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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Covid UPDATE: 22,086 new infections, provincial totals
The Thai public health department announced another 22,086 new infections to Thailand’s total. 270 of today’s cases stem from the Thai prison system. 217 Covid-related deaths were also announced. 23,672 people were released from hospital care. 60% of people who died in the past 24 hours were 60 years old plus. 18 of the total died at home. The median age…
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Widow of former Prime Minister dies of Covid-19
The widow of former Prime Minister Chatichai, Thanpuying Boonruen Choonhavan, has died early this morning of illness connected to Covid-19. Details around the death of the 101 year old widow are vague, but the announcement was made on Facebook today by her granddaughter. Thanpuying had one daughter who survived her, Vanee, and a son Kraisak who died last year in…
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Canada mandates domestic travellers must be vaccinated
A sweeping new announcement from Canada’s Transport Minister at a virtual press conference yesterday declared that most passengers travelling commercially in Canada will be required to be vaccinated by this fall. The new requirement will apply to anyone travelling by plane, interprovincial train, and cruise ships or other ” large marine vessels with overnight accommodations”. Canada has 71% of people…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 217 Covid-related deaths, news briefs
This morning the Thai public health department announced another 22,086 new infections to Thailand’s total. 270 of today’s cases stem from the Thai prison system. 217 Covid-related deaths were also announced. 23,672 people were released from hospital care. Provincial totals will be announced early this afternoon. • According to the Ministry of Public Health, Covid-19 patients in Thailand are taking…
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Thai-made subunit Covid-19 vaccine gets ok for human trials
Approval was received to begin testing on human subjects in September for a Covid-19 subunit vaccine created in Thailand by the Vaccine Research Centre of Chulalongkorn University and Baiya Phytopharm Company. The vaccine is the second to be racing to clear testing phases and be used to fight Covid-19 in Thailand. The other, an mRNA vaccine, is being developed by…
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Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya announces vaccines for foreigners
Bangkok Hospital just announced a new scheme to offer Covid-19 vaccines to foreigners in Pattaya meeting certain qualifications. The hospital chain posted on their social media announcements a plan to offer free Covid-19 vaccines on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. After months of outcry, Thailand has finally begun to make vaccines more available to foreigners. The plan is a bit strange…
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Covid UPDATE: New high of 23,418 infections, provincial totals
Thailand logged 147 new Covid-related deaths and a record high of 23,418 new infections over the past 24 hours. Today’s numbers include 375 prison inmates. Some good news…. 23,649 patients were discharged from hospitals and field hospitals. Today’s 147 new fatalities ranged from 23 years to 108 years of age, made up of 142 Thais and five Burmese nationals. 69% of the…
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Orphaned girls recover from Covid, enter Samut Prakan orphanage
Last month, the tragic story of the 2 young girls who lost their mother to Covid, and how before dying the mother said it was her hope the girls would go to an orphanage, rattled Thailand. Then came the news that the girls had contracted Covid. Now, it is being reported that both girls have made a full recovery and…
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Health Minister says Thailand will have over 32 million Pfizer doses by end of the year
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says there will be 32.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine in the country by the end of the year. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul says the government has ordered 20 million doses of the Covid-19 mRNA vaccine and Pfizer has also offered to send an additional 10 million doses this year. “This,…
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Bangkok doctor who received 2 doses of Sinovac dies of Covid-19
The death from Covid-19 of another fully vaccinated healthcare worker has led to increased calls for Pfizer booster shots. The Bangkok Post reports that the death of Dr Saranya Lapanich was announced on Facebook by Anutra Chittinandana from the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand. Dr Saranya, who was also known as Dr Am, worked at Bhumibol Adulyadej Hospital in…
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Hua Hin aims to vaccinate 70% of local residents in time for October re-opening
Tourism officials in Hua Hin say the vaccination of local residents will be ramped up to ensure a planned October re-opening can go ahead. Krot Rotchanasathian from the Hua Hin Recharge project says the plan is to inoculate at least 70% of local residents, and 100% of those in the tourism sector. He adds that at this stage, over 30%…
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Second lot of Pfizer vaccines for healthcare workers to arrive tomorrow
The Department of Disease Control says the second batch of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines donated by the US is expected to arrive tomorrow. The doses are earmarked for frontline healthcare workers in all 77 provinces. The Bangkok Post reports that DDC chief Opas Karnkawinpong has confirmed the delivery. The US government has donated the 1.5 million Pfizer doses to help Thailand…
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GPO pauses antigen test kits deal after skimping accusations
After a scathing letter from the Rural Doctors Society accusing the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation of basing their decision solely on price with no concern for quality or accuracy, the GPO walked back their plan to buy 8.5 million antigen test kits from Lepu Medical Technology of China. The purchase will be delayed in order to test the quality of the…
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Expert: Half of Thailand infected in 100 days without vaccines
Amid the growing outcry from the scientific community to reroute AstraZeneca vaccines set for export to urgently vaccinate people in Thailand, one expert warns of the harrowing possibility that half of Thailand’s 70 million people could get Covid-19 if we don’t vaccinate at least 40 million people within the next 100 days. Dr Manoon Leechawengwongs, a leading expert and specialist…
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Government delays purchase of antigen tests following quality concerns
The planned purchase by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization of 8.5 million antigen test kits, which cost 70 baht each, has been delayed as the quality of the tests has come into question. The permanent secretary for health and GPO chairperson, Dr Kiatiphum Wongrajit, said today that “an organisation” had mentioned concerns about the quality of the tests in the media.…
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Charter flights from Phuket approved by CAAT for Sandboxers
A new chance for travel out of the Phuket Sandbox was just approved as the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand announced they will allow airlines to schedule charter flights between Phuket to Bangkok. The permission granted comes after Thai Smile petitioned the government to allow a flight on August 14 to assist people who travelled into the Phuket Sandbox, but…
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Bangkok Protester that had hand injured from firecracker tests positive for Covid
A man who recently attended a pro-democracy protest in Bangkok and had a hand “blown off” as he was trying to throw a firework has Covid, says police. Kissana Phatthanacharoen, the deputy spokesperson for the Royal Thai Police Office, said last night that the 14 year old would-be-firecracker-thrower tested positive for Covid while receiving medical attention for his severely injured…
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Bangkok mother and son arrested for fraud
Yesterday, a mother and son were arrested in Bangkok after the son allegedly pretended to sell discounted AirPods online while using his mother’s account for transferring funds. The unnamed 33 year old son had posted on Facebook that he had AirPods for sale at 5,500 baht a pop, a sale from their “normal” retail price of 8,900 baht. However, the…
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Ayutthaya ambulance driver tests positive for Covid…again
An ambulance driver from central Thailand’s Ayutthaya province has reportedly tested positive for Covid twice in a 1 month period. The 39 year old ambulance driver, “Wachira”, recently tested positive for Covid. This was a “surprise” for the Wachira as it wasn’t his first time testing positive. The man says he had previously tested positive when other medical officials also…
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Officials say mass testing and isolating in next 2 weeks could flatten Covid-19 curve
Health officials are hopeful that mass testing and isolating over the next 2 weeks could bring down Covid-19 infections in Bangkok. Dr Yongyot Thammawut from the Public Health Ministry says 41 teams of 400 doctors and other healthcare workers have been carrying out mass testing in the capital and other central provinces since the start of the month. Yongyot says…
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Phuket Town Fresh Market closed for 1 week for Covid-19
Following an outbreak of Covid-19 infections, officials have closed down the Phuket Town Fresh Market 1 and surrounding area for 1 week as well as the Downtown Plaza market for 11 days until August 22. The decision to close the markets stems from a cluster last Wednesday where 27 Covid-19 infections were uncovered at the market, which pushed Phuket to…
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Human trials for nasal spray vaccines scheduled for end of 2021
Government officials announced today that 2 Covid vaccines that are delivered via a nasal spray and are homegrown in Thailand are going to start human trials… by the end of 2021. Officials say the vaccines already had promising results using mice. The nasal spray was developed by the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. Government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek says…
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Dr Tossaporn Serirak demands full disclosure over Pfizer distribution
Dr Tossaporn Serirak, the former Pheu Thai Party MP, is demanding the government provide a full disclosure regarding the distribution of the 1.5 million doses of Pfizer that the United States donated to Thailand. The former MP, who says he represents the “people’s sector”, delivered a petition this morning to Public Health Minister, and man deprived of credit for vaccines…
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Unused Phuket Prison to be field hospital
A Phuket prison that was collecting dust is now being put back into use, but not for warehousing humans until they reform and can be released back into society. Rather, the prison is going to be converted into another field hospital to help the island handle the increasing Covid cases, said governor Narong Woonciew earlier this week. At the moment,…
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Health Ministry starts distribution of Pfizer
Yesterday, the Public Health Ministry started its distribution of 645,000 Pfizer doses that were donated by the U.S. of A’s government to those considered most vulnerable in the 13 dark red zone provinces. The groups that are deemed vulnerable include the elderly, and people who have 1 or more of 7 underlying diseases, and pregnant women, says Dr Chawetsan Namwat,…
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Q3 tourism hopes fade as US advises citizens not to travel to Thailand
Hopes are fading for a tourism revival in the third quarter of this year after the US government cautioned its citizens against unnecessary travel to Thailand. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has added Thailand to its Level 4 countries, the highest-level warning, as a result of the rising Covid-19 infections in the Kingdom. The Bangkok Post reports that…
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Anti-vaccine disinformation campaign shut down by Facebook
A disinformation campaign targeting Covid-19 vaccines and orchestrated by a Russian marketing firm has been shut down by Facebook. Ben Nimmo, speaking on behalf of the social media giant, says the campaign, started by Russian firm Fazze, targeted influencers, persuading them to spread hoaxes about Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that Facebook has described the campaign as a “disinformation…
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Pattaya reopening postponed indefinitely as Covid-19 persists
The Tourism Authority of Thailand announced that the Pattaya reopening plan scheduled to launch on September 1 has been postponed indefinitely. With Covid-19 still ravaging the Chon Buri province, the TAT has conceded that it won’t be possible to reopen to international travellers safely in just 20 days. Hua Hin and other tourist areas received the same bad news from…
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Prominent Thai medic says infections have yet to peak, restrictions still needed
A leading Thai doctor says the public must adhere to Covid-19 restrictions as case numbers have yet to peak in the Kingdom. Dr Prasit Watanapa from the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital took to Facebook to update the public on the latest developments in the Covid-19 crisis facing Thailand. According to a Bangkok Post report, Prasit says the daily…
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Thais thank US President Joe Biden for vaccine donation
Thai nationals are praising US president, Joseph Robinette Biden, for donating vaccines to the Land of Smiles after a sign praised Thailand’s Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, for providing vaccines. Social media was abuzz with praise for the man that hails from The Office’s Scranton, PA. One person had a sign that read, “Mr Joe Biden, president of the United States…
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