Thailand reinstates mandatory COVID-19 quarantine over Omicron concerns - Reuters

A waitress waits for customer at a restaurant in Khaosan Road, one of the favourite tourist spots, as Thailand bans entry from eight African countries over the coronavirus Omicron variant, in Bangkok, Thailand, November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

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Dec 21 (Reuters) - Thailand will reinstate its mandatory COVID-19 quarantine for foreign visitors and scrap a quarantine waiver from Tuesday due to concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The decision to halt Thailand's "Test and Go" waiver means visitors will have to undergo hotel quarantine, which ranges between 7 to 10 days.

Meanwhile, a so-called "sandbox" programme, which requires visitors to remain in a specific location but allows them free movement outside of their accommodation, will also be suspended in all places except for the tourist resort island of Phuket.

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"After Dec. 21, there will be no new registrations for 'Test and Go', only quarantine or Phuket sandbox," said deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhanadirek.

The announcement came a day after Thailand reported the first case of local transmission of the Omicron variant. read more

It also came weeks after Thailand reopened to foreign visitors in November, ending nearly 18 months of strict entry policies that contributed to a collapse in tourism, a key industry and economic driver that drew 40 million visitors in 2019.

About 200,000 visitors who had previously registered for the quarantine waiver and sandbox programme will still be eligible, said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana.

"This is not to shut off tourists but to temporarily suspend arrivals," he said.

The decision will be reviewed on Jan. 4, he added.

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Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat; Writing by Patpicha Tanakasempipat; Editing by Ed Davies

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2021-12-21 09:13:00Z
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Covid-19 vaccine bookings for children in S'pore aged 5 to 11 to start on Dec 22; jabs from Dec 27 - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - Covid-19 vaccination for children aged five to 11 will begin next Monday (Dec 27), with bookings opening from Wednesday - first for Primary 4 to 6 pupils.

The vaccination exercise for more than 300,000 children will be done across 15 paediatric centres, which will be rolled out in batches.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) announced on Tuesday (Dec 21) details for the vaccination programme, which will be open to all children who are Singapore citizens, permanent residents and long-term pass holders.

Older children will go first, starting with Primary 4 to Primary 6 pupils attending MOE schools next year. Close to 120,000 SMS invitations will be sent on Wednesday to their parents to book appointments. The text messages will include a unique link to book a vaccination appointment.

From next Monday, parents of all other children born between 2009 and 2012, and who are not in MOE schools, can register their interest for the vaccination. They can do so at the MOH National Appointment System (NAS) at this website.

Primary 1 to Primary 3 pupils will be next, and their parents will receive booking invites from the week of Jan 3 next year.

This will be followed by all children aged five and above (born between 2013 and 2017), from the week of Jan 10. Their parents can also register their interest on NAS.

The 15 paediatric vaccination centres will be spread across Singapore and are mainly located with existing vaccination centres for adults and older children.

The MOE and ECDA said that there will be separate queues and spaces at the centres for younger children to ensure safe distancing and correct administration of the vaccine.

These centres will be manned by medical personnel trained in paediatric care, as well as staff trained in administering vaccination to children.

Seven centres will start operations from next Monday, followed by seven more centres from Jan 3. Each centre can take up to 1,000 appointments a day.

An additional paediatric vaccination centre within Yusof Ishak Secondary School will also be set up to cater to families in the Punggol and Sengkang area, which will start on Jan 11.

In a statement on Tuesday, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said: "As parents, we all want to keep our children safe and healthy. Our children come into regular contact with family and friends as part of their daily lives.

"While the risk of our children being infected can never be entirely prevented, vaccination will reduce their chances of being seriously ill, if they are infected."

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2021-12-21 03:00:00Z
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No increase in frequency of side effects after Covid-19 vaccine booster shots: HSA - The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - There has been no increase in the frequency of side effects among people who got their Covid-19 vaccine booster shots, said the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Monday (Dec 20).

It has received 304 adverse event reports linked to booster shots of the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty vaccine, and another 87 reports linked to the Moderna/Spikevax vaccine.

This works out to 0.03 per cent of the 1,451,798 booster doses administered between Sept 15 and Nov 30.

Common side effects included rashes, facial swelling, chest discomfort, palpitations and fever.

The HSA also received 24 reports of severe side effects linked to the booster shots, representing 0.002 per cent of administered doses.

These included four cases of myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscles - as well as other cases of heart failure, seizures, numbness and weakness of the limbs and blood clots.

No cases of anaphylaxis - a life-threatening allergic reaction - have been reported for booster doses so far.

A total of 86 anaphylaxis cases were linked to the first two shots of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and another eight cases to the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine.

The reported side effects are similar to those experienced by some people after the first two doses of mRNA vaccines, HSA said in its latest safety update on vaccination.

"As the booster dose programme was recently rolled out, HSA continues to closely monitor the adverse events and will inform the public of any significant events that are observed, as well as take relevant regulatory action as required," it added.

In the report, HSA also gave details of the number of reports filed after people suffered side effects that doctors suspected to be associated with Covid-19 vaccines.

It received 11,601 adverse event reports associated with the Pfizer vaccine, representing 0.14 per cent of doses administered. It also received 2,591 reports linked to the Moderna vaccine, representing 0.12 per cent of doses.

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2021-12-20 14:48:11Z
CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnN0cmFpdHN0aW1lcy5jb20vc2luZ2Fwb3JlL2hlYWx0aC9uby1pbmNyZWFzZS1pbi1mcmVxdWVuY3ktb2Ytc2lkZS1lZmZlY3RzLWFmdGVyLWJvb3N0ZXItc2hvdHMtaHNh0gEA

China urges real estate project acquisitions to aid struggling developers - CNA

Regulators are urging Chinese banks to actively provide lending to fund acquisitions of projects owned by cash-strapped developers, and avoid cutting, or withdrawing, loans to these companies, China Securities Journal reported.

But only the acquisition of real estate projects, rather than acquiring stakes in the struggling developers, would be encouraged, the newspaper said, citing unidentified sources.

Meanwhile, developers without financial problems are also being encouraged to issue bonds to fund such acquisitions, and PBOC is urging financial institutions to invest in such debt instruments, according to the newspaper.

Developers including China Merchants Shekou Industrial Zone Holdings plan to issue debt instruments via the interbank market in the near term to fund mergers and acquisitions, local media has reported.

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2021-12-20 03:24:00Z
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Italy eyes new COVID-19 measures amid Omicron worries: Reports - CNA

ROME: Italy's government is considering new measures to avoid a surge in COVID-19 infections during the holiday period, local newspapers reported on Sunday (Dec 19), amid worries over the spread of the highly contagious Omicron coronavirus variant.

After holding a meeting with ministers on Dec 23, Prime Minister Mario Draghi could impose an obligation on the vaccinated to show a negative test to access crowded places, including discos and stadiums, daily Corriere della Sera reported.

Negative tests could also be required to enter cinemas and theatres, along with wearing masks outdoors.

Under current rules, people who have been vaccinated or have recently recovered from the disease have free access to indoor seating at bars and restaurants, museums, cinemas, clubs and sporting events.

"Some measures, such as making masks compulsory even outdoors ... could be taken soon," Franco Locatelli, one of the government's main scientific advisors, told the newspaper.

Italy - where vaccination is already mandatory for healthcare workers, school staff, police and the military - could extend the jab obligation to all workers from January, Corriere della Sera reported.

The National Health Institute (ISS) said on Saturday the Omicron variant is spreading quickly in Italy, with new cases identified in the country's north and south. A total of 84 infections have so far been identified.

Italy, the first Western country to be hit by the COVID-19 pandemic early last year, has seen an increase new infections and deaths in recent weeks, but daily caseloads remain well below some other European countries such as Britain and Germany.

Earlier this week, Rome extended a COVID-19 state of emergency to Mar 31 and ruled that all visitors from EU countries must take a test before departure.

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2021-12-19 11:31:54Z
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Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread: WHO - The Straits Times

GENEVA (REUTERS) - The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in 1½ to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Saturday (Dec 18).

Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear if this is due to the virus' ability to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update.

The agency designated Omicron a variant of concern on Nov 26, soon after it was first detected, and much is still not known about it, including the severity of the illness it causes.

"There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron," the WHO said.

"More data are needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity."

It added that "there are still limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron".

The WHO warned that with cases rising so rapidly, hospitals could be overwhelmed in some places.

“Hospitalisations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and given rapidly increasing case counts, it is possible that many healthcare systems may become quickly overwhelmed.”

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2021-12-18 22:40:23Z
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Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread: WHO - CNA

GENEVA: The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in one-and-a-half to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Saturday (Dec 18).

Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear if this is due to the virus' ability to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update.

The agency designated Omicron a variant of concern on Nov 26, soon after it was first detected, and much is still not known about it, including the severity of the illness it causes.

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2021-12-18 10:58:00Z
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