May 24, 2021 Thai Enquirer Summary Covid-19 News Thailand now has a composition of all but 1 (Brazil) variants, after the weekend saw the variant B.1.351 in Tak Bai of Narathiwat province. The B.1.351 variant is also called ‘South African’ variant which is most resistant to the vaccines. This variant comes after earlier last week the variant B.1.617.2 or the ‘Indian’ variant was found among construction workers in Chaeng Wattana area. Health experts have come out to warn that Thailand needs to start to think about a ‘booster’ shot for the people with the likes of Pfizer and Moderna and that the government needs to change its vaccine policy immediately as these 2 are more resistant to the B.1.617.2 and B.1.351 variants. Manop Pithukpakorn, head of the Centre of Research Excellence and Precision Medicine at Siriraj Hospital came out to post on his social media the following He says that Pfizer and Modena are 75 per cent effective in resisting these strains Johnson & Johnson @ 64-66 per cent effective Novavax @ 60.1 per cent Astra Zeneca @ 10.40 per cent Calls have started to become louder for a possible total lockdown to stop the spread as the number of cases of the ‘South African’ variant has already spread to as many as 83 people in a matter of just 7-days since the 32-year old man who had his Malaysian wife cross the border illegally from Malaysia and entered Thailand and infected her Thai husband. While all but the Brazilian strain is in Thailand now, things in the country continues to act as if there is nothing going on as A gay party with drugs and other things that can’t be written happened in a ‘sauna’ in Wangthongla area of Ramkhaeng area Out of the 62 people apprehended as many as 37 tested positive for drug abuse. The sauna called Faros 2 is on Ramkhamhaeng Road. The raid was conducted by 30 police after neighbours suggested a group sex activity may have been planned, said Pol Col Ekkaphop Tanprayoon, chief of Wang Thonglang police. Pholoyothin 52 near Yingcharoen market (an area which has been in the news for spread of the virus) saw a gambling den Authorities had to wear PPE went in, to the room where this was happening and apprehend including some children. Chiang Mai police were called by neighbours who heard loud cheering as a cockfight was ongoing. The police apprehend nearly 15 people who had gathered even though Chiang Mai has a law that forbids gathering of no more than 5-people. Thailand’s association of pharmacist TIPA (Thai Industrial Pharmacist Association) came out to warn not to use vaccines for 10 people for 12 people as it may not be enough and the extra is there for case when someone sucks out more than 5ml dose which happens but at most it can be used for 1 more but that one bottle of vaccine’s should not be mixed with another bottles. Talking about vaccines, the World Health Organization (WHO) came out to approve the use of SinoVac as a vaccine that is effective. In a late night decision yesterday WHO said that SinoVac was effective to the following level Thailand is set to receive as many as 47.1 million doses of vaccines over the next 4- months June will see 6.33 million doses of AstraZeneca July will see 9.62 million doses of AstraZeneca August will see 9.86 million doses of AstraZeneca September will see 21.28 million of AstraZeneca+Pfizer+ Johnson & Johnson The 47.10 million doses are set to be distributed as follows to the various places with Bangkok being the main area in the 1st 2 months (June & July) then other parts of the country. June 2021 July 2021 August 2021 September 2021 For those who were hoping that they would get the 2nd dose of AstraZeneca soon, think again. Reports are emerging that the government may want to hold off this plan and may put the 2nd shot of vaccination until October to December as they want herd immunity with the new doses that are set to come out. A post from Vajira Hospital says that those slated for 2nd shot from May 25th would now be put off until at least June 4 But then there is always an exception in Thailand Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is scheduled to receive a 2nd dose of AstraZeneca vaccine at 8.00 hrs today at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, without journalists allowed to the scene due to a tight space. Gen Prayut received his 1st dose of AstraZeneca vaccine on March 16 at Government House. The footage of Gen Prayut receiving the 2nd AstraZeneca jab will be broadcast via the government’s public relations news channel. As for the latest data on the numbers today Total new death - 30 Total new infection - 2,713 Community Cases - 2,507 Cases in Prison - 206 Total new recovery - 1,565 Total recovered since 3rd wave - 58,674 Total cases since 3rd wave - 103,350 More numbers? Total registered for vaccines so far 7.72 million The Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) has come out with an email that says that there will be Facebook Live event on May 27th @ 10:00 hrs that would look at ways of ending the pandemic with the likes of President of the Privy Council - Surayut Chulanont Health Minister - Anutin Charnvirakul Environment Minister - Waravut Silapa-archa Chairman of BGrimm Plc - Herald Link Good news is that more than 200 private hospitals are seeking procurement of 5 million doses of Moderna vaccines through the Government Pharmaceutical Organization for their own inoculation programs alongside the government’s mass rollout of AstraZeneca Plc and Sinovac Biotech Ltd vaccines, the Private Hospital Association announced. Thailand approved Moderna shots for local use on May 13, making it the fourth vaccine to get the nod from the country’s Food and Drug Administration after Sinovac, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. Political News Former Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanat-Naranubala, has come out to say that he was going to file a petition with the administrative court today to bring down the planned 700 billion baht in borrowing by the government of Prayut Chan-o-cha. Mr. Thirachai said that there were many things wrong with this planned borrowing and that it was something that needs to be looked into closely as none of the projects are under the 1 trillion baht borrowing has been scrutinized and it is likely that this 700 billion baht will also see similar misuse and misappropriation. The ex-finance minister proposed the government to amend the draft loan decree and adopt the policy used by the Abhisit Vejjajiva government when seeking loans for the “Thai Kem Kang” or Strong Thai Scheme or that of the executive decree issued during the Yingluck Shinawatra government to manage Thailand’s Great Flood of 2011. Thirachai feared that the executive decree drafted by the Prayut government to seek new borrowing without scrutiny from a 3rd party will lead to legal loopholes, conducive to corrupt practices. This is not coherent with the fiscal discipline framework. Hence, he proposed an amendment to the draft loan decree. Pheu Thai Party MP and deputy leader Yutthapong Charassathien has come out to also accuse the government’s 700 billion baht borrowing as having something else hidden inside – a budget to help the Royal Thai Navy that is just over 16 billion baht. Although the National Economic & Social Development Council (NESDC) has come out to say that it is not the case, calls are being made to make the 700 billion baht more transparent. Meanwhile the government’s draft budget bill for the 2022 fiscal which is scheduled for its 1st reading in the House of Representatives on May 31st and it could face a possible doom after opposition Pheu Thai Party MP and deputy leader Yutthapong Charassathien has come out to announce that Pheu Thai has ordered its MPs to vote down the bill in the 1st reading. Yutthapong said Pheu Thai has resolved that it will shoot down the bill, citing that the spending plan is incoherent with the current pandemic situation and economic woes as reasons behind such a motive. Pheu Thai will also use the occasion of the House’s deliberation of the budget bill to grill the government and its failure to address the Covid-19 outbreak and economic problems. Yutthapong also called for some coalition parties which do not agree with the government’s ways to solve problems facing the people not to vote in principal in support of the draft budget bill for the 2022 fiscal. Yutthapong urged them to stop steering the vessel for Gen Prayut. This way will force Gen Prayut to resign or dissolve the parliament. Outside Parliament, Jatuporn Promphan, chairman of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), announced move to pressure Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha to step down and lobby the coalition parties to withdraw from the government. The UDD leader also plans to organise a major rally if his demands are not met. At the Peace TV station, Jatuporn held an online speech criticising Gen Prayut for potent issues of administrative failure, and calling him to resign. At one point, Jatuporn vowed to lead Adul Khiewboriboon, Veera Somkhwamkid and Taikorn Polsuwan, on behalf of the “Thai Mai Thon (Impatient Thais)” group, to submit a letter at 10.00 hrs today to Commerce Minister Jurin Laksanawisit, as the Democrat Party leader, at the Commerce Ministry to call for him to withdraw the Democrat Party’s support from the government.