Questions raised over plan to categorise COVID-19 as endemic in Thailand

23 Sept 04:33 Key points summarised by AI

Dr. Thiravat Hemachudha challenged Thailand's Ministry of Public Health plan to reclassify COVID-19 as an endemic disease, questioning its impact on disease treatment, screening, reporting, and compensation for affected businesses and vaccine side effects.
The National Communicable Disease Committee approved criteria for endemic status, requiring daily infections under 10,000, a mortality rate below 0.1%, and hospitalizations under 10% of infections, with Thailand's current figures nearing these thresholds.

Flooding persists in Bangkok and 22 provinces

Today 16:00 Key points summarised by AI

Persistent flooding continues across Bangkok and 22 Thai provinces, though water levels are gradually receding in many affected areas.
Over 604,000 families, impacting approximately 1.83 million people, are still grappling with the widespread flood conditions.
The national flood death toll has reached 80 since mid-September, with fatalities reported across various provinces.
Major regions like Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, and Bangkok report significant numbers of affected households, with hundreds of thousands still in trouble.