The news was delivered by a delegation of officials who visited the boy, Nonthaphat ‘Nong Boat’ Sae-ong, and his parents at their family home in Tambon Thepkrasattri, in Thalang District, yesterday (May 10).
Leading the delegation were Laksana Israngkun Na Ayudhya of the Social Development and Human Security office in Phuket, along with Uthaiwan Saengkaew, head of the Phuket Children and Family Home at Koh Siray, and Jittima Charoenrit, Director of the Social Welfare Division at Thepkrasattri Tambon Administrative Organisation (OrBorTor).
The group presented B3,000 cash to help with medical bills so far along with a helping of consumer goods.
They also brought news that Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew had assigned the Phuket Provincial office of the Office of Social Development and Human Security to register Nong Boat as disabled to ensure that he could receive the state assistance of B1,000 per month.
Governor Narong also asked for Nong Boat to be registered with the Child Protection Fund to receive financial support for educational and medical expenses.
NO VACCINATION LINK
Dr Witita Jang-iam, Deputy Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital, at a meeting at Provincial Hall yesterday repeated that Nonthaphat’s loss of vision in both eyes was not a side effect of the boy receiving a Pfizer vaccination, as claimed earlier.
“The vaccination and the child’s illness are events that occurred at approximately the same time. It was not the vaccination that caused his illness,” she said.
Dr Witita noted that most side effects were mild symptoms such as fever, fatigue, pain at the injection site or nausea and vomiting.
“In children, a worrisome symptom is myocarditis,” Dr Witita admitted.
However, she added, “The incidence of myopathy in children after vaccination in Thailand is less than that of foreign countries. Overseas the rate is about 150 incidences found in 1 million people who were vaccinated, while in Thailand only 10 cases have been confirmed from 3 million injections, with all 10 making a full recovery.”
“On this occasion, I would like to ask for confidence in being vaccinated. Getting vaccinated will have a positive effect among children and adults, especially the 608 Group [of higher at-risk patients].
“I would like everyone to come and get vaccinated to help reduce the rate of infections of COVID-19. It reduces the rate of serious symptoms, reduces the rate of hospitalisation and reduces the mortality rate,” she added.
PRICE OF ADVERSE EFFECTS
As of April 8 this year, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) had provided more than 1.7 billion baht in financial compensation to more than 14,000 people who developed adverse effects from COVID-19 vaccinations, said NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathat-aree earlier last month. Compensation had been provided for those with negative side effects since April 5, 2021.
Some 9,938 people have each received up to 100,000 baht for milder reactions. Further 426 got 100,000 to 240,000 baht each for more permanent conditions that could have been caused by the vaccine, such as losing functions of their limbs or becoming temporarily disabled.
Compensation up to 400,000 baht has been awarded to the 3,670 families of people who died as their deaths were attributed to the vaccines, said Dr Jadet.
Those who develop undesirable effects from COVID-19 vaccines can lodge claims within two years of their first appearance, at the NHSO’s 13 branches nationwide, he explained.
According to Dr Jadet, people had complained of fever, stomach ache, vomiting, skin irritation, headache, tight chest, numbness and anaphylactic shock. He did not mention any cases of blindness or hair loss, which had also been reported by media earlier.
Kurt | 11 May 2022 - 11:42:46