File photo//REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

Thailand on Thursday (July 22) reported 13,655 new COVID-19 cases and 87 additional deaths over the past 24 hours. 
 

● 13,110 new infections
● 545 prison / prison infections
 

Thursday’s cases bring the total number of COVID-19 infections in Thailand to 453,132 with 3,697 deaths. 

(Total infections since April 1: 424,269)

The news comes as Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute (NVI) Director Nakorn Premsri offered an apology to the public on Wednesday for the slow and insufficient national COVID-19 vaccine rollout, saying mutations of the virus were unforeseen, while promising that the country will join the COVAX program to receive donated vaccines next year

 

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Thailand on Thursday set yet another new record high for daily COVID cases, reporting 13,655 along with 87 new deaths. The tally was Thailand’s sixth record high new case tally in the past seven days.

 

Thursday’s news also was the second consecutive day of 13,000+ case counts, surpassing the 13,002 new cases reported the day before. The 87 new deaths was a decline from the 108 reported the day before, but still ranked as the nation’s six highest single-day death toll of the pandemic.

 

Thursday’s update included 13,110 new cases in the general population and 545 new cases among the nation’s prisons. Thailand has now totaled 453,132 COVID cases and 3,697 COVID deaths since the start of the pandemic in January 2020, though most of those cases and deaths have occurred just since April.

 

Overall, Thailand's current level of daily COVID cases has now more than doubled from the 6,000-range in daily cases of just two weeks ago. Even apart from the 545 new prison cases, the 13,110 general population cases Thursday also was a record high for the country.

 

The new daily high for COVID cases came the day after the government, as part of a series of new COVID restrictions, halted regular commercial domestic air flights into and out of Bangkok and another dozen restricted provinces. Exempted are be flights to/from Phuket and Samui that recently have begun allowing only fully vaccinated tourists.

 

On Tuesday, the government expanded a broader range of COVID restrictions that are slated to continue at least thru August 2 for Bangkok and the other dozen hard-hit provinces. Those include an overnight curfew and a new order telling residents in those provinces to stay home as much as possible.

 

Thailand’s COVID outbreak, now in the worst of a so-called third wave that began in April, has spread lately from its original center in Bangkok and several adjoining provinces to the entire nation. All or almost all of Thailand’s 77 provinces lately have been reporting new COVID cases on a daily basis.

 

Health experts said the rising COVID case and death tolls in Thailand have been spurred by the highly contagious Delta (India) variant of the coronavirus that’s now become dominant in the country. The pandemic has led to increased poverty, rising unemployment and simmering protests against the government, particularly over a haphazard and lagging COVID vaccinations program that has seen only about 5 percent of the population fully vaccinated.

 

The country’s health care system has been hit almost to the breaking point by the broadening pandemic. Thailand on Wednesday again reported new record highs for active COVID cases hospitalized (131,411), the share of those in critical condition (3,786), and the share of critical patients on ventilators (879).

 

Total COVID hospitalizations have almost doubled in the past two weeks, and the share of those in critical condition has doubled in the past three weeks. As of Wednesday, Thailand's tally of critical condition COVID patients had risen to new daily records for the past 32 days in a row.

 

In other developments Wednesday:

--the director of Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute publicly apologized for the country’s “slow, inadequate” vaccine rollout, and said Thailand will join the international COVAX consortium, something it had previously declined to do, in order to receive future vaccine donations from international sources.

 

--officials in Bangkok conceded they had a backlog of some 2,700 COVID patients waiting to be processed for admission to hospitals or other types of facilities, while activists warned that COVID infected residents unable to receive government care are dying at home or in the streets.

 

 

CCSA Update on Closures and Exemptions:

 

On Wednesday, the government’s COVID oversight agency, the CCSA, further clarified what businesses and public venues must be closed, or can remain open, in the 13 so-called dark red zone provinces that include Bangkok, five adjoining provinces, four provinces in the south and three others including Chonburi:

 

Not included in the closures list below are any kind of factories or manufacturing facilities, even though those have had some of the largest and most prevalent COVID outbreak clusters in the country.

 

But the government added many new types of venues to its closure list including sports stadiums, sports fields, public parks (to the disbelief of many), swimming pools, beauty salons and barber and tattoo shops, libraries, museums, art galleries, exhibition centers and historical sites. Officials said Bangkok province will begin enforcing those closures effective this Friday.

 

Closure until at least August 2 was ordered for:

 

- Entertainment places and service parlors including pubs, bars, and karaoke shops

- Massage parlors
- Bathing, sauna and herbal sauna places
- Weight control, beauty and health clinics
- Beauty salons, hairdressing, manicure and tattoo shops
 

- All kinds of sports fields
- Swimming pools
- Public parks and botanical gardens
- Water and amusement parks
- Children's playgrounds
- Zoos
- Skating areas and similar
- Fitness clubs
- Martial arts gyms
 

- Theatres
- Public venues for performances
- Exhibition centers
- Learning centers and art galleries
- Libraries
- Museums, historical parks and archaeological sites
 

- Boxing stadiums and boxing schools
- Cockfighting rings and cockfighting practice grounds
- Bullfighting and fish fighting rings and similar
- Horse racing venues
- All kinds of competition venues
 

- Snooker and billiard clubs
- Bowling lanes and games machine arcades
- Internet and game shops
- Dancing schools
- Meeting and party venues and similar
- Amulet centers
- Daycare centers
 

Opening of the following places is permitted:
- Overnight child care centers at hospitals
- Overnight elderly care centers
- Fresh and food markets

 

The Latest Lockdown & Curfew Rules:

Continue to apply to Bangkok, five adjoining provinces (Nahon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon) and four southern provinces (Narathiwat, Pattani, Songkhla and Yala) that already had many of them since last Monday, along with three newly added provinces (Chonburi, Ayutthaya and Chachoengsao). These are called “dark red” zone provinces.

 

--Continue daily curfew between 9 p.m. and 4 a.m.

 

--Residents now ordered not to leave their homes other times except for necessities such as work, food shopping, health care, vaccinations, etc.

 

--Public gatherings of more than 5 people still banned.

 

--Government/private sector work from home still encouraged.

 

--Highway checkpoints set up to discourage travel out of dark red zone provinces. Public asked to register online at https://covid-19.in.th/en in advance of any such trips to obtain a QR code document.

 

--As of July 21, the government banned most all regular domestic air flights traveling into or out of Bangkok and the other dozen dark red zone restricted provinces. Exempted are flights to/from Phuket and Samui, areas that are operating under more relaxed rules.

 

--Passengers on bus and rail lines limited to 50 percent of maximum capacity (also nationwide), and public transport remains closed during the overnight curfew times. Also, the state-run Transport Company on July 21 announced the complete nationwide suspension of its interprovincial bus line services at least until August 2.

 

--General department store, shopping center, and community mall shops remain closed, except for the following that can open until 8 p.m. -- supermarkets, takeout food outlets, banks & financial institutions, pharmacies, building supplies, postage/parcel & mobile phone related shops.

 

--No sit-down restaurant dining allowed. Takeout food & beverage service allowed till 8 p.m. Delivery services allowed outside of curfew hours.

 

--Bars and night clubs remain closed, and on-site alcohol consumption remains forbidden. Massage parlors and spas remain closed.

 

--Convenience stores & night markets remain closed 8 p.m. to 4 a.m.

 

--Classroom instruction remains shut down, but online learning is allowed.

 

--Essential venues can remain open including hospitals, clinics, factories, drug stores, banks, gas stations, postal services and mobile phone shops.

 

 

The highs keep coming and the deaths mounting up. Following news yesterday of the apology from Thailand’s vaccine director on the missteps they have taken, it now needs those in charge Anutin and Prayut to offer their sincere apologies with no excuses. The damage they've inflicted because of not looking at the evidence of what happened in other countries and having an effective plan in place as a result is inexcusable.

 

13,655 positive cases today with 545 of those from prisons, 87 deaths

 

Rolling 7 day average (up to 20th July only) which includes prison cases and bar chart of community cases.

https://ourworldindata.org/coronavirus/country/thailand

3 minutes ago, webfact said:

The news comes as Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute (NVI) Director Nakorn Premsri offered an apology to the public on Wednesday for the slow and insufficient national COVID-19 vaccine rollout, saying mutations of the virus were unforeseen, while promising that the country will join the COVAX program to receive donated vaccines next year

I thought the PM was the Czar and takes full responsibility. I guess we will have to wait (sarcasm intended) for his apology.

NEW HIGH - #COVID19 Update on Thursday: 13,655 cases & 87 deaths (545 cases from prisons). Full details at 12:30pm #Thailand

18 July: 11,397 - 101 dead

19 July: 11,784 - 81 dead

20 July: 11,305 - 80 dead

21 July: 13,002 - 108 dead

22 July: 13,655 - 87 dead <— TODAY

https://twitter.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1418009540700692481

 

Had they taken such actions in closing everything and restricting travel before Songkran we probably wouldn't be in the situation we are now. Finally joining COVAX will hopefully help in the vaccine supply and that really should be the biggest priority for the country right now, as the current levels are pathetic.

Chonburi Public Health Office has just announced they have 620 new cases and three more deaths. Most new cases are in Chonburi City (101), Bang Lamung/Pattaya (151), and Si Racha (204). The total cases so far is now 17,783 with 7,821 remaining in care

https://twitter.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1417998944521506819

 

-Highway checkpoints set up to discourage travel out of dark red zone provinces. Public asked to register online in advance any such trips to obtain a QR code document.

 

The registration can now be completed in English:

 

https://covid-19.in.th/en

PM says Thailand will reopen fully to foreign tourism as infections and deaths continue to rise

 

General Prayut asked top CEOs to work with the government and try to avoid conflict at this time. He said cooperation between all parties was the only course right now for helping Thai people overcome the current crisis which he acknowledged had left the economy in a ‘volatile’ situation. It comes as a top Federation of Thai Industries official is warning the government that the sole remaining economic engine driving the economy, exports, is now being hampered by rising infection levels and the costs responsible employers are facing to keep testing their workforces.

 

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/07/22/pm-reaffirms-reopening-to-foreign-tourism/

9 minutes ago, Laughing Gravy said:

I thought the PM was the Czar and takes full responsibility. I guess we will have to wait (sarcasm intended) for his apology.

I can just imagine his apology.

 

"I'm sorry... that you couldn't follow my orders"

I must say its quite stupid they closed eateries in the Malls, i can understand them closing them but then at least let them be open for food delivery. The selection of food available is a lot less now. 

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

while promising that the country will join the COVAX program to receive donated vaccines next year

I hope this doesn't cause Siam Bioscience to be required to donate AZ to the program and forego profit potential ????

Thailand has just changed strategy instead of aiming to have less infections they now aim to get higher and higher numbers. Then at least they can say they succeed in something. ????

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

The news comes as Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute (NVI) Director Nakorn Premsri offered an apology to the public on Wednesday for the slow and insufficient national COVID-19 vaccine rollout, saying mutations of the virus were unforeseen, while promising that the country will join the COVAX program to receive donated vaccines next year

Next year??

Thousands will be dead and the economy in more major depression WTH?

Why did they wait so long to join?  Unbelievable.

38 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

NEW HIGH - #COVID19 Update on Thursday: 13,655 cases & 87 deaths (545 cases from prisons). Full details at 12:30pm #Thailand

18 July: 11,397 - 101 dead

19 July: 11,784 - 81 dead

20 July: 11,305 - 80 dead

21 July: 13,002 - 108 dead

22 July: 13,655 - 87 dead <— TODAY

https://twitter.com/ThaiNewsReports/status/1418009540700692481

 

Brian, thank you for the updates as well as @anchadian and @TallGuyJohninBKK.  As we can see and as many have discussed on here for the previous many months, it was only time until we saw the figures start to increase.  Yet one has to wonder what the true reach of the virus is here in Thailand based upon the testing slowdowns that have occurred with hospitals beds being full, and so on.  The semi provincial lockdowns that they have put in place will take many weeks if not months to show whether or not they are working.  Yet, since everything went into full affect here in Bangkok it appeared as nothing had changed.  Sure many people had fled the local areas, but then the construction sites are back working at full capacity and I see the same amount of traffic passing our condo in the morning, at noon, and at night.  The local car dealers are still operating and folks are still showing up for services and sitting in the waiting rooms.  The street vendors down the side Soi's around us are as busy as ever, yet they must stop selling at 8pm, when most people are just arriving to buy food.  The local small mom and pop stores areas are still open and selling clothes and wares.  Those that were on the bigger streets like along Silom have been shuttered, but down the backsides of those roads live goes on as normal.  Now this Friday the parks, and pools will also be closed, so where does that leave people to walk or get a workout in.  I also saw a Mor Prom post on line indicating that people who live in a house with many others should also be wearing masks, while the few areas opened to welcome people into the country show photos of folks not wearing masks even outdoors.  The inequity here is very obvious and sad.  Just down the road the other night one of the homeless folks was found deceased, what is was from we may never know but he was not and old person.  Stay safe everyone

10 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

-Highway checkpoints set up to discourage travel out of dark red zone provinces. Public asked to register online in advance any such trips to obtain a QR code document.

 

The registration can now be completed in English:

 

https://covid-19.in.th/en

Thank you @brewsterbudgen for the link.  Just in case I need to leave BKK for one of the reasons listed.

3 minutes ago, robblok said:

I must say its quite stupid they closed eateries in the Malls, i can understand them closing them but then at least let them be open for food delivery. The selection of food available is a lot less now. 

It's a lockdown, a lockdown shuts things down.To beat this virus everything must lockdown, it has been mentioned a total lockdown maybe implemented to stop the virus and then you will be required to survive on the food and water the government delivers to you home.I notice those calling for lockdowns are now complaining about things being locked down.Becareful what you wish for.I for one would not wish to be lockdown in a city and rely on an inept administration to feed me because if that happens you won't get to choose between a boiled egg and rice or a fermented fish head and rice.

6 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Next year??

Thousands will be dead and the economy in more major depression WTH?

Why did they wait so long to join?  Unbelievable.

you know why

 

I'd get a posting ban if I said what I really wanted to say

 

a classroom of 6 year olds could do better

14 minutes ago, anchadian said:

PM says Thailand will reopen fully to foreign tourism as infections and deaths continue to rise

 

General Prayut asked top CEOs to work with the government and try to avoid conflict at this time. He said cooperation between all parties was the only course right now for helping Thai people overcome the current crisis which he acknowledged had left the economy in a ‘volatile’ situation. It comes as a top Federation of Thai Industries official is warning the government that the sole remaining economic engine driving the economy, exports, is now being hampered by rising infection levels and the costs responsible employers are facing to keep testing their workforces.

 

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/07/22/pm-reaffirms-reopening-to-foreign-tourism/

Yes, parts of the economy affected by Covid go far beyond Tourism. As Covid hits factories, many are shutting down. Often these are parts suppliers to other industries or services within Thailand, who then have to scramble to find alternate sources, or else shut down themselves. This creates a snowball effect.

 

The long term danger of this is that Thai-based parts suppliers who export will come to be viewed an unreliable, or perhaps a better way to say it is international manufacturers, seeing how supply chains can be disrupted, will look to source closer to home, or even invest in vertical integration so that they need not rely on far-flung supply partners. Covid could put a dent in 'globalization', which could affect many Thai (and Chinese) manufacturers/exporters.

1 minute ago, FarFlungFalang said:

It's a lockdown, a lockdown shuts things down.To beat this virus everything must lockdown, it has been mentioned a total lockdown maybe implemented to stop the virus and then you will be required to survive on the food and water the government delivers to you home.I notice those calling for lockdowns are now complaining about things being locked down.Becareful what you wish for.I for one would not wish to be lockdown in a city and rely on an inept administration to feed me because if that happens you won't get to choose between a boiled egg and rice or a fermented fish head and rice.

A lockdown still needs to make sense, by allowing just food deliveries you keep contact to a minimum. I have already taken measures for food. Got a big freezer.

13 minutes ago, anchadian said:

PM says Thailand will reopen fully to foreign tourism as infections and deaths continue to rise

 

General Prayut asked top CEOs to work with the government and try to avoid conflict at this time. He said cooperation between all parties was the only course right now for helping Thai people overcome the current crisis which he acknowledged had left the economy in a ‘volatile’ situation. It comes as a top Federation of Thai Industries official is warning the government that the sole remaining economic engine driving the economy, exports, is now being hampered by rising infection levels and the costs responsible employers are facing to keep testing their workforces.

 

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/07/22/pm-reaffirms-reopening-to-foreign-tourism/

These CEO's want mass screening and vaccinations. Most of us on here have been calling for mass testing from day one. Mass vaccinations obviously not happening because of idiocy and vested interest. Still want to purchace millions more doses of sinovac against ever increasing evidence of sub standard efficacy . The National Vaccine Institute now saying prepared to open talks with COVAX. If this was done at the very beginning when COVAX was organised things would certainly be a lot better now. It wasn't done then more than likely because of pressure from the CCP and others here with vested interests to buy SinoVac.

27 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

CCSA Update on Closures and Exemptions:

 

On Wednesday, the government’s COVID oversight agency, the CCSA, further clarified what businesses and public venues must be closed, or can remain open, in the 13 so-called dark red zone provinces that include Bangkok, five adjoining provinces, four provinces in the south and three others including Chonburi:

 

Not included in the closures list below are any kind of factories or manufacturing facilities, even though those have had some of the largest and most prevalent COVID outbreak clusters in the country.

 

But the government added many new types of venues to its closure list including sports stadiums, sports fields, public parks (to the disbelief of many), swimming pools, beauty salons and barber and tattoo shops, libraries, museums, art galleries, exhibition centers and historical sites. Officials said Bangkok province will begin enforcing those closures effective this Friday.

 

I don't know how many hundreds of thousands now have zero income following this latest list of closure orders, but I have yet to see what measures the government is taking to support these people.   Has anything been announced from the government about what they are doing to provide people with money to buy food and pay their rent?  

23 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

-Highway checkpoints set up to discourage travel out of dark red zone provinces. Public asked to register online in advance any such trips to obtain a QR code document.

 

The registration can now be completed in English:

 

https://covid-19.in.th/en

Well done on an English version.

 

But I couldn't input a date (by default it gave today's date), so it seems to only work for day of travel?

17 minutes ago, ThailandRyan said:

Thank you @brewsterbudgen for the link.  Just in case I need to leave BKK for one of the reasons listed.

Seems reason for travel is optional.

I completed form and didn't need to even give reason for travel.

Travel restrictions with no restrictions. Good plan

9 minutes ago, FarFlungFalang said:

It's a lockdown, a lockdown shuts things down.To beat this virus everything must lockdown,

I wouldn't call this a "lockdown."  Assuming the rules were actually followed and enforced (which they're apparently not in many areas), I'd call it more of a selective closures policy....

 

It's kind of hard to fathom why NONE of the closure orders involve any kind of factories, which have been hotspots for COVID outbreaks, while at the same time they're closing swimming pools, museums, public parks, etc., NONE of which have had any major role in spreading the virus nor are likely to have.

 

 

 

27 minutes ago, anchadian said:

PM says Thailand will reopen fully to foreign tourism as infections and deaths continue to rise

 

General Prayut asked top CEOs to work with the government and try to avoid conflict at this time. He said cooperation between all parties was the only course right now for helping Thai people overcome the current crisis which he acknowledged had left the economy in a ‘volatile’ situation. It comes as a top Federation of Thai Industries official is warning the government that the sole remaining economic engine driving the economy, exports, is now being hampered by rising infection levels and the costs responsible employers are facing to keep testing their workforces.

 

https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/07/22/pm-reaffirms-reopening-to-foreign-tourism/

If this is the PM's strategy for less than 90 days from now, he needs to get on the ball and get vaccines into the country and the country vaccinated to a large percentage.  If not then why not just open it all now since he will not backtrack on his statement he made in June apparently and the increasing cases and deaths seem to be just a minor nuisance.  The man seems truly intent on opening, so as I said why does he just not do it now and see where the chips may fall.  From the link in the above post.  IT says it all from my view.

 

"PM restates commitment from June that Thailand will fully reopen to foreign tourism within 120 days

During the meeting, the prime minister was particularly certain that Thailand’s plan to reopen to foreign tourism which was announced by him on June 16th last when he stated that the country would fully reopen within 120 days, was still the goal of his government."  He again reiterated his pledge to reopen Thailand in 120 days but stressed that the government will listen to anyone with concerns. 

He said his promise will be kept but also explained that all such measures will ultimately be a matter for the government and the cabinet to decide upon collectively. ‘I would like to confirm the 120-day opening of the country, which has already started in Phuket and Samui. This will continue to expand to other areas where the government and the private sector are determined to move forward in the country for the happiness of all Thai people. We are ready to accept and deal with concerns on every issue. This will be discussed with the Cabinet and the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) in the future,’ said the prime minister.

 

24 minutes ago, Walker88 said:

Yes, parts of the economy affected by Covid go far beyond Tourism

from my own experience during these lockdowns last year and now current 

 

I usually spend about 50k per month on various things - while they count up the beans earned from Phuket and other areas from a few thousand so called tourists  I wonder have they considered the drastic drop in spending in the rest of the country - I know that I am spending about 20k a month now a drop of 30k a month, I am sure others have similar experience - so while they rejoyce  at the limited so called extra income I would say it is considerably offset in the rest of the country - plus throw into the mix many foreigners that have left all together - the destruction to the economy will be far reaching and the blame for that sits right were we all know.

5 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

I wouldn't call this a "lockdown."  Assuming the rules were actually followed and enforced (which they're apparently not in many areas), I'd call it more of a selective closures policy....

 

It's kind of hard to fathom why NONE of the closure orders involve any kind of factories, which have been hotspots for COVID outbreaks, while at the same time they're closing swimming pools, museums, public parks, etc., NONE of which have had any major role in spreading the virus nor are likely to have.

 

 

 

I agree that it's a partial lockdown or a pretend lockdown, a mere window dressing lockdown.They know full well they can't afford an effective lockdown.They are just going to ride it out the best they can, and that best may be as good as their vaccine program and we know how that's going.