reader Posted July 29, 2021 Posted July 29, 2021 From The Thaiger / Thai PBS 7 Bangkok Bang Sue Grand Station volunteers are currently under investigation for a suspected scam. However, Amnat Traipot, the commander of the railway police said today that even more people are suspected of being involved with the scam. The Bang Sue scam was reported to the police yesterday by officials from the Department of Medical Services. Reportedly, the volunteers would make reservations for people when the facility was closed. Amnat says multiple people will be summoned for questioning, such as people who did not personally register themselves but retained the services of volunteers at a cost of 400 to 1,200 baht a person, and that they accepted cash or a money transfer. The director of the vaccination facility, Dr Mingkwan Vichaidith spoke of the Bang Sue scam saying officials first noticed something was amiss in the registration system last week when additional reservations appeared after the facility closed. Additional poking around into the matter revealed 2 volunteers had made the registrations for around 2,000 people through the True mobile phone system during off hours, says Dr Mingkwan. The doctor adds that there is evidence of money changing hands via money transfers that incriminates 4 volunteers. The doctor says people should register by themselves and to avoid scams like this where con artists/volunteers ask for money to get you a vaccination reservation. It has been reported on social media that there are large crowds at the Bang Sue site, but the Health Minister cleared up the matter by saying it was just an issue of “camera angles or whatever”. The health minister has yet to address this Bang Sue scam, or the other issues it was riddled with today including online registrations opening 2 hours late, the 18-59 age group quota quickly filling up, and a variety of other, unspecified problems. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/bangkok-bang-sue-scam-under-investigation-7-volunteers-and-counting-to-be-questioned ==================================== Sleeper trains in Bangkok to become isolation facilities Sleeper trains in Bangkok are being converted into isolation facilities for Covid-19 patients who are waiting for a hospital bed to become available. With the surge of Covid-19 cases, today hitting a record high of 17,669 new cases, hospitals in Bangkok, the epicentre of infections, have run low on beds to treat patients infected with the coronavirus. At Bang Sue Grand Station, 15 sleeping cars will become temporary isolation areas for those waiting for a hospital bed to become available. Each train car has 16 beds, allowing 240 people to isolate themselves at the railway station. https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/sleeper-trains-in-bangkok-to-become-isolation-facilities-for-covid-19-patients ==================================== US to donate 2.5 million vaccine doses to Thailand According to a Thai PBS World report, the US has confirmed it will donate 2.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand. Thai-American senator Tammy Duckworth made the announcement during a webinar on Thai-US relations. It’s understood the donation is part of a pledge by the administration of US President, Joe Biden, to provide vaccines for developing countries. The US has already donated 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Thailand, with the Thai government pledging to administer 700,000 doses to every frontline healthcare worker in the country. Despite the assurances, a group of medical workers and other concerned persons have called on the US to oversee the distribution of the donated vaccines in order to hold the government to its word. The long-awaited Pfizer doses are now expected to land in the Kingdom tomorrow, with the US Embassy planning a press conference to confirm their arrival. Thai PBS World reports that 645,000 doses will be given to the elderly, women who are more than 12 weeks’ pregnant, and people with underlying conditions. 150,000 doses will be given to foreign residents who meet the same criteria. 40,000 doses will be used to study the vaccine’s efficacy against new variants, while 5 doses will be reserved for further research. Thailand has already taken delivery of over a million doses of AstraZeneca, donated by the Japanese government. The UK government has also announced its intention to donate 415,000 vaccine doses to Thailand, part of 9 million doses it plans to donate to countries around the world. https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/cv19-vaccines/us-government-to-donate-2-5-million-vaccine-doses-to-thailand vaughn 1 Quote
