Covid-19 News

Thailand Covid-19 news, vaccine updates, travel restrictions, and government policies—stay informed on case numbers, safety measures, and global developments. Get the latest from The Thaiger, your trusted source for Covid-19 updates in Thailand.

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  • 618 Sinovac vaccinated medical workers get Covid-19

    618 Sinovac vaccinated medical workers get Covid-19

    After being fully inoculated with 2 doses of the Sinovac vaccine, more than 600 medical workers have been diagnosed with Covid-19 infections, according to the Public Health Ministry today. A total of 618 hospital and medical staffers have been infected with Covid-19 despite having received the Chinese-made vaccine. It was not confirmed whether they were infected with the Delta variant…

  • Phuket order says visitors must test negative for Covid before granted entry, with exceptions

    Phuket order says visitors must test negative for Covid before granted entry, with exceptions

    The Phuket Governor, Narong Woonciew, issued an order today that stipulated that “anyone” who wishes to enter Phuket from a “red”, or “dark red” zone must test negative for Covid before they are granted entry. The restriction applies to those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from being infected. The order is set to take effect July 15…

  • Covid UPDATE: 9,539 new cases, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 9,539 new cases, provincial totals

    The CCSA has confirmed 9,539 new Covid infections & 86 coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours. 103 of today’s cases were reported from the Thai prison system. Here are today’s Thai provincial totals… • HERE is a list of restrictions starting tomorrow for all dark red provinces. It includes all the transportation restrictions, curfew details and provinces in the…

  • Lockdown tomorrow: What to expect in Bangkok and beyond

    Lockdown tomorrow: What to expect in Bangkok and beyond

    Though the government won’t use the word, tomorrow sees 10 dark red zone provinces going into, essentially, a lockdown. Here’s a rundown of what to expect during the 2 week period beginning tomorrow (Monday). The restrictions apply to all 10 provinces, but the information below is focused on the lockdown in Bangkok. INSIDE BANGKOK Things are about to quieten down.…

  • Covid UPDATE Sunday: 9,539 new cases, news briefs

    Covid UPDATE Sunday: 9,539 new cases, news briefs

    Today the public health department reported 9,539 new Covid infections & 86 coronavirus-related deaths. 103 of today’s cases were reported from the Thai prison system. Today’s numbers indicate a flattening of new infections but still much higher than the week before. Provincial totals published just after lunch time. • The ministries of Public Health and Transport have prepared a 5,000-bed…

  • Phuket Sandbox woes: 2 more foreign Covid-19 cases, Delta variant

    Phuket Sandbox woes: 2 more foreign Covid-19 cases, Delta variant

    The Phuket Sandbox has hit a few hurdles with the revelation of 2 more international arrivals testing positive with Covid-19, as well as the first cases of the Delta and Beta variants on the island. The news comes in the wake of the Governor ordering most of the islands’ schools to close for 14 days due to the rising risk…

  • 80 Bangkok roadblocks to curb Covid-19 spread before lockdown

    80 Bangkok roadblocks to curb Covid-19 spread before lockdown

    “The law of unintended consequences has come to be used as an adage or idiomatic warning that an intervention in a complex system tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes. It is commonly used as a wry or humorous warning against the hubristic belief that humans can fully control the world around them.” – Wikipedia The last time the…

  • All Phuket schools closing for 2 weeks amid Covid-19 fears

    All Phuket schools closing for 2 weeks amid Covid-19 fears

    Ah, Thailand, where one city can simultaneously be reopening and reclosing. While the arrival numbers aren’t anywhere close to early predictions, the Phuket Sandbox has had relatively little Covid-19 issues and the people arriving are relatively happy. But the same cannot be said about schools in Phuket where, after numerous schools started closing due to infections, Governor Narong Woonciew announced…

  • Covid UPDATE: 9,326 new infections, provincial totals

    Covid UPDATE: 9,326 new infections, provincial totals

    The provincial breakdown for Saturday which includes all the cases reported over the past 24 hours. Infographics from the NBT… Today the public health department has announced 9,326 new infections and 91 Covid-related deaths. 192 of the cases are from Thai prisons. The number, whilst only slightly higher than yesterday, is a continuation of the upward trend in cases, almost…

  • Phuket daily Covid-19 hits 10, 3 short of Sandbox threshold

    Phuket daily Covid-19 hits 10, 3 short of Sandbox threshold

    As Covid-19 surges throughout Thailand and the provinces in the south and around Bangkok enact curfews and other lockdown measures, Phuket has been relatively safe with just a trickle of infections. Yesterday for the first time in weeks though, Phuket recorded double-digit new Covid-19 infections, edging closer to the threshold for reconsidering the Sandbox scheme. Phuket Provincial Public Health Office…

  • Sandbox tourist forced to stay in ASQ hotel after fellow passenger on her flight tests positive

    Sandbox tourist forced to stay in ASQ hotel after fellow passenger on her flight tests positive

    Stefanie came to Phuket as a kick start to a new adventure and a long term stay in Thailand. The Phuket Sandbox option would allow her to visit around the island for 14 days before heading off to other destinations in Thailand. But it didn’t work out as planned. Now, she’s stuck in a small room for up to 14…

  • Covid UPDATE Saturday: 9,326 new infections, news briefs

    Covid UPDATE Saturday: 9,326 new infections, news briefs

    Today the public health department has announced 9,326 new infections and 91 Covid-related deaths. 192 of the cases are from Thai prisons. The number, whilst only slightly higher than yesterday, is a continuation of the upward trend in cases, almost doubling over the past 2 weeks. The number of deaths reported today is a steep and concerning increase. • Following…

  • Sinovac not effective against Delta variant, AstraZeneca is

    Sinovac not effective against Delta variant, AstraZeneca is

    A new study released today seems to have confirmed what many have feared: the Sinovac vaccine has little effectiveness in stopping the Covid-19 Delta variant. The Delta strain, first identified in India, is particularly dangerous as it has found to be much more contagious and is spreading rapidly throughout Thailand. It has been predicted that the variant will be the…

  • Lawyers Association accuse DDC failure over Sinovac

    Lawyers Association accuse DDC failure over Sinovac

    The chairman of the Lawyers Association of Thailand has said the government has failed its duty to protect the health of the Thai people by ordering more Sinovac vaccines instead of pursuing brands more effective against the Delta variant of Covid-19 fast becoming the dominant strain in Thailand. The accusation comes as the Department of Disease Control defends Thailand’s Cabinet’s…

  • BREAKING: Stay at home orders, travel restrictions in Bangkok and 9 other provinces

    BREAKING: Stay at home orders, travel restrictions in Bangkok and 9 other provinces

    Tight restrictions limiting travel and ordering residents to stay at home are being set in Bangkok and 9 other “dark red” provinces to control the spread of Covid-19 as the Delta variant of the virus becomes more prevalent. Many have been calling it a “lockdown,” but the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has been avoiding the word to describe the…

  • Health officials concede to using rapid antigen tests

    Health officials concede to using rapid antigen tests

    Health officials are conceding to using rapid antigen tests on top of using the RT-PCR method to detect cases of Covid. The public Health Ministry is eager to use the rapid antigen test to determine possible infections as Covid cases incessantly rise. Thai media reports that the RT-PCR method would still be employed. The Director General of the DMS, Dr…

  • Isolation centres being set up in Bangkok to provide basic care to Covid-19 patients

    Isolation centres being set up in Bangkok to provide basic care to Covid-19 patients

    To help reduce overcrowding in Bangkok hospitals, Thai authorities have decided to allow Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms, or who are asymptomatic, to stay at home or at a community isolation centre rather than a hospital or field hospital. Public hospitals in the capital have been at capacity and Covid-19 cases are expected to continue to rise due to the…

  • Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi enters 14 day lockdown

    Sangkhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi enters 14 day lockdown

    The Sankhla Buri district in Kanchanaburi, a western Thai province is locking down for 14 days and people are ordered to remain at home from 10 pm to 4 am to help prevent Covid outbreaks. The order was signed by Governor Jirakiat Phumsawat, who also acts as chairman of the provincial communicable disease control committee. Other restrictions include barring the…

  • 12 Sandbox travellers in quarantine request to leave Thailand

    12 Sandbox travellers in quarantine request to leave Thailand

    The strict rules and closed entertainment venues have discouraged many potential tourists from coming to the Phuket Sandbox just yet, but many who have arrived have expressed happiness to be enjoying the beauty of Thailand, even with the complex process and limitations on the ground. But predictably, one group of Sandboxers who have are in quarantine after one traveller tested…

  • 2 More schools close in Phuket after infections found

    2 More schools close in Phuket after infections found

    2 more schools are being closed in Phuket after infections were discovered. The 2 school closures in Phuket town follows a staff member and a parent having close contact with a high risk person. The schools announced they will be closed to clean and sanitize their facilities. The schools are: Darasamuth Phuket School Kajornrangsan Municipal School The Darasamuth school announced…

  • Friday Covid Update: 9,276 new infections and 72 deaths

    Friday Covid Update: 9,276 new infections and 72 deaths

    9,276 new Covid-19 cases and 72 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. With the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant, the CCSA expects daily cases to soon hit 10,000. While today’s case count is an uptick over the past several weeks. Thailand hit a record high in new cases in mid-May with 9,635…

  • Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital opens registration for Moderna vaccine

    Bangkok’s Bumrungrad Hospital opens registration for Moderna vaccine

    Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok has opened an online booking system for the Moderna vaccine, with priority going to healthcare workers and people who remain unvaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that the vaccine will cost 1,650 baht per dose. Chief Executive Artirat Charukitpipat says the hospital has not been able to receive the number of vaccines it would have liked and…

  • JP Morgan includes Thailand in 5 economies most at risk from Delta variant

    JP Morgan includes Thailand in 5 economies most at risk from Delta variant

    The investment banking firm JP Morgan says there are 5 emerging economies that are most vulnerable to the Delta variant – and Thailand is one of them. According to a Reuters report, the others are South Africa, Colombia, the Philippines, and Peru. The primary reason given for these findings is the low rate of vaccination, with analysts comparing the pace…

  • Stricter Covid restrictions likely for Bangkok, other “at-risk” provinces

    Stricter Covid restrictions likely for Bangkok, other “at-risk” provinces

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to consider a number of tougher restrictions aimed at flattening the curve of new infections in Bangkok and a number of other provinces. Yesterday, cases reached a record high of 7,058, with 75 Covid-related deaths. According to a Bangkok Post report, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government, which is still resisting the…

  • Thailand ranked 3rd to last worldwide on Covid-19 handling

    Thailand ranked 3rd to last worldwide on Covid-19 handling

    In a display of just how far you can fall, Thailand, once ranked as one of the top countries in the world for Covid-19 handling is now almost at the bottom of the rankings, number 118 out of 120. The Nikkei Asia Covid-19 recovery index calculated data from 120 countries worldwide and ranked Thailand third from last. The study combines…

  • 3 foreigners arrested operating unlicensed Koh Phangan spa

    3 foreigners arrested operating unlicensed Koh Phangan spa

    Police in Koh Phangan arrested 2 Russian men and an American woman in a raid at a health spa following complaints from locals of illegal activities and Covid-19 restriction violations. They are accused of a range of charges relating to the legality of the business, though the information is unclear if they face any charges for breaking any Covid-19 rules.…

  • Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 75 deaths; new infections in all 77 provinces

    Thursday Covid Update: Record high of 75 deaths; new infections in all 77 provinces

    A record high of 75 Covid-related deaths was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 2,462. An uptick of 7,058 new Covid-19 infections was recorded today with new cases in all of Thailand’s 77 provinces. The latest and most severe wave of the virus continues to rise due to the spread…

  • Laos Covid-19 cases rise as migrant workers return from Thailand

    Laos Covid-19 cases rise as migrant workers return from Thailand

    Covid-19 cases in Laos has spiked, reportedly due to migrant workers returning home from Thailand, bringing the virus with them. In Thailand’s latest wave of infections over the past several months, many of the workers had lost their jobs while others returned to their home country to flee from lockdown restrictions at construction camps and factories, primarily in Bangkok. Covid-19…

  • Foreign Covid-19 case had Sinopharm, domestic infections bigger concern

    Foreign Covid-19 case had Sinopharm, domestic infections bigger concern

    More information is coming out now about the first Phuket Sandbox traveller to be infected with Covid-19 yesterday. The man from the United Arab Emirates was fully vaccinated with the Sinopharm vaccine more than 7 months ago and had tested negative before boarding his flight to Phuket. But while infections from abroad make headlines, the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office…

  • CCSA to consider travel restrictions, other disease control measures

    CCSA to consider travel restrictions, other disease control measures

    Travel restrictions are likely to be imposed over the next few days. The Public Health Ministry is proposing stricter measures, including limits on interprovincial travel, to control the spread of the Covid-19 following the emergence of the highly transmissible Delta variant. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is set to meet tomorrow morning and discuss disease control measures. Along with limits…