OPINION

Don't trust Anutin

Re: "Pata calls for urgent vaccination strategy," (BP, April 23).

Thailand made an all-time high: we had 2,839 new Covid-19 cases yesterday. Pacific Asia Travel Association (Pata)'s chief executive Mario Hardy said, "The [Thai] vaccination rate needs to be at least 10 times faster than the current rate", for we rank 8th out of 10 Asean countries in terms of percentage of population vaccinated.

Yet Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul insists, "The delivery of vaccine is according to plan." But Minister Anutin is the owner of Sinothai Construction, the contractor of the long-delayed construction of our new parliament building. The construction started in earnest in 2013, with the deadline for opening in 2015. So, don't rely on Minister Anutin's promises.

This acceptance of poor performance is a direct result of widespread corruption which we dare not confront. For example, the current super-spreader, originating from nightclubs in Thong Lor district, is due in large part to:

(1) Six members of the elite who went to Cambodia and didn't quarantine upon return;

(2) Two nightclubs that flouted health regulations and whose owners have gone unpunished;

(3) Political leaders, like (a) the minister who tested positive for Covid-19 and refused to disclose his detailed timeline as required and (b) the DPM who let the above minister get away with it;

(4) The police who turned a blind eye to the mischief going on under their noses;

(5) You and me, who let the bigwigs in uniform get away with it. We sow the wind, we reap the whirlwind.

As Khun Samanea Saman in his April 23 letter noted, "From all that I'm hearing from politicians and officials, it's time to be worried -- very worried!"

India needs oxygen

Re: "India reports record spike in infections," (BP, April 23).

Surely there must be some way that the wealthy countries (The US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Europe) can rush surplus medical oxygen supplies to India. I am Australian, I have heard nothing about supplies coming from there.

Too many people are dying, despite the fact they could be saved in the first place. I can only hope that people who work in the embassies read the Bangkok Post. Such an operation should already be underway and I feel terribly sad.

I have been visiting India from Australia and Thailand for the last 40 years, so what I see happening there now is very real to me.

This may seem a very naive contribution but what else can I say? There must be some way this can be organised.

Prepare for the worst

Re: "Aim to buy 35m more inoculations," (BP, April 22).

The vaccine programme and efforts in Thailand are not a cohesive system. Since the government refused to secure a commercial relationship with vaccine manufacturers early in the pandemic, they now are scrambling to acquire enough vaccines to serve the population. The solution appears to be a patchwork response of purchasing a little from various suppliers. This has resulted in a wide range of products and makes tracking results harder since there is not a consistent source.

Nobody though is addressing the issue of vaccine reactions. With all the varying vaccines being offered, who is responsible for the harmful reactions when they occur? Is the government going to assume liability and provide health care along with monetary compensation for loss of work or life? If the government assumes responsibility for negative outcomes, will the process for qualifying be supportive or resistant to paying out?

This issue of liability and responsibility concerning vaccinations needs to be discussed and a solution provided. With the new technology involving mRNA vaccines, problems and reactions may not manifest for months or years after the injection -- so what contingencies are in place for this potential?

Humans matter too

An owner of a pit-bull dog in Pattaya died this week after being attacked by the animal. And, did the dog get euthanised by an organisation such as the SPCA, as would be the case in most Western nations? No, a new owner in Nakhon Sawan was found!

And what has this owner done? He has posted threatening messages on social media to anyone who opposes him taking ownership of the animal.

What is going on here? It seems that Thailand is more concerned about the lives of dogs than humans, at times.

It is about time that this country takes measures to deal with them appropriately. At the very least, pit bulls should be banned as pets.