Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Around 7,000 people in Bangkok have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19

Only 7,121 residents in Bangkok have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 since the Thai government rolled out its immunisation campaign in late-February, according to a report from Nation Thailand. Bangkok has more than 10 million residents. To reach herd immunity against Covid-19, 70% of the population needs to be vaccinated.
More than 100,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered, but most people have only been injected with the first dose of either the Sinovac or AstraZeneca jab. Both require 2 doses to be effective.
AstraZeneca is said to have a 4 to up to 12 week interval between jabs while the second dose of Sinovac is taken 2 to 4 weeks after the first shot.
In Bangkok, those included in the first phase of inoculations are residents who are at high risk of infection, are over 60 years old or work in the healthcare field. In Phuket and Koh Samui, vaccines are being distributed to the general population in an effort to reach herd immunity by July and reopen the islands to foreign tourists.
Here’s who got the jabbed in Bangkok, according to Nation Thailand:
- 55,126 doses went to public health staff and volunteers
- 18,722 doses went to residents living in high risk areas
- 11,616 doses went to residents over 60 years old
- 10,194 doses went to workers who are in close contact with Covid-19 patients
- 7,625 doses went to those with chronic diseases
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Investigations of Covid-19 infected elite rule-breakers demanded

Investigations are being demanded by a corruption watchdog into Thai politicians infected with Covid-19 after allegedly attending venues in the Thong Lor entertainment venues in Bangkok that have now emerged as the ground zero for the Coronavirus third wave in the Kingdom.
The Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand are being asked to investigate the latest Covid-19 outbreak, noting in a Facebook post that the second wave was also linked to illegal activities, spreading through illegal migrants and other visiting gambling dens. This third wave is also angering those who see the wealthy elite and powerful politicians frequenting high-end bars and not following Covid-19 safety protocols.
Mana Nimitmongkol, secretary-general of ACT argues that the ministers visiting these clubs did not behave “ethically”, and it’s part of a larger problem. He is pushing for legal action against not only club owners, but against police, public health officials, and even the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration for failing to enforce laws to protect against Covid-19.
Investigations into whether the code of ethics had been violated were requested to be carried out by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the Ombudsman and the committee on ethical standards.
As entertainment venues have been ordered closed for at least 2 weeks, Mana proposes that along with restrictions, a hotline to report rule-breakers should be set up, and all people should be held to the same standard without exception.
The president of the Rural Doctors Society agreed, saying that especially important is the need for Covid-19 infected public officials to disclose their personal timelines to reassure the public and assist in contract tracing. It is feared that little or no action will be taken to investigate and punish powerful rulebreakers.
One controversial infection was that of Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob, rumoured to be infected from Thong Lor nightclubs, but later shown to be in another province at the time. The entertainment venue outbreak was not completely innocent though, as details emerged that the minister’s infection was in fact passed to him via an aide who had frequented clubs in Thong Lor.
Chuvit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour owner turned activist, has been outspoken on the issue, calling for investigations into high-society VIP clubs like Krystal Club and Emerald Club, who allegedly flaunted restrictions and ended up with dozens of Covid-19 infected staff members.
The Metropolitan Police Bureau chief had said that legal action was pending against these clubs for the virus spreading.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Chiang Mai
Tourism officials slash Songkran travel expectations by half

The TAT, ever the optimists regarding anything tourism related, even domestic tourism, predict that the Bangkok clusters that have emerged in the week before the Songkran break could reduce traffic and spending by up to half.
Today the CCSA is reporting 789 new infections and one additional death. 522 were local infections, mostly walk-ins to Bangkok hospitals, 259 were discovered through track and tracing. The remaining 8 were found in quarantine from overseas arrivals. In Phuket, another 17 cases have been reported today, taking the island’s week total to 43.
GRAPH: Worldometer figures for Thailand, up to April 9
A 68 year old man from Nakhon Pathom province died on April 4 but wasn’t reported until today. The CCSA report that he died from Covid and “complications”. 33 other former patients have recovered and been discharged.
Last week the TAT estimated 3.2 million domestic trips would circulate 12 billion baht for the Thai economy. But the Tourism Authority has now slashed their estimates by half after hotels, airlines and bus companies reported mass cancellations in the last few days. Other provinces are reporting less than 20% cancellations. Although this weekend will see a lot of travel, Songkran doesn’t formally start until next Tuesday and the TAT expect there could be additional fallout as travellers decide to have a staycation for Songkran instead heading home.
Bangkok Post reports that 70% of travellers to Prachuap Khiri Khan and Hua Hin have already cancelled hotel bookings. Similar cancellations have been reported in Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai. Many other provinces, particularly in the north east and north, are also enforcing quarantine on arrivals or additional paperwork to try and protect their provinces from any of the Bangkok clusters.
8 north eastern provinces rare now requiring 10 or 14 day quarantine periods for anyone arriving from areas where new clusters have been reported. Chiang Mai provincial officials say that tourists from Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom, Bangkok, Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi – basically Bangkok and surrounding provinces – must complete a 14 day mandatory quarantine or conduct a test for Covid when they arrive.
The reality is that the travel and quarantine changes are outstripping the ability to communicate them all. Anyone crossing into other provinces in the next few day, especially if you’re travelling from Bangkok and surrounding provincial ‘red zones’ can expect some additional paperwork or a Covid test. Or even quarantine.
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Protests
Attendance on the wane for Thai democracy protests

While protesters against the Thai government are continuing as they have for endless months, attendance is lessening in the face of crackdowns, coups and Covid-19. The throngs of 10,000 plus protesters, mostly energetic youth, that waved The Hunger Games 3 finger salute and demanded change in Thailand last summer have thinned to a few thousand or less these days.
The government isn’t in the clear yet though, as the protester’s calls to replace the current government, lessen the power of the Thai monarchy, and draw up a new constitution are still popular ideas. But a number of factors are causing protester size and vigour to wane.
The second wave of Covid in December quickly curbed the daily demonstrations for fear of spreading the virus. After that, the coup in Myanmar on February 1 has brought massive protests with international attention shifting to the growing humanitarian crisis just across the border. On top of the pandemic and the Burmese coup, the Thai government has taken a much more hardline approach to protesters in recent months.
Police began fighting back against mass demonstrations, dispersing crowds with water cannons, tear gas, and rubber bullets. And after 2 years of leniency, the government has begun prosecuting people under the strict lèse-majesté laws, where offending the monarchy can carry harsh punishment including a jail sentence of up to 15 years.
Anon Nampa, a human-rights lawyer, and Parit “Penguin” Chiwarak, a student activist, have already been arrested under this law and held without bail. Arrests like these have been demoralising for the pro-democracy movement, and have scared away a lot of Thai protesters. Many have shifted focus to more immediate efforts to demand the release of the detained protest leaders.
Even with the crowds shrinking, the protests have already brought about change, bringing once unspeakable conversations into the national conversation, and keeping pressure on Thailand’s leaders. Opposition is growing, with efforts to push no-confidence votes and amendments to the constitution being constantly proposed and advocated.
SOURCE: The Economist
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ChrisG
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 3:31 pm
Terrible numbers, the vaccine is the only way out, they need to get those rookie numbers up otherwise the positive Covid numbers will keep being a problem.
Optimist
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 3:45 pm
Wow, that is 0.063% of the BKK population
Stardust
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 4:05 pm
Bangkok with a population with 12 million and unofficial up to 18 million because many are registrated in their home provinces/villages. So that means they are failing in the vaccination, because for a herd imunity you have to vaccinate 70% of the population and most vaccines needs two jabs.
Ted
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 4:07 pm
Glad Thaiger [also] pointed out that they go out with “only” had 7k vaccinated is purely laughable. Thais should be embarrassed that their own government doesn’t believe more in them, that they won’t understand the sincerity in this, lack of action from the people in charge
Joe
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 5:26 pm
“Both require 2 doses to be effective.”
Not actually true. Giving 200 people 1 dose is better than giving 100 people 2 doses, if the goal is to reduce the spread of covid.
Science is out on this and this is the strategy the UK is taking.
2 doses are more effective, but it seems 3 months apart between doses is optimal.
murika
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 9:06 pm
Great news ! At this rate all of bkk will get to jabs of vaccine by 2068… praise be payut our visionary leader
TS
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 10:41 pm
vaccine has only been available a few weeks. Or not. it’s all very muddled. Orders were placed, or not. No gov monopoly on private imports? or not. eexcept for the indispensable leaders who bravely got theirs way before the commoners to show it was safe. 7,000 vaccinated in BKK so far? Truly huge! way to go pm & co.- remararkable.
Leo Z
Friday, April 9, 2021 at 10:57 pm
Obscene numbers. That’s about 0.8% of BKK’s 12 million who have received at least one dose. At this rate (or even doubling it) it will be at year end when they’ll have 20% of the population vaccinated?
Timmytime
Saturday, April 10, 2021 at 6:44 pm
Wow 7000 fully vaccinated. If the number had been 700.000 i would actually been amazed but 7000. At this rate it will take years to vaccinate even half the population.