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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Thailand has a strong healthcare system with both public and private options. Public hospitals offer affordable care, but many people, including expats, choose private health insurance for faster service, modern facilities, and more treatment choices. To decide if private health...
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Investigation launched into death of woman who received AstraZeneca vaccine
Thailand’s Health Minister says an investigation will be launched into the cause of death of a 46 year old woman who received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Anutin Charnvirakul was speaking as he paid his condolences to the family of Panyapat Itthithanawong, who lived in the Bang Khen district of Bangkok. The Bangkok Post reports that Panyapat received a dose of the…
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Hi-So accused of dressing as taxi drivers to get vaccine
After the Titanic sunk, rumours circulated that a man dressed as a woman to sneak about a lifeboat. While the rumour has never been proven as is mostly regarded as false, Bangkok Hi-So elites are being accused of a similar immoral disguise. Thai authorities say they will prosecute anyone, wealthy or otherwise, who is found dressing up as motorbike taxi…
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So expats can get vaccines in the rollout. But… how?
With mass vaccination finally underway, one demographic hangs in an uncertain balance for vaccines more than any other: Thailand’s 3 million expats. After months of back and forth with foreigners being told they will get vaccines, then they wouldn’t, then they’d have to pay, then they’d have to wait until after all Thais, and finally that all expats would be…
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Around 900,000 doses administered since yesterday’s launch of the mass vaccination campaign
Around 900,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered since Thailand launched its mass immunisation campaign yesterday… making steps closer toward the goal of 96 million doses administered in the next 200 days. The Thai government first started rolling out vaccines for those in priority areas and those at a high risk of infection on February 28. Public Health…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,669 new cases, provincial totals
Although the daily Covid count remains high, with 2,680 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, the number of active cases have decreased. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun, who gives the daily Covid situation report in English, says that today more recoveries were reported than new cases, with the…
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Phuket’s main Covid vaccination centre offers drive-through service for elderly patients
A drive-through Covid-19 vaccination service has opened up at Phuket’s main vaccination centre, allowing those 60 years old or above, and those with underlying health conditions, to get inoculated without getting out of their car. Health officials started offering the service after noticing that many elderly people had trouble walking through the large Saphan Hin Gymnasium to get a vaccine. Before…
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Thailand to get 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, 5 million Johnson & Johnson doses
The Thai government is ordering 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, along with 5 million of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Thai PBS World reports that deliveries are expected in the second half of the year. The Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Nattaphon Narkpanich, chair of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says the Pfizer and…
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Health Ministry orders hospitals not to postpone vaccination appointments
The Public Health Ministry has instructed Thai hospitals to honour vaccination appointments, even though they may not have received the number of doses expected. According to Thai PBS World, Satit Pitutacha from the Health Ministry says it’s vital that people over the age of 60, as well as those with 1 or more of 7 underlying health conditions, receive a…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 2,680 new cases and 35 deaths
2,680 new Covid-19 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest wave of infections, 156,365 Covid infections have been reported in Thailand. Out of the new cases reported today, 280 were in Thai prisons. In the latest wave of infections, around 30,000 inmates have tested positive for Covid-19.…
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As the clock ticks down, Phuket’s sandbox plan moves a step closer to approval
The Thai PM says the cabinet has agreed in principle to the Phuket sandbox scheme, which will see the southern island re-open to vaccinated tourists from July 1. Quarantine will be waived for fully vaccinated international arrivals from a yet-to-be-determined list of “safe” countries. However, they will have to spend 14 days on the island before being allowed to travel…
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Thai PM apologises for delays in vaccination rollout
Sorry seems to be the hardest word… Or so the song goes. But the Thai PM has managed it (admittedly some would say it took a while). Prayut Chan-o-cha has apologised for the hiccups with the national vaccine rollout, admitting yesterday that there had been delays. The Bangkok Post reports that the PM insists the situation will improve with the…
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Korat prisons declared to be Covid free
Nakhon Ratchasima, aka Korat, a northeastern province, has no inmates with Covid-19 in any of its 6 prisons. It was determined to be Covid free after all of its inmates were tested for the virus, says the governor say Kobchai Boon-orana today. The announcement came via a video conference with the heads of the 6 prisons. The 6 prisons are:…
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US report says Covid-19 may have leaked from a Chinese lab
Yesterday, a report was released that claimed “a virus leak from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is a credible assumption and worthy of additional investigation”. The report comes from the Wall Street Journal and is based on a classified document. According to US media, the study was conducted last May by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, which was…
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Vaccination history made, says PM
Thailand vaccinated its most people to date with yesterday’s 300,000 doses successfully administered. The Prime Minister, Prayut Chan-o-cha, says it was a historic day for Thailand fighting back against Covid-19. By 4 pm, over 300,000 doses had been given, says the permanent secretary of public health, Kiattiphum Wongrajit, who also says that figure does not include doses given in Bangkok.…
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Private hospitals ordering 10 million doses of Moderna, expected to arrive by October
Private hospitals in the Kingdom are planning to buy up to 10 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation. The Private Hospital Association expects to take delivery of the vaccines by October. Paiboon Eksaengsri from the PHA says progress was made at a meeting with Moderna importer, Zuellig Pharma. The price has also been set…
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Bangkok’s vaccine rollout brings a sense of optimism to the capital
Mass inoculation against Covid-19 has finally kicked off in Thailand and the sense of relief in Bangkok, epicentre of the latest wave, is palpable. The Bangkok Post reports on the rollout at Bang Sue Grand Station, now serving as a temporary vaccination centre. It’s where 78 year old U-ree Dechdamrong received her first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine yesterday. A retired…
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Fed-up waiting, some Thais have travelled overseas to be vaccinated
While the Thai government continues to big up its vaccination rollout and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha insists there will be enough vaccines for everyone, many Thais have lost faith. And the few who can afford it are flying overseas – at significant cost – to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Coconuts reports that the reasons for doing so are varied… some have…
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235 people in 10 Thai provinces infected with Covid variant first found in India
235 people in 10 of Thailand’s 77 provinces have tested positive for the Covid-19 variant first found in India. Most of the cases are linked to an outbreak at a construction camp in Bangkok’s Laksi district. Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences tested samples from 3,964 Covid-19 patients to detect mutated variants of the virus. 235 of the samples were positive…
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20 year old British man dies after falling off Pattaya balcony
A 20 year old British man has died after falling off a balcony in Pattaya this afternoon. Pattaya police were alerted to the man’s death at 1 pm today. He was found clad only in his boxers. His name is currently being withheld until his relatives have been contacted regarding his death. Pattaya police say the man was staying on…
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82 year old woman first person to get vaccine in Chiang Mai
An unnamed, nationality unknown, 82 year old woman has become the first person to get a Covid vaccine in Chiang Mai, a northern Thai Province. She received her inoculation of AstraZeneca this morning and did not report any adverse side effects. The woman did not reveal whether she had gotten the vaccine in hopes of winning a cow: as a…
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Phuket officals quiet on foreigners being able to register for Covid vaccine
Phuket officials are keeping quiet on foreigners being able to register for the Covid-19 vaccine. 2 weeks prior the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that foreigners could register for a Covid-19 vaccine. Earlier, Thaiger wrote that many (nationality not specified) who registered for a vaccine had their registration mysteriously canceled. The “Phuket Must Win” portal has a “Vaccinations for…
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Monday Covid Update: 2,419 cases and 33 deaths, provincial totals
2,419 new Covid-19 cases and 33 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising Thailand’s cumulative case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 179,516 and the death toll to 1,269. Since April 1, the latest wave of infections, the CCSA has reported a total of 151,023 Covid-19 infections. Thailand now has 49,101 active…
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Many who pre-registered for vaccine had their appointments cancelled today
Many people who pre-registered for vaccines got phone calls this morning telling them their appointment was cancelled. New appointments were not provided. The people that had registered had done so days ahead of time. Lists of recipients were directed to vaccinations sites around Bangkok, before the first day of mass vaccination of Bangkok inhabitants. Of the planned 800 to 1,000…
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Private hospitals in Thailand to confirm price of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine today
The Private Hospital Association is expected to confirm the price of the Covid-19 Moderna vaccine, which will be provided as a paid alternative outside of the government rollout. The Moderna vaccine has been approved by Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration and will be made available for purchase at private hospitals. According to a Pattaya News report, Paiboon Eksaengsri from the…
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Health Ministry insists supply issues won’t affect vaccine rollout
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry says the country’s vaccine rollout will begin today, with 2 priority groups: the elderly and those with 7 underlying health conditions. The Deputy Minister of Public Health, Sathit Pitutecha, acknowledges that many hospitals around the country have postponed vaccination appointments scheduled for today over concerns they had not received enough vaccine doses. “We are aware of…
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Tourism operators pinning hopes on vaccine rollout
Thailand’s tourism operators are pinning all their hopes on the national vaccine rollout, which kicks off today. However, the government’s reputation for vaccine procurement and management has come in for sharp criticism and confidence is not high. Already, a number of provinces have had to postpone their vaccine rollouts after receiving an insufficient number of doses from the Public Health…
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Labour party urges UK to close borders to Thailand, Vietnam
The Labour party in the United Kingdom has suggested that the UK border be closed to travellers from Vietnam and Thailand, citing the appearance and spread of a variety of Covid-19 variants. Home Secretary Priti Patel was warned Friday night by Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds that the two Southeast Asian nations should be moved to the red list and…
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Phuket sells cheap food packages to struggling inhabitants
Starting yesterday, to help ease the strain of financial hardships from Covid-19, a Phuket organization has made cheap food packages available for sale. 15,000 food packages from the Phuket Provincial Administration Organization were made available at 24 locations throughout the Island. The packages cost 70 baht per set. They include: 5 Kilograms of rice at 40 baht per pack 1…
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Bangkok shopping centres: stay calm, we’re mostly safe
Earlier this week, there was a minor kerfuffle when 3 shopping centres in Bangkok publicly denied they were the source of a Covid outbreak. Now, 3 different malls in a different district are also trying to calm fears amidst the CCSA stating they are the source of Covid clusters. The news comes from the CCSA showing a graphic of the…
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Tourism program adds a plus
This weekend, the Phuket government announced a program whereby businesses can now flout their relative vaccinated status to customers with a certificate with a literal plus. The Amazing Thailand SHA Plus certification is reached via an online registration from the Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration aka SHA. The government has urged all businesses and venues that are 70% inoculated…
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