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.

  • Sponsored

    Why Thai retirees are outliving their Western counterparts

    Retiring in Thailand has become increasingly popular among Westerners looking for a more affordable and relaxed lifestyle. Surprisingly, retirees in Thailand often enjoy longer, healthier lives compared to their Western counterparts. This longevity isnā€™t just luck, itā€™s a mix of...

  • Myth busted: Drinking alcohol does not kill Covid-19 – VIDEO

    Myth busted: Drinking alcohol does not kill Covid-19 – VIDEO

    With the latest wave of Covid-19 infections, spreading quickly from clusters at Bangkok bars and nightclubs to provinces across Thailand, nightlife venues were the first to close and will probably be the last to reopen. Alcohol bans at restaurants in provinces with high numbers of active Covid-19 cases are also likely to stay in effect for a while. Thailand’s move…

  • List of countries by Covid-19 risk level, classified by Thailand’s DDC

    List of countries by Covid-19 risk level, classified by Thailand’s DDC

    Under the “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel models, travellers not only need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be eligible to enter Thailand under the schemes, but they also need to be travelling from countries classified by Thailand’s Department of Disease Control as a low to medium risk for Covid-19. The DDC posts a new list on the…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 4,108 new cases; provincial totals

    Thursday Covid Update: 4,108 new cases; provincial totals

    Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 4,108 new Covid-19 cases today, a rise in the daily case count over the past few days. The uptick in cases is “quite alarming,” according to Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily CCSA report in English. There are now 39,517 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand. There are currently…

  • Bar girls in Pattaya arrested for allegedly violating Covid restrictions while live streaming

    Bar girls in Pattaya arrested for allegedly violating Covid restrictions while live streaming

    Yester evening in Pattaya, 29 out of work “bar girls” (and one foreign national) were arrested by Chon Buri police. They allegedly broke Covid-19 rules as they gathered in a small area to live stream performances for overseas customers. The entrepreneurs were allegedly filming themselves either solo or in groups as they danced and “interacted” with guests for virtual drinks…

  • Phuket governor outlines plans to track and trace foreign arrivals

    Phuket governor outlines plans to track and trace foreign arrivals

    The governor of Phuket says the authorities and provincial officials are creating a command centre for the purpose of tracking and tracing foreign tourists under the islandā€™s sandbox scheme. The island re-opens in 1 weekā€™s time to vaccinated tourists from low to medium-risk countries. According to a Pattaya News report, governor Narong Woonciew says a meeting was held yesterday between…

  • Thursday Covid Update: Latest wave exceeds 200,000 cases

    Thursday Covid Update: Latest wave exceeds 200,000 cases

    The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand has exceeded 200,000 infections. Since April 1, when the clusters at Bangkok nightlife districts were detected, 203,784 Covid-19 infections have been reported by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Today, the CCSA reported 4,108 new Covid-19 cases and 31 coronavirus-related deaths. Out of the new cases, 229 were found in correctional…

  • First delivery of Sinopharm vaccines approved for distribution

    First delivery of Sinopharm vaccines approved for distribution

    The first lot of Sinopharm doses ordered by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy have passed quality checks and can now be distributed. 1 million doses of the second Chinese vaccine approved for emergency use in Thailand arrived in the Kingdom on June 20, according to a Bangkok Post report. Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says his department took…

  • Flight traffic to Phuket expected to increase by 6% next month

    Flight traffic to Phuket expected to increase by 6% next month

    The state agency Aeronautical Radio of Thailand says it expects a 6% uptick in traffic to Phuket International Airport, once the southern island re-opens in a weekā€™s time. Spokesman Tinnakorn Chuwong says the airport is ready to welcome foreign tourists under the sandbox scheme, which has now been given the go-ahead by Cabinet. The Bangkok Post reports that, while overall…

  • Shipment of 2 million Sinovac vaccines arrive from China

    Shipment of 2 million Sinovac vaccines arrive from China

    Today marks the delivery of another 2 million of the Chinese-made Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines arriving in Thailand from China. This delivery is the second this month, following the June 5 arrival of 500,000 vaccines from the Chinese manufacturer, donated by China to help Thailand in its vaccination drive that launched June 7. The arrival of these 2 million additional Covid-19…

  • Gap between AstraZeneca vaccines cut from 16 to 12 to 8 weeks

    Gap between AstraZeneca vaccines cut from 16 to 12 to 8 weeks

    In response to the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19, the Public Health Ministry plans to decrease the time between the first and second AstraZeneca vaccines for people. The Delta variant is more contagious and spreads more quickly than the original Coronavirus so the decision was made to accelerate the vaccination process to protect against it. Just a few…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: Daily death count hits record high; provincial totals

    Wednesday Covid Update: Daily death count hits record high; provincial totals

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 3,174 new Covid-19 cases today, raising Thailand’s total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 228,539. A record high of 51 coronavirus-related fatalities was recorded today, most in Bangkok, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 1,744. The new high in the daily death count is “quite a worrying…

  • US is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who live overseas

    US is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who live overseas

    The United States Department of State is “unable” to provide Covid-19 vaccines to Americans who are currently overseas as the US government’s global vaccine effort focuses on distributing millions of vaccines to countries seriously impacted by the pandemic, the Embassy of the US in Thailand Charge dā€™Affaires Michael Heath wrote in a statement addressed to Americans in Thailand. The US…

  • US Warns its citizens against traveling to Thailand

    US Warns its citizens against traveling to Thailand

    While Thailand is pushing full steam ahead to reopen to international tourism, the United States government issued a statement warning Americans not to travel to Thailand citing Covid-19 risks and civil unrest in the south. The US Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs regularly updates travel information for US citizens wishing to go abroad, issuing a Travel Advisory Level…

  • Embassy of France in Thailand starts vaccine campaign for French nationals ages 55+

    Embassy of France in Thailand starts vaccine campaign for French nationals ages 55+

    French nationals living in Thailand, who are 55 and older, can now register for a Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine. The Embassy of France in Thailand has organised a vaccination campaign for French nationals, providing the single-dose Covid-19 vaccine for free. The costs are subsidised by the French government. The campaign starts today and will end next month. Inoculations will…

  • Bangkok public hospitals run low on beds for Covid-19 patients in critical condition

    Bangkok public hospitals run low on beds for Covid-19 patients in critical condition

    In the midst of the most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, public hospitals in Bangkok are running extremely low on available beds for patients in critical condition. Covid-19 patients with severe symptoms occupy all but 20 of the beds. Health authorities say they must keep 20 beds open for those who need emergency treatment. Bangkok is the epicentre in…

  • Lao woman rejected while trying to register for Covid-19 vaccine

    Lao woman rejected while trying to register for Covid-19 vaccine

    A formal investigation is being launched after a woman from Laos was refused registration for a Covid-19 vaccine. Itā€™s understood the woman is married to a Thai man and has lived in Thailand for 14 years. The political activist, Srisuwan Janya, has lodged a petition with the Ombudsman, requesting an investigation into the case. According to a Bangkok Post report,…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 3,174 new cases and 51 deaths

    Wednesday Covid Update: 3,174 new cases and 51 deaths

    3,174 new Covid-19 cases and an uptick of 51 coronavirus-related deaths recorded by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration today. In the recent and most severe wave of infections, the CCSA has reported 199,626 Covid-19 infections since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 36 were found in correctional facilities, a downward trend after more than 30,000 inmates…

  • Restrictions eased in yellow zones

    Restrictions eased in yellow zones

    The government has confirmed that some Covid-19 restrictions have been relaxed in ā€œyellow zoneā€ provinces, although provincial governors are still free to introduce their own, stricter measures if necessary. Schools and educational facilities can re-open fully and shopping malls and department stores can return to normal hours. Convenience stores and supermarkets can also revert to normal operating hours. Restaurants can…

  • Itā€™s happening: Phuket sandbox approved by Cabinet

    Itā€™s happening: Phuket sandbox approved by Cabinet

    Itā€™s been talked about until the buffalo came home ā€“ and then some. It was on, it was off, it was delayed, then it wasnā€™t. Finally, itā€™s been confirmed. After being closed to foreign tourists for over a year, the southern island of Phuket is set to re-open on July 1. Yesterday, the sandbox scheme, which will see the island…

  • CCSA: Bars to stay closed for now, drunk customers risk the spread of Covid-19

    CCSA: Bars to stay closed for now, drunk customers risk the spread of Covid-19

    It might be a while until bars and nightclubs reopen in Thailand. In today’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration daily briefing, fingers pointed at customers who are far less likely to follow disease control practices when they are under the influence of alcohol. The latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, infecting more than 190,000 people since April 1, started…

  • Tuesday Covid Update: 4,059 new cases; provincial totals

    Tuesday Covid Update: 4,059 new cases; provincial totals

    Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration logged 4,059 new cases today in 59 of the country’s 77 provinces. The active case count is now at 35,836, a slight increase as new cases reported are twice as many as the number of new recoveries. Over the past few weeks, the number of active cases has been on a downward trend after…

  • Samut Sakhon governor calls for more vaccine doses after order was cut

    Samut Sakhon governor calls for more vaccine doses after order was cut

    The pandemic has been rough on the governor of Samut Sakhon, a coastal province just southwest of Bangkok. Along with high numbers of Covid-19 cases and cluster outbreaks during the second and third waves of the virus, Governor Veerasak Vichitsangsri contracted Covid-19 in December and developed a severe lung infection. He spent 42 days on a ventilator. Now, as the…

  • 4 marijuana strains to be become National Heritages, possibly help effects of Covid

    4 marijuana strains to be become National Heritages, possibly help effects of Covid

    It will generate economic benefits for the country Thailand’s Health Minister, and noted non-fan of “unwashed farangs“, Anutin Charnvirakul, declared yesterday that 4 cannabis strains in Thailand will be registered as National Heritages. The move is done to promote research related to medical marijuana and combatting the effects of Covid-19. Anutin says the Medical Plant Research Institute through the Department…

  • TAT thinking up ways quarantine might be relaxed for tourists returning from Thailand

    TAT thinking up ways quarantine might be relaxed for tourists returning from Thailand

    The ever-inventive Tourism Authority of Thailand is looking at ways quarantine might be eased for tourists visiting Thailand, both on arrival here and on their return home. TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn says ā€œcity bubblesā€ and activity-based travel arrangements in sandbox destinations could be the way forward. The arrangement would be between low-risk cities and would mean tourists could visit destinations…

  • Third vaccine shot may be necessary to combat Delta variant

    Third vaccine shot may be necessary to combat Delta variant

    The head of the Department of Disease Control says a third vaccine dose may be needed to protect against more infectious Covid-19 variants. Opas Karnkawinpong says officials are studying if it is safe to vaccinate people with different brands following the first dose, but says itā€™s too soon to say. “Knowledge (about the virus and the vaccines is updated) constantly…

  • South hit by 402 cases of Beta variant

    South hit by 402 cases of Beta variant

    The south of the country has been struck by a wave of Beta variant Covid-19 infections, after a cluster first discovered in a school spread to 402 people. The Beta variant, originally known as the South African variant, gives health officials greater cause for concern as studies show it may be more resistant to vaccines. According to the Bangkok Post,…

  • AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to be donated to Thailand from Japan

    AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines to be donated to Thailand from Japan

    As Thailand’s vaccine supply runs short due to production delays, the Japanese government has offered to donate doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, according to Thailand’s health minister Anutin Charnvirakul. An agreement is set to be signed this week and vaccine doses would be delivered next month. Anutin only gave a brief statement and did not say how many doses…

  • Monday Covid Update: 3,175 new cases; infections rise in the Deep South

    Monday Covid Update: 3,175 new cases; infections rise in the Deep South

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 3,175 new Covid-19 cases today. Thailand now has 33,859 active cases, a slight increase since the count recorded yesterday after a downward trend over the past few weeks. 29 coronavirus-related fatalities were reported today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 1,658. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA…

  • Ministry of Interior backtracks on decision to prioritise ThaiBev for vaccine allocation

    Ministry of Interior backtracks on decision to prioritise ThaiBev for vaccine allocation

    Last Thursday, an urgent message was sent to all provincial governors telling them to allocate “spare vaccines” to ThaiBev employees and family. Now, the Ministry of Interior is backtracking on said orders after the decision proved controversial. ThaiBev is one of Southeast Asia’s biggest “beverage” companies and one of its most popular products is Chang beer. The company had asked…

  • Hotel association survey shows average occupancy at around 6%

    Hotel association survey shows average occupancy at around 6%

    A survey carried out by the Thai Hotels Association shows that average occupancy for June is not expected to increase from the 6% seen in May. In a further blow to the hotel industry, TTR Weekly reports that occupancy in alternative state quarantine facilities is predicted to fall to 10%, down from 13% last month. THA president, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi,…