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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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...
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Thursday Covid Update: 20,902 new cases and 301 deaths
20,902 new Covid-19 cases and 301 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 22,208 recoveries. There are now 205,946 people receiving treatment for Covid-19. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA…
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WHO condemns countries administering Covid booster shots during global shortage
The World Health Organisation has slammed the concept of booster shots while millions are yet to receive a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. The WHO adds that there is as yet no scientific evidence that such boosters are necessary and administering them is immoral when so many countries are struggling with vaccine shortages. A number of countries, including the…
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Phuket Town lockdown lifted except Downtown Market, Market 2
After active Covid-19 testing revealed a reasonably low number of infections, the majority of last week’s lockdown in the centre of Phuket Town has now been lifted, aside from the market. The municipality fresh market at the heart of the lockdown will still remain closed for several more days. Several other market areas will remain shuttered for the duration of…
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Hospitals face alleged favouritism in distribution of vaccines
A probe is being launched to investigate the director of Chaloem Phra Kiat Hospital who is accused of favouritism after his wife and an associate received Pfizer vaccines they were not qualified for. A committee was set up yesterday by the Nakhon Ratchasima Provincial Public Health Office to look into the improper vaccine allotment as the Pfizer vaccines have been…
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Buri Ram grandmother accidentally gets 2 Covid vaccine doses in 1 day
A 70 year old Thai woman went to a vaccination centre in the Isaan province Buri Ram for her second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but nurses accidentally administered two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Somwang Jukul told Thai media that sometime after she had received one injection, she had been called over by another nurse and received a second…
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Massage businesses file class action suit against government over Covid restrictions
Thailand’s massage parlours and spas are suing the government, demanding compensation for the loss of income they’ve endured as a result of Covid-19 partial lockdowns. Thai PBS World reports that 172 massage parlours and spas filed a class action suit against the Finance Ministry and the government. They are demanding to be compensated for the financial losses they’ve suffered since…
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Thammasat University seeks to import alternative Covid-19 vaccines
The hospital director of Thammasat University says the institution is seeking a partner to help with importing alternative Covid-19 vaccines. Dr Pharuhat Tor-Udom says the process would be similar to how Chulabhorn Royal Academy procures vaccines through the Thai Red Cross. CRA sources the Sinopharm vaccine through the society, which is authorised to deal directly with vaccine manufacturers. According to…
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Government says Sinovac works, despite claims of lower efficacy against variants
Amid growing calls for more mRNA doses to combat the spread of the Delta variant, the Thai government continues to defend the Sinovac vaccine. The Bangkok Post reports that the government plans to purchase another 12 million doses of the Chinese vaccine, citing good results from a study of people fully vaccinated with Sinovac. However, the public is calling on…
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Cabinet approves 9.3 billion baht for procurement of Pfizer doses
A government spokesman says funding of 9.3 billion baht has been approved for 20 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. Anucha Burapachaisri confirmed the cabinet has approved the funds for the already signed order, while acknowledging a proposal to purchase a further 10 million Pfizer doses. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anucha says the Department of Disease Control plans…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 20,128 new cases; provincial totals
20,128 new Covid-19 cases and 239 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 20,791 people have recovered from a Covid infection in the 24 hours since the last report. There are now 210,032 active Covid-19 cases. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA…
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Construction workers in Phuket must stay on site, get tested for Covid weekly
With Covid-19 clusters reported at construction camps, workers at sites in Phuket must stay at the camp and must undergo testing for the coronavirus once a week. For weeks, many workers have been unable to leave camps not only in Phuket, but in other provinces like Bangkok. Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew announced that the measures were approved by the provincial…
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Public Health Ministry approves purchase of 8.5 million Chinese antigen test kits
First it was on, then it was off, then it was on again. Now the Public Health Ministry has officially given the go-ahead for the purchase of 8.5 million antigen test kits from China. Sura Visetsak from the ministry says the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation can proceed with the purchase from Lepu Medical Technology. The Bangkok Post reports that the contract…
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Tourism operators hopeful after Phuket sandbox mandatory stay reduced to 7 days
Tourism operators in Phuket and other southern destinations are feeling more hopeful after a reduction in the minimum stay required as part of the Phuket sandbox. Yesterday, the Centre for Economic Situation Administration approved a proposal to set the minimum stay at 7 days, down from the previous 14. After this period, sandbox tourists are free to travel to other…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 20,128 new cases and 239 deaths
20,128 new Covid-19 cases and 239 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 20,791 people have recovered from a Covid infection in the 24 hours since the last report. There are now 210,032 active Covid-19 cases. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA…
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CP boss outlines 4 ways government could speed up pandemic recovery
One of Thailand’s wealthiest businessmen has outlined 4 ways in which the government could accelerate the country’s Covid-19 recovery. The Bangkok Post reports that Dhanin Chearavanont, senior chairman of the Charoen Pokphand Group, was responding to questions from journalist Suthichai Yoon during a Facebook Live interview yesterday. According to Dhanin, the government must increase relief measures for those affected by…
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Zoning, restrictions extended until Aug 31; CCSA discusses “Covid Pass”
The order outlining disease control restrictions and the colour-coded provincial zoning based on Covid-19 infection rates has been extended until August 31 and a slight revision has been made to the order. Along with approving the extension, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration also discussed initiatives to contain the virus and a potential “Thai Covid Pass” for vaccinated residents, with…
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Samut Sakhon governor to resign, cites poor health after Covid infection and transfer rejection
The governor of the central province of Samut Sakhon, Veerasak Vichitsangsri, who recovered from a severe Covid-19 infection earlier this year, has announced that he wishes to resign from his post to spend his time with his family in Ang Thong. The governor had initially requested a transfer, but it was rejected. The governor contracted Covid-19 in December, during the…
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District chief in Chaiyaphum tests positive for Covid despite receiving 2 doses of AstraZeneca
The chief of the Nong Bua Ra We district in the northeastern Thai province of Chaiyaphum has tested positive for Covid. The chief has previously had 2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, says the provincial communicable disease committee for Chaiyaphum, today. District chief Tinpol Chalermvasutha has travelled to “many places” and participated in “many activities” with other officials from August…
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Thammasat University’s field hospital in Pathum Thani to run out of vaccines tomorrow
The stock of Covid-19 vaccine doses is low at a Thammasat University field hospital in Pathum Thani, just outside Bangkok, and the director says there are enough doses to last until tomorrow. More AstraZeneca vaccine doses were set to arrive on Saturday, but the order was either delayed or cancelled. Director of the field hospital, Dr Chatchai Mingmalairak, says 5,000…
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Pfizer made available at Samut Prakan Lotus, large crowds form at 4am
Large crowds gathered outside of a Lotus store in central Thailand’s Samut Prakan as early as 4am yesterday after the local hospital announced it was providing Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines at the inoculation site. The Samut Prakan Hospital made a post on Facebook saying the Pfizer vaccine, which was recently donated to Thailand from the US, is now available for those…
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Monday Covid Update: 21,157 new cases and 182 deaths
21,157 new cases and 182 new coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, in the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 899,451 Covid-19 cases. There are currently 210,934 people in Thailand being treated for the coronavirus. Out of the new cases reported today, 658…
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Phuket Covid-19 infections break 100 for the second time
The Phuket Sandbox originally planned to suspend or revise the programme if ever Covid-19 infections reached over 90 in a week, but that ideal has been abandoned as daily infections hit triple digits for the second time in a week. Local infections hit a new record today of 109, topping the August 11 record of 104 by 5 people as…
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3 million Sinovac doses arrive in Bangkok from China
Today, the Chinese Embassy in Bangkok announced via a Facebook post that an additional 3 million doses of Sinovace have arrived in Bangkok. The post also said that China has currently delivered 24.55 million doses of Sinovac to the Land of Smiles. Thailand’s Disease Control Department says 23,476,869 vaccines doses have been administered in Thailand since February 28. Of that…
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Opposition party suing government for Covid-19 failure
The Move Forward Party has announced that it is suing the government for its alleged mishandling of the Covid-19 pandemic now ravaging Thailand. They plan on launching a class-action lawsuit in the coming week to demand compensation for the government’s failure to sufficiently address Covid-19 as the third wave causes record infections and deaths every day. The MFP is a…
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Covid UPDATE: 21,882 new infections, provincial totals
The CCSA has confirmed 21,882 new infections of the Coronavirus and 209 Covid-related deaths around Thailand. 245 of today’s cases were detected in the Thai prison system. 21,106 patients have been released from hospitals and field hospitals. 210,943 patients are currently still under state care, 5,615 people are considered in a critical condition, and 1,172 patients are on artificial respiration…
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Phuket restrictions to stay in place until at least the end of the month, exemptions apply
Phuket’s restrictions will stay in place until at least the end of the month. This includes closing off the island to visitors, with exceptions. This move is in response to the rising Covid cases in the region. The exception to the rule is Phuket residents and visitors associated with the “Sandbox” scheme. Also, people who have had 2 doses of…
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CCSA meets today to extend Covid measures, or ease restrictions
Today’s meeting of Thailand’s peak Covid organisations will decide the continuation, or the juggling, of restrictions as the CCSA and government departments grapple with country’s steady, but worrisome, increases in both new infections and deaths over the past month. Currently, 29 provinces are Dark Red Zones, classified as the maximum and strict controlled area designation. The CCSA will meet today…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 21,882 new infections, 209 deaths, new briefs
Today the Thai public health department has announced 21,882 new infections of the Coronavirus and 209 Covid-related deaths. 245 were detected in the Thai prison system. 21,106 patients have been released from hospitals and field hospitals. 210,943 patients are currently still under state care, 5,615 people are considered in a critical condition, whilst 1,172 patients are on artificial respiration –…
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Medics want ban on vaccine exports, legal experts warn against it
As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on in Thailand with growing numbers of infections and deaths, more and more medical experts are pushing for the government to intervene to stop Siam Bioscience from exporting AstraZeneca vaccines as the country experiences a shortage of vaccines to fight Covid-19 domestically. But legal experts are warning that this is a bad idea. A member…
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Cancelling delay, GPO will buy 8.5 million Chinese antigen test kits
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation has made 2 u-turns in as many days with plans to now go ahead and purchase 8.5 million antigen test kits from a Chinese manufacturer with questionable accuracy. The GPO had originally announced the plan to import Sars-CoV-2 Antigen and Leccurate Antibody Test products by Lepu Medical Technology before changing course and pausing the purchase after…
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