1. PM’s televised message
-The Prime Minister delivered a speech nationally televised reassuring the nation that he has every confidence that Thailand will realize her full potential as a result of the planned reopening of our borders. Every government agency, including public health authorities, has been working in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders including and the private sectors, the Federation of Thai Industries, and the Thai Chamber of Commerce to ensure the synchronization of economic, public health, and other relevant measures to facilitate Thailand’s return to post-COVID normalcy.
-Regarding our opening plan, the meeting discussed in principle that there will be a list of countries that can enter Thailand without having to quarantine. Despite some examples of countries that have been mentioned, the meeting did not finalize the low-risk countries. Authorities involved will work together in identifying those potential countries in due course.
2. Vaccination Progress
– Yesterday, we inoculated 583,994 doses of vaccines, increasing the accumulated number of vaccinations to over 62.5 million doses.
-Regarding the number of foreign nationals residing in Thailand who have received their COVID-19 vaccination, around 1.3 million doses of COVID-19 vaccination have been administered to foreign nationals residing in Thailand or approximately 17.7 percent of all foreign nationals in Thailand.
-For Expatvac.consular.go.th, the latest scheme for foreign nationals residing in Thailand to register for vaccination administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Thailand and the Ministry of Public Health. As of 10 October 2021, there are 69,209 foreign residents registered for vaccination through the Expatvac, of which around 55,000 individuals are those younger than 60 years old, and over 13,000 of the people registered are those aged below 60. Appointments will be made in due course with many who have already been vaccinated, which reaffirms our commitment to leave no one behind.
– The German Embassy announced yesterday that Germany will donate 347,100 doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine to Thailand. The German ambassador to Thailand, H.E. Mr. Georg Schmidt, revealed that Germany is delighted to be a part of an inclusive vaccination rollout in Thailand.
3. General Situation
– For daily numbers, new confirmed cases today are at 11,276 persons registering a total active case of 107,925, of which, 2,890 are in critical condition and 675 are on ventilators.
– The newly recovered cases are at 10,407 persons, while the new fatality is at 112 making the fatality rate remains at 1.04 %.
4. Adjusted Measures
-Today the CCSA General Meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister, considered several measures that are poised to be adjusted in line with the overall plan for Thailand to live under the new normal.
The key adjustments made by the CCSA General Meeting are as follows:
– There are now 23 provinces in the Dark Red Zone or the maximum controlled and strict zones; 30 provinces in the maximum controlled zone; and 24 provinces in the controlled zones.
– For maximum controlled and strict zones, the curfew time has been extended to 23.00 hrs. to 03.00 hrs. for at least 15 days, effective from 16 October 2021. Opening hours for businesses are now adjusted to 22.00 hrs. instead of 21.00 hrs. Meetings, traditional festivals, and cultural activities in exhibition halls, conference centres, and similar types of establishments can now be held. Care facilities for elderly people can now accept day-time visits.
5. Procurement plan of Molnupiravir
-The CCSA approved the Ministry of Public Health’s plan to procure 50,000 courses of Molnupiravir aiming to reduce the death rate of patients that have not been fully vaccinated.
6. Thailand Pass
-Since April 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has approved more than 400,000 certificates of entry (COE) to Thai and foreign nationals for international travel.
-According to the “Ease of Travelling” policy, the system entitled “Thailand Pass” will be adopted to replace the issuance process of COE which is expected to shorten the process of documentation for Thai and foreign travelers entering the country.
-The Thailand Pass system is expected to be launched on 1 November 2021 with some exceptions as COE will still be required for certain groups of travelers such as those entering the Alternative Hospital Quarantine (AHQ), travelers entering through land borders, and travelers entering Thailand with yachts and cruise ships.
7. WHO approved Astra Zeneca produced by Siam Bioscience
-On 11 October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO), has informed related agencies that the Siam Bioscience manufacturing site has been added to the list of alternative manufacturing sites for AstraZeneca AB, as part of the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) granted to the company.
-This certification by WHO has reflected the production standard of Siam Bioscience that aligns with the international standard. Travelers with AstraZeneca produced by Siam Bioscience will be entitled to the same rights and measures applicable to other vaccines on the EUL.
As we are preparing to reopen establishments and welcome tourists to generate more income for communities and drive the economy, the Public Health Ministry advises the public to follow these four measures to safely reopen the city for visitors:
(1) achieve the vaccination goal;(2) have maximum self-protection (Universal Prevention); (3) test with an antigen test kit; and (4) follow the guidelines for a COVID-free setting.
-With all of these measures, we are confident that the COVID-19 situation can be controlled and members of the public can live their lives under the “new normal” style.
Full CCSA English briefing can be viewed here >>> https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/videos/447905443331887https://www.facebook.com/thailandprd/videos/447905443331887
Source: CCSA, Ministry of Public Health, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
