1. Yesterday, a total of 585,214 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered with 400,825 having received their first jab, and 175,026 having received their second dose, with 9,363 receiving a booster dose. The aggregate total of vaccines administered stands at roughly 28 million does, inclusive of expatriates. The vaccination rollout nationwide is progressing as per scheduled with 500,000 doses administered on a daily average, well on its way to complete the 100 million doses benchmark by the end of the year. Vaccine procurement is also making great strides with tens of millions expected to have arrived by the fourth quarter of 2021.

2. Ongoing clinical trials of locally made vaccines have made steady progress. If proven successful, Thailand is slated to become the first ASEAN Member State to produce its own vaccine. Several laboratories have been successful in conducting research and clinical trials of their own COVID vaccines, including the ChulaCov19 vaccine developed by Chulalongkorn University entering the third phase of clinical trials. The research team is hoping that by the end of this year or early next year, Thailand will be able to start producing its own doses of an effective vaccine.

3. The number of new confirmed cases today is 18,417 cases. There are currently 189,268 active cases with 21,186 new recoveries and 297 new fatalities. The accumulated number of fatalities is 10,085.

4. Between 1 December 2020 and 13 August 2021, pregnant women who had contracted COVID-19 have a 1.85 percent fatality rate, or roughly 2.5 times higher than a normal person while the fatality rate for babies, both born and unborn, stands at 1.8 per cent. Mother-to-child infection is at 11 percent both during pregnancy and post-partum contact. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has opened 12 vaccination centres where pregnant women can receive COVID-19 vaccines without pre-registration, starting from 25-27 August. For more information, please contact the vaccine hotline at 1516.

5. The MFA is aware that some registrants have encountered technical difficulties with https://expatvac.consular.go.th/ due to high number of demands. Those who would like to follow up or make queries regarding technical difficulties could email the page’s administrator at foreignvac@gmail.com

6. Those who require a digital vaccine certificate after receiving their first dose can now do so by downloading it directly from the Mor Phom application simply by registering themselves on the application.

7. As of yesterday, 3,578 tourists had left Phuket by land for the extension areas in Krabi (Koh Phi Phi, Koh Ngai or Railay), Phang-Nga (Khao Lak or Koh Yao), and Surat Thani (Koh Samui, Koh Phang Ngan or Koh Tao). After 7 days in these extension areas, the visitors may proceed to other provinces under the 7 PLUS 7 scheme. The next destinations slated to be included in such schemes include possibly Bangkok, Surat Thani, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Chiang Mai, and Chon Buri, which have complied with the pandemic controls required by the CCSA.

A total of 22,810 tourists had arrived under the “Phuket Sandbox” scheme. A total of 409,390 nights of room bookings had been made for from July through September, bringing in over 24,190 tourists on 288 flights. Daily flights continue to bring in tourists. The five primary countries of origin where foreign tourists hail from include the US, the UK, Israel, France, Canada and Germany.

8. The Ministry of Public Health had disclosed that the Delta variant of COVID-19 can spread as fast as chickenpox so it is vital to observe public health measures or “Universal Prevention” including social distancing, mask wearing, and frequent handwashing.

9. Examples abound of Thai people expressing solidarity with one another by helping each other in various ways such as donation of basic necessities needed during these trying times.

Full CCSA English briefing can be viewed here >>> https://www.facebook.com/180940151929407/posts/4556546397702072/?vh=e

Source: CCSA, Ministry of Public Health and Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA)