Health

Around the world, countries are expanding access to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and chloroquine (CQ), related compounds that are synthetic forms of quinine, which comes from cinchona trees and has been used for centuries to treat malaria. HQ which is the less toxic of the two, is also used as an anti-inflammatory to treat conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, purposes it …

Chiang Mai province was hit by unprecedented levels of air pollution on Wednesday as intensifying forest fires sent PM2.5 levels in some areas up to 592 microgrammes per cubic metre (ug/m3) of air, almost 12 times above safe levels. The level of PM2.5 — fine dust that can get lodged in lungs and cause coronary disease — rose to 592 …

Local officials have been instructed to keep track of people returning from Bangkok and nearby provinces and ensure they go into 14-day self-isolation, to help stem the coronavirus epidemic, as a 6th infection was confirmed in the province. Governor Wichian Chantaranothai said on Tuesday the 6th patient was a 38-year-old man who caught the virus from the 5th patient, a …

One of four Covid-19 patients in Nakhon Si Thammarat was discharged from hospital in Tha Sala district yesterday and praised medical staff for their professional treatment. The 21-year-old patient, who was confirmed fully recovered, had originally been admitted on March 2 after returning from Iran where he is studying. Dr Kitti Rattanasombat, director of Tha Sala Hospital, however, said the …

China reported no new local cases of the deadly coronavirus for a third consecutive day Saturday, but confirmed the highest yet increase in infections from abroad. The rate of infection has been slowing for weeks in China, while the rest of the world steps up measures to try and battle the raging pandemic. The World Health Organization on Friday praised …

The Public Health Ministry reported 89 new cases on Saturday in the largest daily jump since the coronavirus update, bringing the total to 411. Thirty-two people in Greater Bangkok and some provinces contracted the virus from people infected during a boxing match. Two new patients linked to the cases involving an entertainment complex were reported in Ekkamai and Sukhumvit areas …

Government spokesperson Narumon Pinyosinwat said on Friday Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked for cooperation, especially from those living in Bangkok and adjacent provinces, to refrain from going out. As for calls by some people for lockdowns, the spokesperson said measures must be prepared well before time, and those people who earn daily incomes must also be considered. “The prime …

Thais abroad who have booked flights back home risk being turned away at check-in if they cannot show a health certificate, which is difficult to get in many countries. Foreign nationals travelling to Thailand need verification of their travel history in the previous 14 days and a health certificate certifying they “pose no risk of being infected by the Coronavirus …

The government will extend the requirement of medical certificates and health insurance from Sunday to cover all visitors to the country regardless of nationalities to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Thailand reported 60 new coronavirus cases, the biggest daily jump in the number of cases so far to take its total infections to 272, the Public Health Ministry said …

The number of dead in Italy surpassed those in China, which again reported no new cases in the outbreak’s initial epicentre. India urged its 1.3 billion citizens to stay indoors and barred all flights from overseas for a week. The US warned Americans not to travel abroad and recommended that those who are overseas come home. US Senate majority leader …