Covid-19 News
Stay informed with the latest Covid-19 news at The Thaiger, your go-to source for pandemic updates. Keep up-to-date on global developments, vaccine rollouts, and safety measures. Our comprehensive coverage includes essential information on travel restrictions, case numbers, and government policies.
Whether you’re seeking guidance or simply staying aware, The Thaiger’s Covid-19 news page is your essential resource for navigating these unprecedented times. Engage with our expertly curated content, designed to keep you informed and prepared as the world continues to adapt to the ongoing pandemic. Stay safe and stay connected with The Thaiger.
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Sponsored This Christmas, give the gift of health: essential options for expats in Thailand
The holiday season is here, bringing warmth, joy, and a chance to reflect on the year gone by. As an expat in Thailand, this Christmas is a great time to invest in something that truly matters: health. Whether for you...
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Government to discuss delaying resumption of Test & Go until end of January
Following an inevitable rise in cases of the Omicron variant in Thailand, the government will discuss postponing the resumption of the Test & Go entry scheme. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says that the scheme was originally suspended due to concern over mounting Omicron infections globally. However, imported Omicron cases have now been detected in people arriving through Test &…
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Possible amendments to Test & Go for Thailand Pass
To kick off, the reported changes are only ‘proposals’ at this stage. A final decision on these matters concerning the Thailand Pass will probably be made on Wednesday this week and then could be approved by the CCSA on Friday. But, in the interests of the many thousands of people who have already been approved for Test & Go, and…
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US Omicron cases skyrocket, but Fauci says South Africa situation offers hope
The top pandemic expert in the US, Dr Anthony Fauci, says that while the current surge in Omicron cases is unprecedented, recent developments in South Africa offer hope. He says the peak for the US may be just weeks away, but acknowledges that what’s happening now is, “almost a vertical increase”. “We are definitely in the middle of a very…
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PM says government will make tackling household debt a priority in 2022
The Thai PM has used his New Year address on Facebook to reassure citizens that 2022 will be the year the government tackles household debt. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the government will focus on accelerating economic recovery and dealing with household debt in 2022. According to a Bangkok Post report, he acknowledges the economic hardships caused by the pandemic and…
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Hua Lamphong and Mor Chit offer free Covid-19 testing today
Free Covid-19 testing is being offered today in Bangkok at Hua Lamphong railway station and Mor Chit bus terminal. The free testing programme was launched to try to identify Covid-19 infections and curb spread as people return to Bangkok after travelling on holiday or to family over the New Year’s weekend. Department of Disease Control Director-General Control Dr Opas Karnkawinpong…
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Thai government asks private companies to allow staff to work from home
Thai health authorities are choosing to take a cautious approach, even though they say “the situation is under control”. They’ve asked state agencies and private companies in Thailand to allow staff and contractors to work from their home. They’re suggesting that staff work from home for at least 14 days as the Omicron has reached 1,551 infections (as of January…
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Pattaya sets up 3 free Covid-19 testing points to access nightlife
After intensive rules requiring constant Covid-19 testing for Chon Buri restaurants and entertainment venues were announced last night, the Chon Buri Department of Public Health is now helping to ease the burden by setting up 3 free testing points in popular entertainment and nightlife areas. The Chon Buri Governor announced new rules late last night for venues that serve food…
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Thailand’s come a long way battling Covid-19 since September
With the rise of the highly-transmissible Omicron variant and our duty to report new developments in the spread of Covid-19, it’s easy to get a doom and gloom vibe from the news. But looking at the big picture in Thailand, deaths, infections, and hospitalisations have been steadily decreasing since peaking in August. So. to celebrate the new year, The Thaiger…
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11 local, 10 international Omicron infections found in Phuket
11 local Thai women on popular party hub Bangla Road and 10 international travellers arriving at Phuket International Airport tested positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The local office of the Ministry of Interior operates the Phuket Info Centre where the report of the new variant infections was posted, citing the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office as its source.…
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2 Sinovac plus Pfizer booster less effective against Omicron variant
While Sinovac said they are still awaiting enough data to show the level of efficacy, a study at Yale University in the US shows that 2 doses of the Chinese-made vaccine with a booster shot of Pfizer look to be less effective against the Omicron variant of Covid-19 than the previous variants. The study was a collaboration between several institutions…
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Updates for food and beverage venues in Pattaya
(“Food and beverage venues” is a euphemism for ‘bars-pretending-to-be-restaurants’) Pattaya businesses are being thrown another curved ball with the Chon Buri governor releasing new orders last night to clarify, and in some cases increase, restrictions and conditions for food and beverage venues. The updated guidelines relate specifically to bars that are trying to re-open under a loophole that lets them…
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CCSA: response teams not lockdowns if holiday brings Covid-19
The saying goes, “hope for the best, plan for the worst.” After crowded and energetic New Year’s Eve celebrations and extensive travel for the New Year’s holiday, the CCSA is making plans to handle the inevitable surge in Covid-19 infections. In order to curb any outbreaks resulting from the holiday, the CCSA has readied response teams to deploy to affected…
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UK to accept vaccination certificates issued via Thailand’s Mor Prom app
The UK will join the EU in accepting Covid-19 vaccination certificates issued via Thailand’s Mor Prom app. The digital certificates, issued by the Department of Disease Control, confirm the holder is fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Such proof is increasingly becoming a pre-requisite for international travel. According to a Nation Thailand report, Thani Saengrat from the Foreign Ministry has welcomed the…
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Top stories for 2021, as voted by Thaiger readers, and viewers
The top stories reported on The Thaiger in 2021, as measured by your clicks on those stories, were dominated, not surprisingly, by Covid-related topics. We went through our website and main YouTube channel to compile the top stories in 2021. On the website, The Thaiger has cemented itself as the #2 news source for Thai news, in English, but pulling…
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T cells may be “unsung heroes” protecting against severe illness from Omicron
Two separate studies show that the body’s T cells may be providing protection against severe illness with the Omicron variant. The findings could explain why most hospitals have so far avoided being overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients. According to a Bloomberg report, the findings come from a study carried out at Erasmus University in the Netherlands and the University of Cape…
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Study finds Johnson & Johnson booster 85% effective against severe Omicron
A South African study has found that a booster dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is 85% effective at preventing hospitalisation from the Omicron variant. According to an AFP report, researchers compared 69,000 healthcare workers who’d been given 2 doses of the vaccine, versus a group of unvaccinated people. The findings show that when a booster is administered between…
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Omicron variant infections set to surpass 1,000 in Thailand
The highly transmissible Omicron variant of Covid-19 has spread quickly in countries throughout the world, and Thailand is no exception. After the first case of Omicron was detected just three weeks ago in the Kingdom, outbreaks and superspreader events saw the case number quickly climb to 200, then 500, then over 700, and now to nearly 1,000 infections. The latest…
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Superspreader Omicron cluster may lead to 30,000 daily Covid infections
Thailand will likely see a surge in Covid-19 infections in the coming weeks as health authorities have classified the Omicron variant cluster in Kalasin as a superspreader event. The outbreak was identified on Christmas Eve in the Northeastern province and proliferated out to hundreds of infections sprawling throughout 11 provinces. The cluster was traced to a couple returning from Belgium…
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92 Phuket Sandbox, Test & Go travellers positive for Covid, tests to determine variant
Phuket’s Public Health doctor, Kusak Kukieatsak, says the Covid-19 test results for 92 travellers who recently entered the country from overseas are being examined to determine if they are infected with the Omicron variant. The doctor added that he believes most of the results will come back positive for the mutated strain. The travellers tested positive for Covid-19 after entering…
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Transport Minister launches measure for random ATK tests on train and bus passengers
With Omicron on the rise, the Thailand’s Minister of Transport launched a measure to conduct rapid antigen tests randomly on passengers at train stations and bus terminals before the trips start. The minister added that there will be many passengers traveling via public transport this New Year holiday, so the measure is needed. Passengers who travel using public transportation are…
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Thai Health Ministry refutes claim that cloth masks don’t protect against Omicron
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is insisting that cloth face masks can provide a level of protection against the Omicron variant – provided they’re worn correctly. Dr Supakit Sirilak was responding to a statement from the Covid-19 Information Centre which cited data from Dr Leana Wen at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University. Wen, who is…
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Samui businesses call for Test & Go to be reinstated and to be included in sandbox
Tourism operators on Koh Samui are urging the government to reconsider the suspension of the Test & Go entry scheme. Operators are also asking for a sandbox programme for Samui, demanding to know why this is currently limited to Phuket only. According to a Pattaya News report, operators have cited multiple cancellations of hotel bookings from foreign tourists who had…
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Omicron variant spreading rapidly, infections highest in Bangkok, North-East
The Public Health Ministry says the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly in Thailand and has now been confirmed in 33 provinces. Dr Supakit Sirilak says that out of 740 infections, 489 have been imported and the remainder are cases of community transmission. Bangkok currently has the highest number, which Supakit attributes to increased testing at Suvarnabhumi to screen international arrivals.…
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Omicron infections in Thailand up to 729
Dr Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, has reported an update on the quickly growing number of Omicron infections in Thailand. The latest data shows 488 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 brought in from abroad as well as 251 troublesome locally transmitted infections of the highly transmissible variant. The doctor also noted that most of the…
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DHS offers car travel tips for Covid-19 safety for New Year’s
A list of car travel tips has just been released by the Department of Health Services to encourage people to be conscientious of Covid-19 safety during the New Year’s holiday. The department put out the list as highly-transmissible Omicron variant infections spread across Thailand in an effort to get people to exercise caution against the virus, though some of the…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,575 new cases; provincial totals
17 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,647 with 21,553 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 2,575 new Covid-19 cases and 2,695 recoveries. There are now 33,502 people in Thailand being…
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UPDATE: Israeli escapee given slap-on-the-wrist fine
Ohad Baruch, the Israeli tourist who violated Thai law and the emergency decree by fleeing his SHA+ hotel to Pattaya and Koh Samui while waiting for RT-PCR tests, has received a small fine and will face deportation. The punishment for violating the emergency decree is up to 40,000 baht and 2 years in prison, but today the Bangkok South Municipal…
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Chiang Mai hoteliers ordered to strictly follow Covid prevention for Test & Go travellers
Chiang Mai health officials are ordering hoteliers to be more strict when it comes to Covid-19 preventative measures, especially when it comes to the Test & Go entry scheme, after two foreign travellers in the northern province tested positive for the Omicron variant. Under the Test & Go scheme (registration is closed), fully vaccinated travellers can enter Thailand after passing…
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South Africa study shows Omicron variant may reduce Delta transmission
A scientific paper in South Africa appears to show that the Omicron variant reduces Delta infections and could also boost immunity against severe illness with Delta. According to a Bloomberg report, the paper was co-authored by Alex Sigal and Khadija Khan from the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban. It has not been peer-reviewed. The paper also suggests that being…
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Government officials ordered to work from home, private sector urged to follow
The Public Health Ministry says government officials have been ordered to work from home after the New Year holiday break and the private sector is being “asked to follow suit” to protect their employees. According to a Bangkok Post report, schools may also face a return to online learning in a bid to control the spread of the Omicron variant.…
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