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.
-
Sponsored 5 ways retirees in Thailand lose money (and how to stop it)
Retiring in Thailand can be affordable and enjoyable, but many retirees lose money due to common mistakes. High living costs, scams, and unexpected expenses can quickly drain savings. There are five ways that retirees in Thailand can lose money and...
-
COVID-19 SUNDAY: Positive numbers all around, lowest deaths since third wave
Today was a great day for Covid-19 news as the numbers have improved from yesterday for every single metric except for infections brought in from abroad which jumped from 16 yesterday to 24 today. Daily infections and deaths are down, with deaths hitting the lowest number since the third wave of Covid-19 began in April. The total number of hospitalisations…
-
Restaurants reminded to follow Covid-19 safety for holidays
Though many people are not planning on travelling during the upcoming holiday season, the Department of Health has issued a reminder for restaurants the follow Covid-19 prevention regulations, especially with the increasing number of tourists for the holidays. The director-general of the department said with the upcoming long holiday weekends, more travellers can be expected to be patronizing restaurants, especially…
-
Monday’s CCSA meeting to announce further easing of restrictions
New Year is looming and Thailand still plods along under a long list of restrictions, both for daily life in the Kingdom but also for travellers trying to enter Thailand. Tomorrow the CCSA will meet to debate an easing of guidelines at a time when the number of new Covid infections and deaths continue to drop, not swiftly but certainly…
-
Pfizer kids’ vaccines and booster shots available in Phuket next week
Pfizer vaccines are available from Vachira Phuket Hospital next week for kids over 12 years old and anyone seeking a third booster shot. The main government hospital in Phuket is calling on people to register now to receive their Covid-19 vaccines next week. The vaccination drive is scheduled to take place at Saphan Hin Vaccination Centre which has been set…
-
Plant-based Baiya vaccine can be adjusted for Omicron variant
Baiya Phytopharm says that the plant-based Covid-19 vaccine they have been developing in Thailand can be adjusted to be effective against the Omicron variant. The vaccine is currently in the middle of the human trials phase of testing and the Chief Technology Officer says the vaccine formula can be modified to fight Omicron. Baiya has developed a genetically engineered tobacco…
-
200 funeral attendees quarantined after deceased diagnosed with Covid-19
Attendees to a large funeral in Phetchabun province have now been isolated after it was discovered that the person who died was infected with Covid-19. The funeral took place in the Nong Phai district of the northern province and was attended by over 200 people who then had to be quarantined. The Nong Phai District Hospital said that they were…
-
China makes a donation of 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines
China has made many donations of Covid-19 vaccines to Thailand throughout the year as the kingdom battled the pandemic and rolled out its vaccination programmes. Now, the Chinese Embassy announced that their government has made another donation of 200,000 Sinopharm vaccines. The Chinese Embassy in Bangkok made the announcement yesterday and the first of the shipments of the 200,000 vaccines…
-
Bangkok residents of all nationalities urged to come forward for vaccine doses 1, 2 or 3
The governor of Bangkok is calling on all residents, regardless of nationality, to come forward for vaccination. Aswin Kwanmuang says it doesn’t matter if people have had no dose, 1 dose or both doses, nor does it matter what nationality they are. Officials are anxious to fully vaccinate as many residents as possible, including administering booster doses to guard against…
-
Thursday Covid Update: 4,203 new cases; provincial totals
49 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,084 with 20,990 of those fatalities during the latest wave, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 4,203 new Covid-19 cases and 7,939 recoveries. There are now 60,415 people in Thailand being…
-
Sinovac is testing its effectiveness against Omicron variant
Following the good news announcement from Pfizer that 3 doses of their vaccine can neutralise the Omicron variant, Sinovac came out with a more reserved announcement stating that lab studies about its effectiveness against the new strain would take time. The Chinese-based Sinovac is the most widely used vaccine in the world with over 2.3 billion doses shipped worldwide so…
-
WHO encourages vigilance, vaccinating in the face of Omicron
The need to vaccinate and stay vigilant against Covid-19 as the Omicron variant spreads was stressed by the World Health Organisation in a briefing yesterday. The WHO called on countries to accelerate vaccination programs as much as possible and warn that the Omicron variant may change the course of the pandemic. The Director-General of the WHO says that Omicron could…
-
Lab tests show 3 doses of Pfizer vaccine can neutralise Omicron variant
In a sign that boosters could be an essential line of defence against Omicron, lab tests show that 3 doses of the Pfizer vaccine can neutralise the variant. According to a Reuters report, vaccine makers BioNTech and Pfizer say 3 doses appear to be key in protecting against Omicron. Ozlem Tuereci, Chief Medical Officer at BioNTech, says researchers found that…
-
Results for 2 travellers infected with Covid-19 in November come out positive for Omicron
The test results for two travellers who tested positive for Covid-19 last month have now come back positive for the Omicron variant, but health officials say the patients have already recovered. Following the emergence of the Omicron variant, Thai health officials started reviewing the of the Covid-19 cases involving travellers from overseas during the month of November. The two cases…
-
Bars warned it takes proper accreditation to be a restaurant
The practice of bars and clubs tossing up a sign selling french fries and calling themselves a restaurant in order to reopen after Covid-19 restrictions ban entertainment venues from operating has been commonplace for months in Thailand. Now bars, pubs, and karaoke establishments are being warned in Bangkok that it takes more than a slapdash bite to eat to qualify…
-
Thai PM says another national lockdown “unlikely” despite Omicron variant
The Thai PM says another lockdown is not on the cards, despite the first case of the Omicron variant being reported in the kingdom. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prayut Chan-o-cha was responding to fears from business owners that another lockdown could be imposed during peak season “Hopefully, this coming New Year will be a happy time. We haven’t…
-
Omicron unlikely to be more severe or to fully evade vaccines: WHO
It’s early days, but the World Health Organisation has sounded a note of very cautious optimism about the Omicron Covid-19 variant. According to an AFP report, the WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan says early data shows the mutation is no more severe than earlier variants and unlikely to fully dodge vaccine protection. However, Ryan cautions that it’s still too soon…
-
Hotel staff in close contact to Omicron case tests positive for Covid, variant not confirmed
One of 17 people in close contact with the first Omicron case in Thailand tested positive for Covid-19, but lab tests are still being done to confirm the variant. Thai health officials announced yesterday that the first Omicron case was detected in Thailand after an American travelling from Spain, via Dubai, entering under the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme…
-
No need to panic over Thailand’s first Omicron case, says PM
The Thai PM has called on the public not to panic over the emergence of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in the kingdom. According to a Thai PBS World report, Prayut Chan-o-cha says everyone should remain on their guard and the unvaccinated should get vaccinated as soon as possible. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says health officials will continue to check for…
-
Recovery of Thailand’s international tourism sector likely to take years
International tourism demand for Thailand is still low, according to a Bangkok Post report, with a full recovery predicted to take years. Just 133,061 foreign arrivals touched down in Thailand between November 1 and 30, well below the 3 million visitors a month of pre-pandemic times. However, despite low visitor numbers to his province, Pongsakorn Ketprapakorn from the Tourism Council…
-
LATEST NEWS: First Omicron case detected in Thailand
The Thai Ministry of Public Health announced earlier today that the first covid variant ‘Omicron’ has been detected in the country. The person is a 36 year old American tourist who from Spain, via Dubai, on the Test and Go scheme (for travellers who have been fully vaccinated). It’s been revealed that he was living in Spain for 12 months.…
-
Covid UPDATE: Still no Omicron, today’s infections drop to 4,000
Generally good news on the Covid front in Thailand with the daily new case reports mostly under 5,000 for the past week and the number of deaths also reaching new lows of 30-50 each day, both huge reductions from August this year when the number of daily deaths from Covid were exceeding 300. And for the Omicron trackers, we’re happy…
-
Thailand’s Health Ministry misses Covid-19 vaccination target
So near and yet, not near enough. Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has missed its own target of administering 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses. The ministry had aimed to reach the milestone by yesterday but admits it has fallen short, according to a Nation Thailand report. Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says officials have now administered 94 million…
-
CCSA meets today to decide on southern border re-opening
A deputy government spokesperson says the CCSA will meet today to decide if the border with Malaysia can be re-opened, despite the southern neighbour reporting a case of the Omicron variant. According to a Bangkok Post report, Rachada Dhnadirek says the CCSA has previously agreed in principle, but the emergence of Omicron means the situation needs careful monitoring. “The forward…
-
COVID-19 SUNDAY: 4,704 infections, 27 deaths, provincial totals
Today, the CCSA reported 4,704 new Covid-19 infections, down 1,192 since yesterday, and 27 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 10 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,112,368 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 6,149 recoveries, up 483 from…
-
Australia, Asia, and Africa deal with the Covid-19 Omicron variant
With Omicron spreading around the world, many countries are seeing the new variant spread, as well as Covid-19 in general on the rise. Here are some updates from around Australasia and Africa (a roundup of Europe can be found here): AUSTRALIA 13 cases of Omicron have been identified in a cluster in Sydney after finding the first infection just Friday,…
-
Omicron spreads to 38 countries, 10 US states; Remdesivir recalled
Omicron, the worrisome new variant of Covid-19 first identified in South Africa, has now been found in at least 38 countries and 10 US states, though it still has not been detected in Thailand. The figure increased sharply after being found in only 23 countries in the middle of last week. The spread seems to be accelerating as scientists study…
-
Chiang Mai and Hua Hin can now serve alcohol in restaurants
The booze news keeps flowing like alcohol now cam in several more tourist locations around Thailand this weekend. While nightlife and entertainment venues still officially remain shuttered, restaurants are now being allowed to serve alcohol in Cha-am, Hua Hin, and 5 key districts in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is the latest to ease restrictions on serving and consuming alcohol in…
-
Koh Samui Airport scrutinising international arrivals for Omicron
After the emergence of the Omicron variant, the first international flight arriving at Samui Airport on Koh Samui faced increased scrutiny. All passengers have been strictly screened as airport employees were instructed to thoroughly check incoming international passengers to curb the possible spread of the new Covid-19 variant. The first international flight to arrive at Koh Samui Airport was from…
-
Red Cross leader says Omicron variant result of vaccine inequality
The head of the Red Cross pointed to the Omicron variant as the ultimate evidence that vaccine inequality around the world is a danger to every country globally. The president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said that much more work is needed to balance the inequality in the global approach to vaccination against the…
-
PM reports no Omicron variant in Thailand yet, New Year’s a go
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha spoke out to reassure the people of Thailand that no cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in the country as of now. The prime minister said that preventative measures were being strictly followed to keep Thailand safe and to allow New Years festivities to take place as planned. The government has been taking proactive steps to…
Don't forget to check out some other things to do in Thailand - get help starting a business or finding a job in Thailand, buy Thailand property, rent a yacht or book a medical procedure worldwide.