opened hotels generated revenue less than 10 per cent of the revenue before Covid-19.

"Only 18 per cent of hotels, mostly managed by international hotel chain brands, generated revenue more than half of the revenue generated before the pandemic," she said.

She expected the majority of Thailand hotels to be open in the fourth quarter of this year.: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/40002251

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Schools in several provinces closed as COVID-19 infections re-emerge

Schools in several of Thailand’s provinces have been ordered to close, just a week after the start of the new school term, as a number of students have been found to be infected with COVID-19.

On Monday, in the northern province of Phetchabun, the provincial communicable disease committee, chaired by Governor Gid Kongmuang, ordered all the schools in the province to close until end of the month, to prevent the spread of the disease among students.

During the school closure, all schools have been told to provide online learning or other alternatives, except for boarding schools where students have been confined to the schools for the past two weeks.

Governor Gid said that high-risk venues, such as nurseries and nursing homes for the elderly, game rooms an amusement parks in malls, have also been closed until end of the month.

Since April 1st, 2021, there have been 210 COVID-19 cases in the province. Of these, four have died, 164 have been discharged from hospitals and 42 are still undergoing treatment in hospitals.

In Chiang Mai province, three schools, namely Sarasa Witaed Chiang Mai School, Montford College and Chiang Mai Technical College, were ordered closed temporarily, while in another northern province, Phitsanulok, the Rojanawit kindergarten is being closed for five days, for active screening of officials and students.

In the central province of Ang Thong, the Satri Ang Thong School was ordered closed for three weeks, after some infected alumni were reported to have used the school’s sports stadium.

In another central province, Saraburi, the Provincial Police Training Center Region 1 was closed, after 22 police cadets and officials were infected.

In the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, the Pakthongchai Prachaniramit School, in Pak Thong Chai district, was ordered closed for one week, after several residents in Ngiew and Sakae sub-districts were infected.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/schools...ons-re-emerge/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Seven Covid patients forced to camp outside Bangkok apartment block

The plight of seven Covid-19 patients camping outside an apartment block in Bangkoks Din Daeng district drew a wave of sympathy from netizens on Monday. Photos of the makeshift quarantine camp posted on the Zendai Facebook page also sparked accusations that authorities had abandoned the patients.

Attached to the patients’ tent was the sarcastic message "People who do not have any connections".

According to the Facebook post, the seven patients were found during proactive testing but denied medical treatment because no hospital beds were available.

"The page decided to set up tents for the patients as they could spread the virus to others while waiting in the confined apartment," the post said.

"Hence, we would like to ask the government to prepare a plan to support proactive testing [with medical treatment]."

The National Housing Authority eventually made two rooms available where the seven patients could isolate while waiting for medical treatment. All seven have now been moved to a hospitel.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002318

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Former Miss Siam, now 100, gets AstraZeneca vaccine

A 100-year-old former beauty queen got the AstraZeneca jab at Theptarin Hospital in Bangkok, Dara Papayon (Movie Stars) Facebook page revealed on Monday.

A100-year-old former beauty queen got the AstraZeneca jab at Theptarin Hospital in Bangkok, Dara Papayon (Movie Stars) Facebook page revealed on Monday.

Wanee Somprasong was among elderly citizens receiving inoculation in Bangkok.

She had won the beauty contest “Nasao Siam” (Miss Siam) in 1935.

Nasao Siam was first held in 1934, after the Siamese Revolution in 1932, as a part of the Constitution celebration in Thailand. In 1939, the name of the contest was changed to “Nangsao Thai” (Miss Thailand) as Siam was renamed Thailand that year.

The contest has been organised annually since then. Wanee was the second winner of the contest.

Kanya Tiansawang won the inaugural event in 1934.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002315

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

Coronavirus Cases: 179,556,651

Deaths: 3,888,903

Under reported US death count: 617,463

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

it's been blown way out of proportion.

[S Landreth]

Daily Covid-19 deaths reached a new high on Wednesday at 51, with 3,174 new infections

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

Of the 3,174 new patients in the past 24 hours, 36 were found in prisons, the Public Health Ministry reported on Wednesday morning.

Some 1,941 patients have recovered and been allowed to leave hospital.

Cumulative cases in the country since April 1 now stand at 199,676, with 1,744 deaths.: https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40002344

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.

[S Landreth]

I like this one.......

Avoid sex in case of COVID-19 risks, Thailand’s Health Department says

Thailand’s Heath Department has recommended that lovers and spouses avoid sex, if there is a risk of getting infected with COVID-19, and avoid sex with strangers.

Director of the Office of Reproductive Health at the Health Department Dr. Peerayuth Sanukul, said today (Wednesday) that having sex during the spread of COVID-19 infections is a health risk and, therefore, they should consider the risks and consequences to themselves and others in society before having sex.

He said that, if a person has tested positive for the virus, or is awaiting the result of a COVID-19 test, they should refrain from having sex until they are cleared of the disease.

Dr. Peerayuth also warned individuals to avoid having sex with strangers, to reduce the risk of getting infected, adding that anyone who is worried about having sex could access the Thai Save Thai website for risk assessment.: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/avoid-s...partment-says/

Perhaps a blessing in disguise for the Golden Land.