Thailand
198 new infections, 1 death – Thailand’s Covid-19 update

After a week of high and lows in the reporting of the latest clusters, Thailand officials are reporting 198 new infections of Covid-19 today, with 180 being locally transmitted. 69 of those local infections were found via tests at medical facilities and 111 were found by proactive testing. Most of the proactive tests were found in Samut Sakhon, where the 2nd wave of the virus is thought to have began.
Of the 180 local infections reported on Saturday, 163 were found in Samut Sakhon followed by Bangkok with 9 cases and Samut Songkhram with 5. 18 cases, out of the newly reported bunch, were found in quarantine facilities, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration.
The new cases bring the total number of infections to 13,302 since the pandemic began last year. 10,448 people have recovered and 2,782 patients are currently being treated for the virus. The total number of deaths has risen by 1 to 72 people. The new death was of a 81 year old male patient from Phichit who had diabetes. He contracted the virus from a family member who visited Samut Sakhon.
Since the 2nd wave of infections has begun, there have been 9,065 cases confirmed between December 15 and January 23, which have brought on travel restrictions in 28 provinces. Such provinces are considered “highly controlled” with those entering and leaving required to pass through checkpoints.
The 2nd wave of the outbreak brought the virus to 63 out of 77 provinces in Thailand with the hardest-hit province continuing to be Samut Sakhon, which reported 5,184 confirmed cases between December 18 and January 23.
This was followed by Bangkok (657), Chonburi (648), Rayong (573), Samut Prakan (322), Chanthaburi (220), Nonthaburi (159) and Ang Thong (110).
Yesterday, Bangkok, including 4 north-western districts listed as “highly controlled” allowed 13 types of businesses to reopen, in a signal that partial lockdown measures in the capital were being relaxed.
Panprapa Yongtrakul, CCSA’s deputy spokeswoman, said the potential of finding new cases via tests in medical facilities has been decreasing in the past few weeks but the number of new cases being found through proactive tests is still in the three-digit numbers.
SOURCE: Thai Enquirer
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Quarantine for vaccinated travellers to be reduced to 7 days

The mandatory quarantine period for those who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus will be reduced from 14 days to 7 days, Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirankul said in a press conference. Those who have not been vaccinated, but have a medical certificate declaring that they are Covid-free, will be required to quarantine to 10 days, Anutin said, according to Reuters.
The health minister says vaccinations must be administered within 3 months of travelling to Thailand. Travellers must still show negative Covid-19 test results issued within 72 hours of their departure to Thailand. Those travelling from Africa must still quarantine for 14 days due to concerns about new variants of the coronavirus.
SOURCE: Reuters
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Coronavirus (Covid-19)
CCSA Update: 71 new Covid-19 cases

71 new Covid-19 cases were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. There are currently 579 active cases. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 26,441 coronavirus cases in Thailand and 85 deaths.
“The numbers are getting better,” according to deputy spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the CCSA report in English. The daily active case count has remained between 500 to 600 cases for the past week, a much lower average than last month when mass testing campaigns were actively rolled out in high risk areas to help trace and contain the virus.
Out of the 71 cases, 41 were detected in hospitals, primarily in Samut Sakhon. 7 cases were detected in active case finding, including 6 in Samut Sakhon and 1 in Pathum Thani. The other 23 cases were detected in quarantine for those travelling to Thailand from overseas.
Recently, 2 beauty pageant contestants tested positive for Covid-19 while in quarantine after arriving in Thailand from overseas. Women from 63 countries travelled to Thailand to participate in a beauty pageant scheduled for later this month. Natapanu praised the health care workers for their effectiveness at detecting the virus at an early stage.
Over the weekend, the CCSA reported 65 new cases yesterday and 64 new cases on Saturday.

Daily active Covid-19 cases in Thailand as of 7 March 2021, according to Worldometers.
SOURCE: CCSA
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Chiang Mai
Chiang Mai hotels slash prices amid ongoing slump in tourism

Hotels in the northern province of Chiang Mai have been forced to cut their rates by up to 90%, in a desperate bid to attract more domestic tourists. According to a Bangkok Post report, La-Iad Bungsrithong, from the northern chapter of the Thai Hotels Association, says with tourists mainly favouring the southern beach destinations this month, hotel operators in the north of the country are preparing for the forthcoming low season.
The resurgence of Covid-19 late last year meant that in December, only 1,000 Chiang Mai hotels, offering between 20,000 and 30,000 rooms, stayed open. This month, occupancy rates have plummeted to less than 3% and are not expected to rise beyond 5% during the Songkran holiday next month.
La-Iad says traditional target markets such as China are currently off-limits due to the Chinese government placing restrictions on citizens travelling out of the country.
“Even though vaccine distribution has started globally, the target markets for Chiang Mai such as China still cannot take outbound trips. Operators have to rely on the domestic market for the whole year.”
She adds that the Rati Lanna Riverside Spa Resort, of which she is general manager, has cut room rates to 1,500 baht a night, compared to the normal rate of 13,000 baht prior to the pandemic.
Hotels are also being forced to explore new ways of making money, with around 30 hotels – all 4 and 5 star properties – now offering a “drive-thru” food service. La-Iad says hotel operators are also calling on the Chiang Mai office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand to provide visitors to the province with a 500 baht coupon to be redeemed in hotel eateries. She says the authority also needs to do more to promote inter-provincial travel, in particular from the south and north-east of the country.
In 2019, Chiang Mai welcomed 11 million tourists, with 70% of them being Thai. By contrast, there were only 1 million in 2020. This year’s number is expected to be around 25% of the 2019 figure.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
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Patrick Nouvel
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 2:08 pm
Can we know better of each guy whom lost life on the road yesterday, must be 60 to 80 of them, that could balance the hysteria & paranoia which goest against far over too much on our day to day life of 69 millions people
Larry
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 3:26 pm
The road death rate in Thailand is a tragedy, with death rates 30% higher than our neighbors in Vietnam and Malaysia. The government has been trying very hard to get these numbers under control. The evidence of one tragedy is not justification to ignore another.
And also, road fatalities aren’t normally contagious.
Toby Andrews
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 2:25 pm
Very rarely are healthy people that are not old dying of this virus.
The remedy is clear, keep the old, ill, and fat in lockdown, and there should not be any more deaths.
Issan John
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 3:03 pm
How, exactly, can that be done since it involves at least 20% of the population?
Just asking, Toby, since that was also the view expressed in the Great Barrington Declaration and nobody who signed it has been able to explain how that’s possible.
Maybe you can do better than the likes of Dr Johnny Bananas and Professor Cominick Dummings … maybe not …
Ynwaps
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 5:06 pm
A covid mask won’t protect their head from the pavement.
KevM
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 2:30 pm
Only Israel will stop the virus before its natural expiration. Always the most prepared. Like in World War Z.
dispensed
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 2:35 pm
It’s been a year already. Grow up.
David Beckman
Saturday, January 23, 2021 at 7:41 pm
What cave were you all raised in? You don’t just let people die and use other stats from other things like road toll, flu deaths whatever to justify not helping ,man I’ve seen so many crappy comments like this ,here’s a thought put your hands in your pockets or get of your chairs and go help ,I’m sure any help you give the overstretched hospital systems would benefit all with all sorts off issues not just covid ,let’s just hope you don’t drop on your head ,obviously you don’t have the brains spare to be damaged.
Issan John
Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 12:35 am
David, no offence, but what are you talking about?
“not helping” who?
“go help” who?
What “help” for what “overstretched hospital systems”?
dispensed
Sunday, January 24, 2021 at 1:00 am
Obviously you struggle with basic facts and questions of morality. More people have died from the lockdowns than Rona.
If we do age adjusted mortality calculation, it’s not even close. We’re shaving billions of years of life off the entire population, particularly the young and poor, to save a tiny handful of people–AND IT’S NOT EVEN WORKING!!!
Either you let the herd move on and the lame heifer dies, or you force the herd to wait on the lame heifer and… EVERYONE DIES for nothing.