Why The Third Wave and Where Are The Vaccines?

[PeterRS]

The Asia Times has an interesting article on the reasons why Thailand's third wave is vastly more serious than the first and second. More importantly, it reminds readers that it is partly because Thailand's government gave so little priority to obtaining vaccines that the third wave is spinning out of control.

At the WHO assembly last November, Thailand was one of the countries complimented for its near exemplary actions in the face of covid19. The Ministry of Health then assembled a team of experts to help publicise this worldwide with a major PR blitz. Before that could take place, though, the disaster at the Samut Sakhon fish market hit the headlines and the blitz was shelved. Now it seems a sad fiction with "laxity, poor governance and even corruption" contributing to present large spike in cases.

The third wave started in the first week in April with a cluster detected in the high-end bars in the Ekkamai entertainment district. This is where hi-so kids from hi-so families like to congregate. One who attended the clubs was a member of the Chirativat family which owns the Central Group chain of retail stores. According to the article, this member of the family was a regular at Cambodia's casinos. On his return to Thailand, the police allowed him to reenter without undergoing the mandatory 14-day quarantine period. How much was passed in brown envelopes can only be a matter of speculation. Probably quite a tidy sum. It was another example of the rich and elite being able to bend rules as and how they wish. As the cases have spread, it is those in the poorer areas of the city and now the prison communities which suffer. Why testing in prisons was not undertaken is another case of government failure.

As the tension between the government and the business community has grown, the government decided not to lock down the country during Songkran as it did last year. Officials feared a public backlash from another lock down. Yet this was against the advice of the medical experts who predicted and high wave of new cases. No need to guess who was correct!

But it is Thailand's laggard vaccination drive that has been sparking sharp criticism on social media and elsewhere. 

"Siam Bioscience, a pharmaceutical company partly owned by XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX's Crown Property Bureau, is at the heart of the controversy. The firm won a competitive bid to produce AstraZeneca's vaccine for distribution in Thailand and regionally, but for unclear reasons has not yet produced or distributed any shots.

"Health experts note Siam Bioscience has no previous experience in vaccine production, unlike the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, which has collaborated with the US and the WHO to produce other vaccines but for unknown reasons was overlooked by the Oxford University AstraZeneca."

To comply with Board rules, I shall not go into detail about what the article says about the Health Minister's affiliations but readers can see this in the article appended below. The article goes on to suggest that this may have "contributed to the Health Ministry's failure - or perhaps fear - to secure batches of other vaccines . . . " That the Health Minister allegedly has ambitions to become Prime Minister has not helped the situation. 

But it is clear that when the Thai government left decisions to medical experts, the country did extremely well. When it set aside these experts' advice and took over control, disaster struck. It's a sad but sadly typical Thai tale of incompetence and greed.

https://asiatimes.com/2021/05/thailand-fast-spinning-out-of-covid-19-control/

[reader]

From The Thai Enquirer

Transparency and clarity needed in government’s digital response to Covid

Metaphors about going to war have been used widely in discussions about COVID-19. China’s President Xi Jinping vowed to wage a “people’s war.” “COVID-19 war zone” posters with a bomb-shaped red germ were displayed in South Korea.

Expressions like “enemy”, “frontline,” and “battle plan” framed discussions on the need to “combat” COVID-19 in many places, including Thailand. Sacrifices of civil and political rights are justified during this “wartime.”

Over the last year, this has resulted in the suspension of the separation of powers, principles like due process, and checks and balances, for maximization of efficiency and effectiveness. We should do “whatever it takes, fast,” or die.

This wartime mentality has also shaped the way authorities handle information. The flow of information is very asymmetric. It tends to be more difficult for the citizens to get information from the government, and the citizens tend to have less protection when the government wants to collect their data.

Around this time last year, there was a debate over suitable approaches for apps intended to facilitate COVID-19 containment efforts. Should it be mandatory or voluntary, who can see what data, should the database be centralized or decentralized, is GPS location accurate enough, what about the Personal Data Protection Act that was soon to be enforced (at the time)? And so on. There were names like “Sydekick for ThaiFightCOVID”, “PedKeeper”, “AOT Airports”, “COSTE”, and many others from Chana-family and Prompt-family. 

Dozens of apps and chatbots for immigration control, symptom screening, contact tracing, and quarantine enforcement were released since, both publicly to general audiences and internally to staff at healthcare and quarantine facilities. Some of them were run by for-profit companies with endorsement from government agencies like the Digital Government Development Agency and Department of Disease Control. Many of them were announced without clear data governance in place.

Today, many of those apps are no longer in operation and it is unclear where the personal data that was collected ended up. 

While digital technology that enables the faster, bigger, and more sophisticated collection of data may make citizens worry about their privacy, the technology itself is not the only source of concern. In some cases, it’s not about overcollection, but oversharing of data. For example, provincial and local governments post infected individual detailed timelines on their social media outlets. These timelines can include date, time, place, activities, age, gender, nationality, and profession of each individual. With privacy protection in mind, agencies exclude individual names from the timeline. Unfortunately, with that amount of information, it may still be possible to reidentify the person by name, especially for people close to the individuals.

It is understandable that authorities want to share this data with the public so anyone who found they may have been in contact with the infected person can report themselves to the public health authority and start any necessary processes. But to meet the same goal, a smaller amount of data can be published. It may be sufficient to just announce the specific place and time, without publicizing “anonymized” personal timelines. Nationality, age, gender, and profession for example, seem not necessary to announce publicly for contact tracing purposes. If there is anything statistically significant about a category of people, the information should be carefully communicated statistically and not at the individual level.

We need public trust for a successful public health measure. Trust cannot be forced, it is earned, for example, through Rule of Law. Comments and criticism must be taken positively and constructively as an observation from the field. It make not be entirely accurate, but it’s also not “fake news” to be entirely dismissed. The government must guarantee transparency and facilitate an informed decision by all stakeholders. And, yes, everybody is a stakeholder in this pandemic. We’re all in this together.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27551/feature-transparency-and-clarity-needed-in-governments-digital-response-to-covid/

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Daily new Covid cases hit record of more than 9,600

Thailand reported a new single-day record of more than 9,600 coronavirus cases on Monday following a discovery of new clusters at eight prisons.

“Of the cases reported today, 6,853 were in prisons,” said Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, the spokesperson of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

The CCSA reported 9,635 confirmed cases and 25 related deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases found in the third wave between April 1 and May 17 to 82,219 cases and 520 deaths.

Of the 2,773 local cases (excluding the 6,853 cases in prisons) that were found in the past 24 hours, the highest numbers by province were 1,843 in Bangkok, followed by 155 in Samut Prakan, 146 in Pathum Thani, 129 in Nonthaburi and 53 in Samut Sakhon.

Bangkok, the hardest hit province in the third wave which started at entertainment venues in the capital and surrounding provinces since April 1, has reported on Monday that they have found 28 clusters in 19 districts so far, the CCSA said.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27578/daily-new-covid-cases-hit-record-of-more-than-9600/

[reader]

From The Thaiger

70% of people to have first dose of Covid-19 vaccine by September

By September, 70% of the population in Thailand is expected to have received at least their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. An accelerated rollout of vaccines is expected to takeoff next month when the locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine is ready for public use.

Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the government will focus on administering the first shot to the majority of the populations within the next 3 to 4 months and assures the public that doses will be available for a second shot.

As of yesterday, just over 1.5 million people had received their first dose of the vaccine while 819,961 people were fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. The population of Thailand is around 70 million people. In a previous statement, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha said the Thai government aims to vaccinate 50 million people by the end of the year.

Many have criticised the Thai government for being too slow on its nationwide vaccination programme, saying they relied too heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being produced locally by Siam Bioscience.

[Lonnie]

7 minutes ago, reader said:

By September, 70%

Let's hope they can speed it up!

[Guest]

70% of the population, which is just under 70 million.

Allowing for waste, let's round off to 50 million doses by September.   Then another 50 million doses within 3 months for the second jab.   So a total of 100 million doses needed by the end of the year.

That would need to be very much at the top end of the range projected by the Bangkok post recently. Lets hope that's what they get.  I have my doubts.

For comparison, the UK has a similar population and has so far delivered 58 million vaccines in just under 6 months, which is one of the better per capita rates.   

Admittedly, if the supply constraint were removed, it could be much much faster.

[reader]

From Channel News Asia

Thailand to extend interval of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses to 16 weeks

BANGKOK: Thailand will extend the gap between the first and second doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine to 16 weeks, in an effort to inoculate more people faster, a senior health official said on Monday (May 24).

The plan follows a similar decision by Spain to stretch the gap between two AstraZeneca doses to 16 weeks, which is beyond the 12 weeks maximum interval approved by the European Medicines Agency. A 16-week interval has not been tested in human trials.

Thailand's change, from a 10-week gap previously, comes ahead of the planned start of a mass immunisation campaign from June, for which AstraZeneca's vaccine will be the main one used.

"This is to increase the number of people who get vaccinated," Kiattiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary of the health ministry, told Reuters, adding it would help create herd immunity faster.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-extend-dose-interval-astrazeneca-covid-19-16-weeks-14877530

[anddy]

6 minutes ago, reader said:

This is to increase the number of people who get vaccinated,"

the real reason is more likely insufficient supply because a certain inexperienced firm has issues:

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27859/hospitals-postpone-covid-jabs-amid-delays-in-domestic-astrazeneca-production/

 

[spoon]

I wonder if travel restriction will accept one dose vaccine or still require 2 dose for herd immunity 70%? If still need 2 doses, then travelling by this year might not be possible. 

[reader]

From Channel News Agency

Vaccine hesitancy grows ahead of Thailand's mass inoculation rollout

Thailand has reported 135,439 infections and 832 deaths since the pandemic began last year.

In January, 83 per cent of Thais surveyed by polling firm YouGov were willing to be vaccinated, but by May that dropped to 63 per cent in the same poll, lower than Vietnam and the Philippines at 83 per cent and 66 per cent willingness, respectively.

Thai-based Suan Dusit Poll on Sunday (May 23) echoed the YouGov findings of rising vaccine hesitancy, with 64 per cent of respondents willing to be vaccinated, compared with 66 per cent in January.

Dissatisfaction with the military-backed government's vaccine strategy has been building for months.

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/thailand-covid-19-mass-inoculation-rollout-vaccine-hesitancy-14882232

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Vaccine chaos: registration through app suspended

The government plans to suspend registration for Covid-19 vaccinations through its Mor Prom online platform to forestall a bottleneck, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

CCSA spokesman Taweesilp Visanuyothin said on Wednesday that the Mor Prom platform previously covered registration for vaccinations, follow-ups on the first and second jabs, side effects and vaccination certification.

Amid increasing confusion, he said registration was now excluded from the Mor Prom (Doctors Ready) app. That platform will now handle vaccination follow-ups and certification only.

Earlier the government announced that the general public would be allowed to register through Mor Prom.

But in a sudden about-turn, Dr Taweesilp said provincial authorities should have their own vaccination registration systems like those of Bangkok, Phuket and Nonthaburi to serve the large numbers of registrants in their areas.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2122039/vaccine-registration-through-app-suspended

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From The Thaiger

Government may miss vaccination target due to supply issues

The Thai government is being warned that ongoing issues with Covid-19 vaccine supply may cause it to miss its target of obtaining 10 million doses in June. The Federation of Thai Industries says the supply problems will impact the country’s vaccination rollout and is calling on the government to accelerate the process by allowing private companies to import doses from a variety of manufacturers. It adds that choice is important, given the risk of new variants.

The FTI’s warning comes after a number of hospitals confirmed they are suspending inoculation with the AstraZeneca vaccine as they are running out of doses or have already run out. The Public Health Minister has responded to supply concerns by insisting that additional doses will be delivered in time for the rollout to commence on June 7.

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/thai-industry-body-says-government-may-miss-vaccination-target-due-to-supply-issues

 

 

 

[reader]

From Bangkok Post

Princess allows new vaccine imports

His Majesty the King's sister has approved coronavirus vaccine imports by an institution she sponsors, bypassing the government as it deals with surging infections and growing public anger over a slow and chaotic rollout.

The secretary-general of the Chulabhorn Royal Academy wrote on Facebook that the "alternative vaccines" would supplement the government campaign until it could meet the country's needs.

The government, which has long insisted it must handle all vaccine imports, will next month start its mass immunisation drive, which relies heavily on AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured locally by a company owned by the king.

The announcement in the Royal Gazette took some in the government by surprise, and comes as the country suffers its most severe Covid-19 outbreak so far and growing unease about the vaccine plan.

The decree was announced late on Tuesday and expanded the Chulabhorn Royal Academy's ability to respond to coronavirus. It was signed by Princess Chulabhorn, its chairwoman and the youngest sibling of King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

"The Royal Academy will procure 'alternative vaccines' until vaccines that are produced in the country reach a capacity that can sufficiently protect against outbreaks," its secretary-general, Nithi Mahanonda, posted on Facebook, adding that it would comply with regulations on imports and registration.

Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said he was unaware of the royal order before it was published.

"I just saw the announcement last night," Mr Anutin said when asked about it during a local television interview.

"But if it is a benefit to the country, we are ready."

The Chulabhorn Royal Academy, which includes a hospital and research institute, will organise a news conference for Friday about what it said was its importation of the vaccine of Sinopharm.

Thailand is expected to approve the Chinese vaccine for emergency use this week.

It was not immediately clear how many vaccines the academy would import and when, as well as whether they would be free.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2122619/princess-allows-new-vaccine-imports

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From The Thai Enquirer

Opinion: A royal intervention in the healthcare arena is a rebuke against Prayut

Any political science student would have been taught that the defining concept of a functioning state is the monopoly on the legitimate use of force. This notion was first proposed by the great political scientist Max Weber in 1919. In 2019, 100 years later, the Coronavirus may have given us a new definition of what it means to be a state.

If we were to re-define the Weberian concept to fit with today’s most pressing concern, it is probably not far-fetched to claim that instead of the monopoly on the use of force, it is rather the monopoly on the legitimate implementation of healthcare policy that is the most important indication of a well-functioning state.

The announcement in the Royal Gazette that the Chulabhorn Royal Academy can ignore and bypass the Prayut government’s policy to centralize the procurement of the Covid-19 vaccines is not only an embarrassment to the government, but also tantamount to a pseudo power-grab, at least within the healthcare realm. (Read more here)

The Chulabhorn Institute and the Royal Academy are scientific research organizations, named after and chaired by HRH Princess Chulabhorn.

Specifically, the decree grants autonomous power to the Institute in negotiating and importing Covid-19 vaccines with the manufacturers both in Thailand and abroad. This was a right that was reserved for only the Thai government. Any effort to procure the vaccines was supposed to be centralized at the Ministry of Health. While the announcement is most certainly a benevolent gesture by the Institute, it highlights the royal frustration and the split among the ruling elites over how the Prayut government is handling the crisis.

HRH Princess Chulabhorn is taking the matter in her own hands. She is trying to do what she can to alleviate the dire healthcare situation and to compensate for the delay in vaccine procurement by the Ministry of Health and its relevant agencies. But the royal move, exercised in this manner however well-intentioned, calls into question the political legitimacy of the government and its authority in the management of the crisis. It is a no-confidence censure and a royal rebuke of both Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Minister of Health Anutin Charnveerakul.

At the moment, Thailand is ranked sixth in ASEAN in the vaccination rate, behind Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar. We have only fully vaccinated 1.4% of our population and there are 104 countries in the world ahead of us on this metric. At the current rate, some estimates claim that it would take us more than 7 years to get to the goal of 100 million doses administered. On top of this, there are questions over whether we would have enough vaccines at all and how much longer would the delivery be delayed. Making the matter worse is the inability of our leadership to communicate coherently and effectively which has further hampered people’s confidence.

While the royal intervention may be welcomed by those who have become hopeless in the current situation, it points to a larger problem in our society. When our top institution becomes too involved in people’s welfare, whether it exercises that power directly or through an agency, it exposes itself to being politicized and thus such a move is a double-edged sword that could end up hurting its own reputation and sanctity.

It may have helped obviate the need for the royal institution to feel like it needs to save Thailand from sinking deeper into a health-care abyss, if our governance is cushioned by an effective, democratic check-and-balance system that can hold our government accountable in times like this. When we do not have that system to rely on–and we rarely ever do in our political history–we become accustomed to waiting and seeking a politically exogenous intervention. Sometimes, this materialized as a military putsch. At other times, we had extra-judicial interference. This time, it came in a form of an ostentatious royal intervention with a health-care twist.

For now, we can be sure that the ruling elites have split and that move by HRH Princess Chulabhorn has highlighted the royal anxiety over the government’s mishandling of the crisis. What this means in practice is that our government is no longer in control of its health care apparatus and there is a functioning, competing alternative health-care system led by HRH Princess Chulabhorn herself. If Prayut and Anutin do not step up their game quickly, it will be to no one’s surprise when a more powerful intervention beyond the healthcare arena finally takes place. And sadly, it will once again happen at the expense of Thai democratic development.

https://www.thaienquirer.com/27935/opinion-a-royal-intervention-in-the-healthcare-arena-is-a-rebuke-against-prayuth/

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[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, reader said:

From Bangkok Post

. . . For now, we can be sure that the ruling elites have split and that move by HRH Princess Chulabhorn has highlighted the royal anxiety over the government’s mishandling of the crisis. What this means in practice is that our government is no longer in control of its health care apparatus and there is a functioning, competing alternative health-care system led by HRH Princess Chulabhorn herself. If Prayut and Anutin do not step up their game quickly, it will be to no one’s surprise when a more powerful intervention beyond the healthcare arena finally takes place. And sadly, it will once again happen at the expense of Thai democratic development.

And I for one do not give a f--k! Since the end of last year the government has been a disaster in terms of its anti-covid programme. If the Princess's Academy can do what the government seemingly cannot - or, more likely, will not - do to relieve people's suffering, do we really believe anyone in the country is going to shed tears over a non-functioning democracy? They will worry about that once the country is safe again and people are no longer in fear of dying or being out of a job for more months on end.

[Lucky]

Long live the Princess!

[reader]

From Thai Enquirer

Hospitals restrict vaccine registration amid supply concerns

The Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA) and several private hospitals were closing their registration procedures for vaccination against the Covid-19 virus on Monday.

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) last week asked people to “slow down” their vaccine registration via the Mor Phrom Application due to limited supply of vaccines.

The locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine will reportedly not be delivered in June as scheduled.

The CRA announced online that their registration has reached capacity, and it will not be registering any new patients to ensure vaccines are allocated to those who have registered.

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Opinion: Corporations have chosen to remain open, it will cost lives and suffering

By Cod Satrusayang

 

 

Over the last two weeks, Thai companies have been questioned over Covid-19 outbreaks in their workplace. 

Construction firms have seen a spike in the number of cases in construction sites while factories have been closed due to outbreaks. 

The biggest names in Thai industry have been implicated including Sino-Thai Constructions, Italian-Thai Development, and now Charoen Pokphand. 

 

On Sunday, CP Foods announced the closure of one of its factories in Saraburi after 245 people tested positive for the virus. 

Their other 18 factories will remain open. 

It is interesting to note that even at the height of the Covid-19 crisis, firms like Sino-Thai and CP kept their factories and sites open to keep the bottom line as unaffected and their shareholders as happy as possible. 

Even when there are real human costs. 

The Covid-19 pandemic currently has a mortality rate of around 2 per cent. That number is less in Thailand but that is a testament to the fine doctors and nurses in our public health services. 

But the fact remains, people will die. 

 

Thousands have now been infected because these factories have stayed open, because best practices in keeping the workplaces safe have not been introduced, and because of corporate greed. 

Choosing to remain open, to keep building, keep processing, and keep working will cost people their lives. People have died, are dying, and will keep dying because these CEOs and business leaders that we venerate in the back pages of Thailand Tatler have chosen to value the bottom line more than human lives. 

It should not be surprising for longtime observers of Thailand that his is happening. This is a country where corporations rule supreme. Above politics, above government, above the rule of law, corporations operate on another plain in Thai society. 

But unlike other abuses in the past, both human and environmental – the effects of corporate greed have been laid bare for all to see during the coronavirus pandemic. The human costs aren’t hidden away in the margins of court rulings and knock-on environmental effects that manifest themselves decades later. 

So far, these corporations have not said whether or not they would support the families of workers who died through their negligence. 

Continues at

 

https://www.thaienquirer.com/28050/opinion-corporations-have-chosen-to-remain-open-it-will-cost-lives-and-suffering/

 

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From Bangkok Post

Bangkok spa, parks, beauty clinics to open Tuesday

Five groups of places allowed to operate with some restrictions

City Hall has allowed some places with no reports of Covid clusters to open from Tuesday, including spas and beauty clinics.

Its communicable disease committee met on Monday to consider easing Covid-19 measures for businesses.

The panel decided that since the Covid clusters to date were found in communities, markets and construction workers’ camps, measures for other places should be eased to help operators.

The places allowed to operate from Tuesday are:

• museums, learning centres, with strict measures in place such as a ban on group visits
• tattoo shops, or shops providing any kind of skin-piercing services, and nail salons
• beauty and weight-control clinics and shops
• spas and massage shops, except sauna and facial massage services
• public parks, botanical or floral gardens, with strict measures in place such as a ban on group sitting and consumption of food and drinks, except drinking water

Other places remain temporarily closed until June 14. 

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2124511/bangkok-spa-parks-beauty-clinics-to-open-tuesday

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From Tourism Authority of Thailand

 

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From The Thaiger

 

Tim and Bill of "Good Morning Thailand" go through all the latest news from around Thailand including an interview about the Bangkok slums areas of high density housing, also the latest in the Phuket Sandbox and Thailand reopening plans, Malaysia’s new ‘lockdown’.

 

https://thethaiger.com/news/national/good-morning-thailand-the-situation-in-bangkok-slums-thailand-re-opening-plans

[anddy]

4 hours ago, reader said:

Bangkok spa, parks, beauty clinics to open Tuesday

NOPE. Was (again) overruled by the central government. What morons, can't they consult each other beforehand?

One is painfully reminded of:

It would be funny if it weren't so serious. Getting really annoying, the people affected must be despairing....

[vinapu]

In this pandemic it seems all governments everywhere are making some moronic decisions and I can't even blame them for  keeping trying to find what works the best but you are  right anddy - they  should consult with each other instead of waging turf wars on the backs of general population ,  already heavily affected .

Our government where I'm made  mistakes too but at least if they introduce rule it stays for a good while and if they cancel it , so does cancellation so  at least we are not subject of cancellation. Rules about wearing mask in public stay the  same since July 1st last year, my sister lives in different country and they had at least 4 changes in meantime 

 

[Guest]

Food processing is essential so people can eat, so it's standard practice to keep such facilities open.    Admittedly some of it might be junk food, but from what I understand, not everyone has the facilities to turn raw ingredients into decent meals, so processing is needed.

As for beauty clinics & their antithesis, tattoo shops, these are very much non-essential services and I wouldn't think they should be a priority for reopening when covid is circulating.

 

[PeterRS]

7 hours ago, z909 said:

As for beauty clinics & their antithesis, tattoo shops, these are very much non-essential services and I wouldn't think they should be a priority for reopening when covid is circulating.

Probably a good many are owned by a senior politician, a General in the army or top policeman! Since one or two were involved in owning gogo bars, it's not outwith the bounds of possibility that even more were making oodles of cash from these other businesses. TIT after all!

On a more serious note, I read somewhere yesterday that there are actually 3 million foreigners living in Thailand. No doubt the vast majority are from neighbouring countries and work in lowly jobs. But if these are included by the government in the expat figures when it comes to vaccines, the Lord only knows when most of us, especially those above a certain age, might end up with a needle in their arms.

[reader]

Visions of the gang that couldn't shoot straight

If the consequences weren't so dire , if the confusion didn't threaten the country's recovery, the debate below would be almost comical. Perhaps they'd be wise to adopt the proverb "It's better to seek forgiveness than ask permission."

From The Thaiger / Bangkok Post

In what could put yet another spanner in the works, the Thai government is questioning if local authorities can purchase vaccines and whether state-allocated budgets can be used for this purpose. The Bangkok Post reports that officials at the Interior Ministry fear a chaotic rollout, with several local administrative organisations racing to order supplies of Sinopharm, the latest vaccine to be approved for emergency use.

Last week, the Chulabhorn Royal Academy confirmed its intention to order Sinopharm doses directly from China, which it says will supplement the government’s vaccine allocation for the national rollout, set to begin next Monday.

The ministry has now referred the question of LOAs purchasing vaccines to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The PM has also expressed concerns about how or if LOAs can afford to purchase vaccines and if they can legally use their allocated budgets to do so. Prayut Chan-o-cha insists he has no objection in theory, but points out that there may be restrictions in place which prevent them using funds for the purchase of vaccines. He says the laws governing the matter need to be checked.

“If they can undo this (restriction), by all means go ahead and do it. I don’t want the issue to become politicised.”

According to deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam, LAOs would need to ask the Interior Ministry to lift the restriction on how state-allocated funds can be spent.

“Otherwise, the LAOs will be in trouble with the State Audit Office for wrongful utilisation of state funds.”

He adds that LAOs cannot buy vaccines directly from manufacturers, but would need to order from their appointed representatives. In the case of Sinopharm this would be the CRA.

However, the Interior Ministry remains concerned about the potential chaos resulting from over 7,000 LAOs across the country trying to buy their own vaccines. Minister Anupong Paojinda points out that some are wealthier than others, and the CCSA must decide if purchasing power can be devolved or if the government should obtain the vaccines for them.

https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/government-unsure-if-local-administration-budgets-can-be-used-to-buy-vaccines

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From the Tourism Authority of Thailand

[PeterRS]

I am starting to think all threads about vaccines in Thailand should be frozen. If not, the language in posts will become quickly X-rated. I know this is Thailand, but I remain utterly appalled - and furious - at the cheer inefficiency and now the chaos engulfing those who were elected to solve problems like these. They are the ones who got the country into this disaster by taking their collective eyes off the ball and permitting corruption and cronyism to rule, as it always does. It's at times like this that I wish Thailand would have a benevolent dictator rather than a collective bunch of political morons.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I am starting to think all threads about vaccines in Thailand should be frozen.

Yes we do need to take care.    For instance, to talk about the ownership of the local vaccine maker would be against board rules.

I generally try not to get stressed out about the political leadership of other countries.    I'll attempt to adapt to whatever happens -either by putting up with it or going somewhere else next time. 

Even those of you resident in Thailand have a very low probability of catching and dying from covid.    Just take care for a few months, probably get a vaccine within the next 6 months, then carry on.

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, z909 said:

Even those of you resident in Thailand have a very low probability of catching and dying from covid.    Just take care for a few months, probably get a vaccine within the next 6 months, then carry on.

Well, that's reassuring! We've been taking care for more than 14 months and just have to wait another six??? I'm at the point where I might consider flying to another country, doing the two week quarantine, getting vaccinated and then coming back for the second two week quarantine. Trouble is there seems there is a major shortage of vaccines in this part of the world. The one place that has more than it needs is Hong Kong. But in 3 days it raises its quarantine period for those from Thailand to 3 weeks with a further week for observation! That rules that out for me. I wonder what the rules are in the UK. At least there I believe I could quarantine in a family member's house (he lives alone).  

[Guest]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

Well, that's reassuring! We've been taking care for more than 14 months and just have to wait another six??? I'm at the point where I might consider flying to another country, doing the two week quarantine, getting vaccinated and then coming back for the second two week quarantine. Trouble is there seems there is a major shortage of vaccines in this part of the world. The one place that has more than it needs is Hong Kong. But in 3 days it raises its quarantine period for those from Thailand to 3 weeks with a further week for observation! That rules that out for me. I wonder what the rules are in the UK. At least there I believe I could quarantine in a family member's house (he lives alone).  

Getting stressed out about it does nothing

Other approaches, such as, expressing your views to the major shareholder in the company you mentioned in the opening post is unlikely to improve your circumstances either.

So I guess it's down to getting on with it as I suggested OR, as you suggest traveling for a vaccine.  

 

I don't know what age you are, but for a 55 year old male, the probability of dying from any cause in the next 12 months is 1 in 128, or 0.77%.     

To put it in perspective, one in 65000 people in Thailand have died from covid so far.  Or 0.0015%.      We can adjust this up by say 10x for age, or down a bit for careful lifestyle.    But it needs a lot of adjustment to meaningfully alter the 0.77%.

Realistically, for covid to meaningfully increase your probability of death in the next 12 months, the infection rate would have to get much much worse.    That's possible, but I doubt it.

 

If you fly to the UK, you need a covid test beforehand & you have to pay for test(s) in the UK.   DON'T fly via a red zone country, as that means hotel quarantine and I would try to minimize the time between booking a flight and traveling, in case of rule changes.    There are also some online forms to do.

My other piece of advice would be to investigate any option that does not involve 15 nights hotel quarantine upon returning to Thailand.

Disclaimer:   All figures are approximate.   Death rate data from world meters and probability of death data is from US in 2017.  Due to a large difference in order of magnitude, this is unimportant to the conclusions. 

 

 

 

[reader]

From The Nation

US pledges to help Thailand procure vaccines

The United States is ready to help Thailand procure Covid-19 vaccines, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said during a meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Prayut congratulated Sherman on taking up her post, and US President Joe Biden for his victory in the election, expressing hope that the US and Thailand would continue building stronger friendship and cooperation, according to government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri.

Sherman also praised friendship between the two countries that has lasted for over 188 years, Anucha said.

"She said the US has a policy to help many countries, including Thailand, in seeking Covid-19 vaccines in a bid to enable them to overcome the crisis."

He added that Prayut appreciated the US offer and was willing to commence operations under the vaccine import process.

Anucha said Sherman and Prayut also talked about the climate, bio-circular-green (BCG) economy, human trafficking and the situation in Myanmar.

https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40001595

[anddy]

On 6/1/2021 at 6:37 PM, PeterRS said:

I am starting to think all threads about vaccines in Thailand should be frozen. If not, the language in posts will become quickly X-rated. I know this is Thailand, but I remain utterly appalled - and furious - at the cheer inefficiency and now the chaos engulfing those who were elected to solve problems like these. They are the ones who got the country into this disaster by taking their collective eyes off the ball and permitting corruption and cronyism to rule, as it always does. It's at times like this that I wish Thailand would have a benevolent dictator rather than a collective bunch of political morons.

I'm with @PeterRS on this, this is getting SOOO annoying. The point (for me) is not fear of covid, but wanting to get the vaccine to be able to travel again as soon as possible (which currently it is not even fully vaccinated). But with the "Phuket Sandbox" with Q-free entry into Phuket supposed to come July 1st, they now also restricted domestic travel to Phuket to vaccinated people (of which there are virtually none at this point). 

As for "those who were elected to solve problems", remember they were NOT. They rigged the system and the election such that they got back to power. Thailand in fact DOES have a de-facto dictator (especially in the covid arena, nothing whatsoever happens there without his nod), except he is neither benevolent nor competent but the source of all current ills  

Considering a vax trip to Germany, too. It would be easy to go there (I think no quarantine requirement there for Thai arrivals) and to get the vaccine. But all so utterly unreliable and unplannable for the return to Thailand. The Phuket model supposed to work only for "low to medium risk countries" (obviously they don't fully trust the vaccines). Even if Germany is low or medium at the time of going there, that designation can change in a heartbeat and then I get stuck there. Complete no-go!