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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European airlines assess mask rules for flights to United States
After US airlines stopped requiring people to wear masks on domestic flights last week, European airlines are assessing their mask rules for flights to the US. European carriers are now divided over policies on trans-Atlantic flights. British Airways told customers that the requirement to wear masks onboard depends on restrictions in the arrival destination. KLM, a Dutch airline, told passengers…
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200,000 Covovax vaccines from India expected to arrive in Thailand today
The Ministry of Public Health reports that Thailand will receive 200,000 Covovax vaccines from India today. Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, will be on call to receive the vaccine delivery personally. The Director-General of the Disease Control Department, Dr. Opas Kankawinpong says that the Covovax vaccines were donated by the QUAD, or the countries that agreed on Quadrilateral Security Dialogue…
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Thursday Covid Update: 21,931 new cases; provincial totals
129 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,392 with 5,694 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 21,931 new Covid-19 cases and 24,619 recoveries. There are now 188,926 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of the new cases recorded…
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Low demand, supply surplus leads J&J to suspend sales forecast of Covid vaccine
Pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson says it’s currently unable to provide a sales forecast for its Covid-19 vaccine. According to the firm, vaccine hesitancy in low-income countries, coupled with existing low demand in wealthier nations, has led to a surplus of stock. J&J had previously forecast sales of up to US$3.5 billion for this year, according to a Reuters report.…
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Elderly Covid-19 patients in Thailand can now temporarily isolate at nursing homes
Thai health officials announced yesterday that nursing homes can now be certified as temporary community isolation centres for elderly people who are infected with Covid-19, but are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms. To pass the evaluation, the establishment must have suitable isolation rooms and adequate beds for Covid-19 patients. The director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, Dr.…
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Pilots announce end of US mask mandate mid-flight, passengers divided
Midway through a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles on Monday night, the pilot announced the end of America’s requirement to wear face masks on public transport, including on planes. The sound of cheering resonated through the plane and around one third of passengers instantly took off their masks, according to a witness. However, some passengers were outraged and scolded…
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Thailand removed from US ‘Do Not Travel’ list, in travel advisory reshuffle
Thailand is no longer a dangerous place to travel to — for fully vaccinated travellers. That’s according to the United States’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — or CDC — which removed Thailand its “Do Not Travel” list for Covid-19 on Monday. The move comes as the US reshuffles its travel advisory categories of which countries pose a risk…
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Thai health officials call for PCR on arrival to be replaced with antigen test
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control wants to see PCR tests for foreign arrivals replaced with antigen testing. DDC boss Dr Opas Kankawinpong says his department is submitting the proposal to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. “The department will have a meeting on Thursday to finalise the details of the proposal before presenting it to a CCSA meeting on Friday…
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Half the population has gained herd immunity, government target is 80%
The Department of Disease Control says around 50% of the Thai population has attained herd immunity against Covid-19, but the government’s target is 80%. According to Dr Chakkarat Pitayowonganon, around 10% of the population has contracted the virus to date. This figure, combined with the numbers who’ve received 2 doses of a Covid vaccine, followed by a booster, means around…
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Billionaire asks PM Prayut to scrap Thailand Pass and Test & Go
An American-born Thai billionaire has written another open letter to Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha calling for an ease in entry restrictions to help the country’s tourism industry recover. William ‘Bill’ Heinecke, founder of the huge Minor Group, says scrapping Thailand Pass and Test & Go will attract international tourists back into the kingdom. The letter, written yesterday, presents quite the…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 16,891 new cases; provincial totals
129 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,135 with 5,437 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 16,891 new Covid-19 cases and 24,927 recoveries. There are now 197,349 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thai virologist says Covid-19 does not affect the immune system like HIV does
A prominent Thai virologist has taken to Facebook to reassure people that Covid-19 does not destroy the immune system in the way the human immunodeficiency virus does. According to Dr Anan Jongkaewwattana, the Covid-19 virus affects T-cells in a similar manner to HIV, but the outcomes of both scenarios are completely different. The virologist from the National Centre for Genetic…
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Health ministry stockpiles medication in anticipation of Covid-19 surge
Thailand’s health ministry has stocked up on Covid-19 treatment, in anticipation of a surge in infections following the Songkran holiday. Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul says hospitals are also standing by to treat at-risk patients, while those who are asymptomatic or only have mild symptoms can be treated at home. The Bangkok Post reports that around 110 million favipiravir pills have…
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Monday Covid Update: 16,994 new cases; provincial totals
124 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 27,006 with 5,308 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 16,994 new Covid-19 cases and 25,910 recoveries. There are now 205,514 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Teenagers in Thailand will be eligible to receive Pfizer booster jabs from May
Starting in May, teenagers in Thailand aged 12-17 will be allowed to get a Pfizer booster shot for Covid-19, provided they’ve received their second dose of a Covid vaccine within the past 6 months. The move is to boost students’ immunity to the virus ahead of new school year, which is set to begin next month, according to Dr. Opart…
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Academic says Omicron may have peaked in Thailand already
Last week some Thai doctors were predicting a ‘doomsday’ scenario with up to 100,000 new Covid infections pers day post-Songkran. Now there’s a new tune being sung… A science lecturer from Chulalongkorn University says he believes Thailand has actually passed its Omicron peak, as infections continue to trend downwards. In a Facebook post over the weekend, Jessada Denduangboripant referred to…
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Health ministry advises work from home policy for 7 days after Songkran holiday
Thailand’s health ministry is advising businesses to have employees work from home for 7 days, according to Chakrarat Pittawawonganon from the Department of Disease Control. The advice is designed to prevent a surge in infections following the recent Songkran holiday. “Once the Songkran festival is over, the number of cases may increase by 20 – 30%.” According to a Bangkok…
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Thailand’s PM Prayut orders health services to prepare for post-Songkran Covid spike
Government spokespersons announced yesterday that Thailand’s PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has ordered the country’s health institutes to prepare for a spike in Covid-19 infections following the Songkran holiday, when people return to work. This includes the Ministry of Public Health, and other state agencies. Today, there are 128 new Covid-related deaths, and 17,775 new cases recorded. The number of new daily…
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Thai researchers warn, don’t take off your mask in public toilets
A team of Thai researchers found in a study that without face masks, there was a 10% risk of being infected with Covid-19 in public toilets. Random? The team, lead by a researcher from Chulabhorn Research Institute in Bangkok, found that the risk climbed to almost 100% if the Covid-19 infected person actually coughed or sneezed in the toilet. The…
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Thailand’s Covid trend is ‘down’ as we wait for the fallout from Songkran travel
The trend for Thailand’s daily new Covid infections is definitely heading down, for now. Despite the warnings of increased cases from some medical authorities in Thailand (up to 100,000 infections per day in one estimate), the trend over the past week has been down. The current surge hit its peak on April 1 with 28,029 new infections but has been…
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Booster vaccines really do boost immunity to Omicron, says National Vaccine Institute
Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute has refuted a rumour spreading on Thai social media that claims booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines aren’t necessary for the Omicron variants, as infection from Thailand’s dominant virus stain effectively provides robust immunity. In fact, those who rely on “natural immunity” from infection potentially risk severe illness or death, the institute has warned, saying adults are…
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Thailand’s daily Covid death toll breaches 100 for fifth straight day
As people in Thailand celebrate Songkran, the nation’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark for 5 consecutive days from Sunday to today. This morning, the Public Health Ministry reported 115 new Covid-related fatalities and more than 24,100 new infections nationwide. Yesterday, 106 deaths and more than 23,000 cases were reported. The ministry reported 108, 105 and…
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Shorter quarantine times proposed for Thailand. From 7 days down to…?
Starting in May, high risk groups who have been in close contact with Covid 19 will still have to self isolate at home, but the time will be shortened from 7 days to 5 days. While the self isolation period is shorter, they will need to monitor their health for another 5 days, according to the Director-general of the Department…
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FDA approves protein-based Covovax vaccine for emergency use in Thailand
Need a Covid jab? If you’re in Thailand, you’ll have a new option. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the protein-based Covovax vaccine manufactured by Novavax for active immunisation against Covid-19. The FDA granted the vaccine emergency-use authorisation for individuals 18 years of age and older last Friday, according to a press release from Novavax. The vaccine — known…
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Thailand’s DDC to reduce quarantine for high-risk cases from 7 days after Songkran
Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, or DDC, has agreed to reduce the quarantine period for people residing in the kingdom who are at “high-risk” of infection after being in contact with confirmed cases of Covid-19. Starting after the Songkran festival, the quarantine period for high-risk people in Thailand will be reduced from 7 days to “5+5” days. This means those…
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Thailand’s daily Covid death toll breaches 100 for third day, new infections decline
As people throughout the country begin their Songkran break, Thailand’s daily death toll from Covid-19 has breached the 100 mark for 3 consecutive days — with 108 deaths, 105 and 101 deaths reported for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Today, less than 20,000 new infections were reported, compared to yesterday’s nearly 22,400 – in that case a downward trend. Sunday…
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Omicron BA.2 projected to become Thailand’s dominant strain within 2 weeks
The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron will take over Thailand and become the new dominant strain of Covid-19, according to the Thai Medical Science Department. Last week, the department did a diagnosis of Covid-19 infections and discovered that the BA.2 sub-variant accounted for 96% of reported cases, while the BA.1 sub-variant accounted for a mere 4% of cases, according to the…
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Phuket shuts down ATK checkpoints at Bangla Walking Street from tomorrow
The ATK checkpoints at the entrance of Bangla Walking Street in Phuket will be shut down from tomorrow onwards, according to the Patong Entertainment Association. The checkpoints have been operating since January this year. Today, the President of Patong Entertainment Association shared with Thai media that the two ATK checkpoints at the entrance and exit of Bangla Road or Bangla…
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Thai government plans to procure Covid-19 antibody drug for immunocompromised
The Thai government is planning to procure a long-acting antibody drug for people who have conditions that prevent them from getting vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a Thai government spokesperson. “Evusheld” is an injectable Covid-19 drug developed by AstraZeneca. The drug may even replace some doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in Thailand in the future, according to the Centre for…
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Monday Covid Update: 22,387 new cases; provincial totals
105 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 26,188 with 4,490 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 22,387 new Covid-19 cases and 27,680 recoveries. There are now 245,575 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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