Thailand has reported 250 new cases of the coronavirus, including 241 local transmissions, as the country engages in an outbreak of the virus
After months of seeing the COVID-19 situation under control, Thailand has seen two major groups develop since mid-December. One of them has captured hundreds of migrant workers from Myanmar at a seafood market near Bangkok, and in the past few days a group has become attached to a gambling cellar in an eastern region.
Bangkok has been declared a zone 2, meaning more than 10 new cases have been confirmed there, and the number is likely to rise.
The Banglamung area in the Chonburi district, southeast of Bangkok, has closed untapped shops, while restaurants are allowed to serve just takeaway. The province has also closed schools and ordered 24-hour resource closures between 10pm and 5am.
Earlier this week, officials in Bangkok announced new restrictions, including the closure of some entertainment facilities during the New Year holidays.
Thailand has confirmed a total of 6,690 cases, including 61 deaths.
Other developments in the Asia-Pacific region:
—- Chinese company says coronavirus vaccine was found to be 79.3% effective in preventing infection in the final round of testing, in the first official release from a Chinese vaccine company of Level data 3. The Beijing Institute of Biological Products, a subsidiary of Sinopharm with the state, has produced a two-dose vaccine that can be stored in conventional refrigeration machines. Its effectiveness is lower than the Moderna vaccine, which is more than 94% effective, and Pfizer’s, which is 95% effective. Scientists had warned that COVID-19 vaccines might only be as effective as flu vaccines, which are generally around 50% effective. However, the final determination of the effectiveness of the vaccine will depend on the publication of scientific data as the publication of the company did not provide additional information. The vaccine has already been used in China under an emergency license since at least July. They have not yet received final market approval and Chinese medical authorities are reviewing it.
—- Taiwan has announced its first confirmed case of the new coronavirus variant found in the United Kingdom. The patient is a teenage boy who returned from the UK on Sunday and is now receiving treatment, the Epidemic Central Management Center said Wednesday. In response, Taiwan is tightening further travel restrictions, urging business travelers who could apply for shorter quarantines to a 14-day period and stop international transfers at the airport from January 1, Health and Welfare Minister Chen Shih-chung said. The island already has strict border control measures, allowing only Taiwanese travelers and those with special visas or residence permits.
—- NEW DELHI – India is extending the ban on flights to and from the United Kingdom until January 7 due to the spread of the coronavirus variable. Resumption of flights after that date will be tightly controlled, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said in a tweet on Wednesday. The Indian Ministry of Health has confirmed that 20 people who returned from the UK before the suspension were found to have the new variant. India on Wednesday maintained an overall downward trend and reported 20,549 new cases of the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 10.24 million confirmed infections. A further 286 deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death to 148,439. India is expected to begin a vaccination campaign for some 300 million people early next month.