Month: January 2021

The 1000-bed field hospital for COVID-19 patients at Wattana Factory in Samut Sakhon is now 90% complete, and is expected to accept its first patients later this month.

Construction workers are now installing the electrical system for doctors and nurses’ offices in a COVID-19 field hospital extension at Wattana Factory in Samut Sakhon.

This 1000-bed facility is an extension to the 240-bed field hospital set up at Wattana Factory, which was the third field hospital established in Samut Sakhon for COVID-19 patients.

The field hospital extension has two patient buildings, each with 500 beds. A shared facility has been set up between the two patient buildings with 40 toilets and 40 bathrooms. The water supply and sewage systems for the facility were designed by the provincial public health office.

After construction started on 6th January, the 1,000-bed field hospital is now near completion, and is expected to be handed over to the province for field hospital operations on 25th January.

This field hospital will help relieve patient loads at other field hospitals in the province thanks to its higher capacity, and its location further away from communities and villages.

 The government’s 1111 hotline has received 237 complaints of activities that could lead to COVID-19 spread, among tens of thousands of inquiries related to COVID-19.

The Government Spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri revealed today that Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has been made aware of 237 complaints about activities that pose a risk of further COVID-19 spread, made via the government’s 1111 center.

The government has been encouraging the general public to report clues regarding illegal immigrants, gambling dens, and any activities which pose a risk of widespread COVID-19 transmission, on the 1111 hotline. The hotline also received 32,008 COVID-19 related inquiries on 7th-22nd January.

Mr Anucha said all informants are protected with their names concealed and all comments handled as classified information.

Input related to illegal border crossing and illegal gambling dens will be forwarded to relevant inspection committees recently set up by the government, while information on the violation of the Emergency Decree will be sent to the Joint Security Command Center run by the Royal Thai Armed Forces and the Royal Thai Police.

The Prime Minister has ordered investigations to begin and further action on these complaints to be reported to him at all steps of the way.

Provinces across the country continue to implement preventative measures against COVID-19, by giving recommendations to the general public on their livelihood, and urging workplaces and factories employing migrant workers to properly register them with the authorities.

Nakhon Nayok has launched a workplace inspection operation in Ongkharak district, where businesses and factories are implementing the preventative measures against COVID-19 well, by temperature screening all employees and asking them to wash their hands prior to work. Physical distancing measures have been instigated at canteens to further reduce the chances of transmission.

The province has urged businesses employing migrant workers to register their workers with the authorities.

In Yala, preventative measures against COVID-19 are being strictly implemented at local markets, such as Prachachuen Food Market, where both merchants and customers must have their temperature taken, check-in on the Thai Chana platform, and use hand sanitizer upon entry.

Everyone inside the market is required to wear a face mask, while hand washing stations are available for customers to use.

Yala is one of the few provinces where recent cases of COVID-19 linked to the new wave have been reported. The provincial public health office is now urging villagers to strictly comply with the preventative measures, as the province has recently found five COVID-19 cases among returnees from Malaysia.

The Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has signed an order to form two special committees to investigate illegal gambling and smuggling of illegal migrants, which have been blamed for the latest COVID-19 outbreak. The committees are each required to submit a report on the results of their investigations every month.

Mr Phakdee Phothisiri, a former member of the National Anti-Corruption Commission has been named head of a committee with 15 members in charge of investigating illegal entries which have caused the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand.

Mr Charnchao Chaiyanukij, a former permanent secretary of the Ministry of Justice, has been named head of a committee of 10 members in charge of investigating the country’s crowded gambling dens which have contributed to the spread of a new COVID-19 outbreak.

The two committees have to submit secret reports on the results of their investigations every 30 days.

Wholesale market Talaad Thai, has opened a rent free zone for seafood farmers affected by the current COVID-19 outbreak, providing them with rent free retail booths for three months starting from 20th January.

Talaad Thai has joined forces with the Department of Fisheries and the Department of Internal Trade to provide rent free retail spaces for fish and seafood farmers affected by the current COVID-19 outbreak, where the seafood industry has been particularly heavily affected.

The Department of Fisheries Director General Meesak Pakdikong, said today this new marketplace will sell GAP certified seafood items by affected farmers and fishermen, while Talaad Thai in Pathum Thani is in itself an important wholesale market serving merchants and modern trade businesses around the country.

With this campaign, registered farmers and fishermen will be given their retail spaces to sell their product rent free from 20th January to 20th April, for a duration of three months.

Some 200 farmers have so far applied to participate in the campaign. They are from Ratchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Suphan Buri, Kanchanaburi, and Chachoengsao. Most of them are GAP-certified farmers of giant prawns, whiteleg shrimps, and barramundi.

Mr Meesak said this marketplace will be firther developed into a contemporary seafood market with excellent food safety and hygiene standards, allowing customers to purchase items at a reasonable price directly from the producers without involving a middleman. The market will be implementing strict health and safety measures as recommended by the Ministry of Public Health to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The subcommittee managing COVID-19 vaccination has decided that inoculation will focus on those over the age of 18, when the first batch arrives in February.

Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, Dr. Opas Karnkawinpong, department adviser Dr. Tawee Chotiwittayansunan and Head of the Chulalongkorn University Center for Excellence in Clinical Virology, Dr. Yong Poovorawan, said that a vaccination plan has been approved, a team to disseminate news and information will be formed, vaccination training will begin and teams to monitor inoculated individuals and collect data on the vaccine will be formed.

The body also decided that, in light of the limited information on COVID-19 vaccines, an academic study team should be established. All new bodies formed by the subcommittee are to meet urgently to conclude necessary developments by February.

Dr. Yong explained that the overall purpose of vaccination is to limit the severity of any infection, with some vaccinations which prevent infection entirely and others mitigate the more severe symptoms in the infected. He acknowledged that, due to the novelty of the virus, definitive information is limited, but assured the objective is to reduce infections and their severity. People under the age of 18 will not yet receive the vaccination, once it arrives, as testing on the age-group has yet to be conducted.

Those who are inoculated will be reviewed every four weeks and be provided with treatment for any side effects, in line with National Health Security Office protocols. If widespread severe reactions are detected, vaccination will be stopped immediately. The subcommittee reminded that vaccination is only one weapon against COVID-19 and personal precautions should continue.

Initial vaccination will take place on a voluntary basis, with registration to open once the relevant bodies have concluded the process.

Despite a new and wider wave of COVID-19 infections in the country, the Bank of Thailand (BoT) has assessed that the economic impact of the situation will not be as severe as the first wave as the effects of the virus are not as pronounced, and public health preparations, including plans for vaccination, are in place.

Senior Director of Macroeconomics for the BoT Chayawadee Chai-anant explained this week that the central bank does not see the new wave of COVID-19 infections as having as much of an impact on the economy as the first wave, as fewer businesses have had to be suspended and the general public is better prepared. She added that state measures this time around are also less strict, and should allow the export sector to continue on its growth trajectory. If controls during the first half of the year prove effective, tourism is expected to recover in the latter half.

The BoT foresees however, that recovery will differ depending on the area, as 28 provinces are under strict controls. The 28 being tightly maintained account for half of the nation’s economic activity. Businesses expected to grow more fragile due to a loss of revenue are those in the service sector as well as the tourism industry, which is already financially weak. An estimated 4.7 million laborers, mostly independents, in red zones are expected to be hard hit by the situation.

The bank believes urgent help is needed for workers and fragile businesses and has been issuing measures alongside the state.