May 25, 2021 Thai Enquirer Summary Covid-19 News Thailand today is buzzing with the news that Thai Enquirer had predicted on May 11, 2021 that the planned procurement of AstraZeneca vaccine is not going to be on track as planned. Siam BioScience, the local producer of AstraZeneca, was supposed to have delivered 1.7 million during this week but nothing has appeared so far. This 1.7 million was supposed to be ‘early deliver’ but was later lowered to 500,000 doses but now nothing has appeared yet. The remaining 4.3 million doses of the promised 6 million in June was to come in June but so far it looks like even the 6-million may not be possible. Read Thai Enquirer’s story written on May 11 https://www.thaienquirer.com/27340/major-hurdles-remain-for-thailands- vaccine-drive/ To help the country, Chiang Mai reported ZERO cases of new infection yesterday Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has come out to say that the 6+ million doses promised in June by Siam BioScience has to be delivered even if Siam BioScience is not able to produce the vaccines they will have to buy it from someone to deliver it. To help the country’s vaccine options, it seems China’s main vaccine – SinoPharm, has applied for the sale and use in Thailand. SinoPharm, a vaccine that China has used as the backbone of the vaccine process has come applied and Ministry of Public Health officials have come out to say that it could be approved as early as June 2021. SinoPharm would be the 5th to be approved while Russia’s Sputnik V and India’s Bharat BioTech’s vaccines are still being considered for approval for use in Thailand. While the shortage of vaccines continues, the number of people looking to get vaccinated are rising. Registered - 7,797,698 Bangkok - 891,840 If you think that the situation was getting better, well, the headlines of today’s mainstream media houses says Krungthep Thurakij’s headline - Prime Minister awaits vaccination plans Matichon Daily’s headline - Not enough AstraZeneca Prior to receiving a 2nd AstraZeneca jab yesterday, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o- cha has come out to say that he had ordered related health agencies to adjust the vaccine distribution plan to suit changing circumstances. The Prime Minister asked members of the public to be confident in effectiveness of 2 Covid-19 vaccine brands the government plans to administer on them. Moreover, he said the government may seek procurement of other vaccine brands. Gen Prayut’s move came after the detection of the B.1.351 strain of Covid-19, the so-called the South African variant, among 3 cases in Tak Bai district of Narathiwat on the weekend, sparking fears among the public due to reports that this strain is more resistant to the AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines. Some medical doctors and health officials have come out to call on the government to diversify its vaccine procurement. As the shortage of vaccines continues those getting AstraZeneca has now said that it was pushing the gap between vaccines to 16-weeks from earlier plans of 10-12 weeks. While the vaccine shortage continues, the people of Klong Teoi slum area have been selling their queue cards to get vaccinated for up to 3,000 baht. Reports are emerging that the black-market sale of the queue cards are thriving with Chinse and other foreign nationals buying out the queue cards to get vaccinated. Meanwhile Public Health Minister – Anutin Charnvirakul, has come out to say that in the very near future mobile phone operators can possibly join hands to register people to get vaccinated. All mobile operators, be it AIS/DTAC/TRUE are set to join hands to register people for the ‘walk in’ vaccine. Living in a condo and feel safe? Well, a condo in Samut Prakarn has now become yet another cluster after 81 of the condo’s residents have been diagnosed with the virus. There may be more than 81 but this is the information as of yesterday. Sino-Thai Engineering & Construction Plc (STEC)’s workers who are building the parliament building have seen more than 50% of its 900+ workers being tested positive for the virus. Just in case one does not remember, the family of Public Health Minister Anutin owns and runs STEC. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is said to call a meeting with 134 construction companies, asking them to step up Covid-19 prevention measures at their construction workers’ sites or face closures of they fail to comply with BMA regulations. There are 409 construction worker camps in all 50 districts of Bangkok, and there are 62,169 people living there. Of those, 26,134 are Thais and 36,035 are migrant workers, mostly from neighbouring countries, the CCSA said. Today’s new infection numbers continue to remain high Total New Death - 26 Total New Infections - 3,226 Community Infection - 2,344 Prison Infection - 882 Total New Recovery - 3,094 Total Under Treatment - 61,768 Opposition Phue Thai Party’s Sutin Klangsaeng, has come out to question why he was turned away from getting his 2nd shot of the vaccine with the hospital saying that ‘there was no more AstraZeneca for 2nd shot’ while on the same day Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha got his 2nd shot in a major public fanfare event. Prayut got his 2nd shot and it was stamped on his ‘Vaccination Certificate’ Prayut’s Vaccine Passport for his Passport Number CD 1001653 born on March 21, 1954 The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) CCSA is now keeping a close watch on 32 clusters in 26 districts of the capital after infections are still rife. New clusters have recently been found in a garment factory in Thung Khru district and aged care facilities. The factory has led to 29 cases so far while 23 more cases are found in 3 care facilities in Bang Khae district. The 8 new cases of the South African variant were linked to the cluster outbreak in Tak Bai, Department of Medical Sciences’ director-general Supakit Sirilak confirmed. The largest infection cluster was found in Tak Bai district, where proactive testing was ordered, according to Narathiwat Provincial Public Health Office. It ordered a complete lockdown on the entire district, and in affected villages from May 23 until further notice. Dr Supakit said his department is currently tracing contacts of the South Africa variant cases in Tak Bai district while another 4 samples in the far South had tested positive for the UK variant, 2 of them in Pattani, he said. Public Holiday May 26 is a public holiday in Thailand to mark Visakah Bucha day. Bank/Stock Market are closed. Thai Enquirer will not be publishing the News Summary tomorrow and we will be back on May 27th. Political News Former Finance Minister Thirachai Phuvanat-Naranubala, and the “Thai Mai Thon” (Thais will not tolerate) group, yesterday submitted a petition to the Supreme Administrative Court asking it to revoke cabinet approval for 700 billion baht in new borrowing. In their petition, the group asked the Supreme Administrative Court to revoke the cabinet’s approval for the loan decree in which the ex-finance minister claimed to be illegitimate, unconstitutional and against fiscal discipline. Thirachai alleged that the mechanisms used to ensure transparency and fiscal discipline were removed and replaced with a cabinet-appointed committee authorised to select and propose projects to the cabinet for consideration. He feared that the appointment of the committee in question authorised to supervise projects and issue regulations could lead to reckless spending. He went on to warn that Gen Prayut could violate Section 112 of the Criminal Code if he pushes for the draft loan decree pending royal endorsement to His Majesty the King on grounds that the draft loan decree is unconstitutional. The Army has denied Pheu Thai MP Yutthapong Charassathien’s claim that the government is hiding a defence budget plan under its proposed 700-billion-baht new loan. Earlier, the Pheu Thai MP has claimed that a budget of 16 billion baht has been set aside for the Royal Thai Navy (RTN) to build a runway and maintenance centre for aircraft. However, a source with the Army has come out to say that the 16-billion-baht budget Yutthapong mentioned is the budget for flagship Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) projects such as U-tapao aviation city. The RTN is deemed with experience on the issue so it is allowed to have its hand on such a proposed budget, the source commented. There is uncertainty around plans for a new parliamentary session following reports of a new cluster of Covid-19 infections involving more than half of 900 workers at the MRT Pink Line’s construction camp in Nonthaburi. The findings prompted Nonthaburi provincial officials to order a lockdown of Sino-Thai Engineering’s construction worker housing in Suan Yai sub-district. Provincial health officials conducted active screening at the housing facility on Saturday and found 515 of the occupants infected with the virus, most of them asymptomatic. The infected workers include 43 Thais, 265 Myanmar migrant workers and 207 Cambodians. The CCSA said a construction site could be forced to shut down temporarily if the company fails to improve the conditions of their workers’ camp during the next inspection period. Anan Phonamnuay, a Phalang Pracharat Party MP for Kamphaeng Phet, who chairs House committee on House affairs, has come out to ask parliament president Chuan Leekpai to reconsider plans to reopen a new parliamentary session amid rising infections among Sino-Thai workers.