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COVID-19 rapid test kit ready for trials
COVID-19 rapid test kit ready for trials
THAILAND: Thai researchers have developed a rapid test kit for COVID-19 and plan to launch clinical trials next month.
Cabinet approves ruling to close bars, schools for 14 days
Cabinet approves ruling to close bars, schools for 14 days
THAILAND: Bars, entertainment venues, traditional massage parlours, gyms, theatres, cinemas as well as international schools and universities in Bangkok and surrounding provinces will be closed from today (Mar 18) to combat the COVID-19 outbreak.
Phuket bars, clubs closed for 14 days over COVID-19 fears
Phuket bars, clubs closed for 14 days over COVID-19 fears
PHUKET: Phuket Governor Phakaphong Tavipatana has given the order for all entertainment venues in Phuket, including bars, to close for 14 days.
Botched Australian Grand Prix must be a wake up call for F1
Botched Australian Grand Prix must be a wake up call for F1
FORMULA ONE: F1 gambled and lost on trying to start its 2020 season amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic, but its handling of a potential outbreak has called into question the judgement of those running the sport at its highest levels.
Education Minister orders all schools closed
Education Minister orders all schools closed
PHUKET: All schools and other educational institutions in the country will be closed as of tomorrow (Mar 18) by order of the Minster of Education as part of the government’s measures to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Ice delivery driver dies after truck flips near Sarasin Bridge
Ice delivery driver dies after truck flips near Sarasin Bridge
PHUKET: A 34-year-old ice truck driver died after his truck hit a roadside barrier and flipped while travelling northbound on Thepkrasattri Rd just before the Sarasin Bridge earlier today (Mar 17).
PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Thailand coronavirus cases rising! Phuket associations slam gov’t handling of virus! || March 17
PHUKET XTRA: VIDEO: Thailand coronavirus cases rising! Phuket associations slam gov’t handling of virus! || March 17
PHUKET XTRA - March 17 || brought to you by PVCPhuket.com Thailand coronavirus cases now at 177 |:| Schools closes, Songkran postponed |:| Phuket airports screening and latest advisories |:| Phuket tourism associations slam gov’t handling of virus containment |:| Prisons to be solar powered? |:| Drug raids in Phuket Town Hosted by: JP Mestanza || #Phuket
‘Heartbreaking’: Olympic torch events downscaled over virus
‘Heartbreaking’: Olympic torch events downscaled over virus
OLYMPICS: Tokyo 2020 organisers said today (Mar 17) they had taken the “heartbreaking” decision to scale back parts of the Olympic torch relay due to the coronavirus, but stressed that spectators would still be allowed to watch from the roadside.
Surin beach vendors defy order, face fine
Surin beach vendors defy order, face fine
PHUKET: Beach chair and umbrella operators who have returned to Surin Beach will be fined for ignoring the ban on any trade on the sands at Surin, Chief of the Cherng Talay Tambon Administration (OrBorTor) MaAnn Samran has confirmed.
Cabinet approves Songkran postponement, school closures
Cabinet approves Songkran postponement, school closures
THAILAND: Plans to postpone next month’s Songkran New Year holiday due to precautions around coronavirus were approved by the cabinet today (Mar 17).
Myanmar: Don’t return home for Songkran
Myanmar: Don’t return home for Songkran
THAILAND: Myanmar has asked the Thai government to pass on the message that its people working here should not to return home for Songkran next month.
Thailand reports 30 new coronavirus cases
Thailand reports 30 new coronavirus cases
THAILAND: Thailand reported 30 new coronavirus cases yesterday (Mar 16) raising the total to 177, Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health told a news conference today (Mar 17).
Electricity outage to hit Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi
Electricity outage to hit Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi
PHUKET: The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) has announced that the electricity supply will be temporarily shut off to Koh Yao Yai and Koh Yao Noi on Friday (Mar 20).
Drug raid nets dealers at Phuket Town condo
Drug raid nets dealers at Phuket Town condo
PHUKET: Police arrested two men and a woman at a Phuket Town condo car park after officers found more than 2,600 pills of methamphetamine (ya bah), more than 12 grammes of crystal meth (ya ice), five pills of ecstasy and a 9mm handgun in the pickup they were in.
Concern over gatherings as infections jump again
Concern over gatherings as infections jump again
THAILAND: COVID-19 cases jumped by a further 33 yesterday (Mar 16), bringing the total number of domestic infections to 147.
ACST Phuket cricket week cancelled
ACST Phuket cricket week cancelled
CRICKET: Regrettably the annual Asian Cricket Sixes Tour (ACST) Phuket Cricket week, scheduled to start on Thursday April 9, has been cancelled due to precautions around the coronavirus COVID-19.
Fate of Euro 2020 to be determined as UEFA set for crisis meeting
Fate of Euro 2020 to be determined as UEFA set for crisis meeting
FOOTBALL: Euro 2020 could be postponed by up to a year, with all the sporting and financial consequences that would entail, when UEFA holds a crisis meeting today (Mar 17) as Europe battles the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Buri Ram in lockdown despite having no infections
Buri Ram in lockdown despite having no infections
THAILAND: In a bid to prevent the further spread of COVID-19, Buri Ram authorities decided to place the entire province under lockdown, despite not having reported any confirmed cases so far.
US begins first human trial of coronavirus vaccine
US begins first human trial of coronavirus vaccine
WORLD: The first human trial to evaluate a candidate vaccine against the new coronavirus has begun in Seattle, US health officials said yesterday (Mar 16), raising hopes in the global fight against the disease. But it may be another year to 18 months before it becomes available, once it has passed more trial phases to prove it works and is safe. The vaccine is called mRNA-1273 and was developed by US National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists and collaborators at biotechnology company Moderna, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “The open-label trial will enroll 45 healthy adult volunteers ages 18 to 55 years over approximately 6 weeks,” the NIH said. “The first participant received the investigational vaccine today.” Funding was also provided by the Oslo-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments against the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19, which has infected more than 182,000 people across the world since it was first identified in central China in late December. It has claimed 7,164 deaths, according to an AFP tally, most in China followed by Italy. “Finding a safe and effective vaccine to prevent infection with SARS-CoV-2 is an urgent public health priority,” said Anthony Fauci, head of infectious diseases at the NIH, using the technical name for the virus that is believed to have originated in bats. “This Phase 1 study, launched in record speed, is an important first step toward achieving that goal.” The Seattle trial will study the impact of different doses delivered by intramuscular injection in the upper arm, with participants monitored for side-effects like soreness or fever. Coronaviruses are spherical and have spikes protruding from their surface, giving them a crown-like appearance. The spike binds to human cells, allowing the virus to gain entry. The Moderna candidate vaccine carries the genetic information of this spike in a substance called “messenger RNA.” Injecting human tissue with the spike’s messenger RNA makes it grow inside the body, thereby eliciting an immune response without having actually infected a person with the full-blown virus. Global race Pharmaceuticals and research labs around the world are racing to develop both treatments and vaccines to the new coronavirus. An antiviral treatment called remdesivir, made by US-based Gilead Sciences, is already in the final stages of clinical trials in Asia and doctors in China have reported it has proven effective in fighting the disease. But only randomized trials allow scientists to know for sure whether it really helps or whether patients would have recovered without it. Another US pharma called Inovio, which is creating a DNA-based vaccine, has said it will enter clinical trials next month. Regeneron is trying to isolate coronavirus-fighting antibodies that can be administered intravenously to confer temporary immunity, and hopes to start human trials by summer. According to the World Health Organization, 80% of COVID-19 cases are mild, 14% are severe and about 5% result are critical, resulting in severe respiratory illness that causes the lungs to fill with fluid which in turn prevents oxygen from reaching organs. Patients with mild cases recover in a week or two while severe cases can take six or more weeks. Recent estimates suggest about 1% of all infected people die.
Phuket tourism heavyweights slam government handling of COVID-19, call for overhaul
Phuket tourism heavyweights slam government handling of COVID-19, call for overhaul
PHUKET: Nine major Phuket tourism business associations have publicly posted a list of “suggestions” for the government to follow in its response to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, including establishing a non-government command centre and having journalists releasing information to the public, not government agencies.