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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    How one hospital visit in Thailand could cost more than your whole trip

    Thailand is a favourite spot for travellers who want to enjoy more while spending less. From cheap street food to low-cost hotels and fun attractions, it’s easy to stretch your budget here. But there’s one thing many people don’t think...

  • Anutin says no to easing restrictions, praises Thailand’s handling of pandemic

    Anutin says no to easing restrictions, praises Thailand’s handling of pandemic

    Thailand’s Health Minister has ruled out any further easing of Covid-19 restrictions, despite reports yesterday that the CCSA is considering such a move. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anutin Charnvirakul has also praised the country’s handling of the pandemic, including the vaccine rollout. Yesterday, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control was reported as saying Thailand would need…

  • Tourism revenue hits record low across all 77 provinces in Thailand

    Tourism revenue hits record low across all 77 provinces in Thailand

    Tourism revenue has plummeted across each of the 77 provinces, according to data from Thailand’s tourism ministry. The Bangkok Post reports that income from both foreign and local tourism reached an historic low in 2021, dropping by nearly 70%. Meanwhile, the revenue gap between Bangkok and other major provinces remains wide. In 2021, Bangkok posted the highest revenue at 62.7…

  • Monday Covid Update: 10,470 new cases; provincial totals

    Monday Covid Update: 10,470 new cases; provincial totals

    12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,303 with 605 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 10,470 new Covid-19 cases and 8,711 recoveries. There are now 92,784 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…

  • Health ministry to propose easing Covid restrictions, in line with other countries

    Health ministry to propose easing Covid restrictions, in line with other countries

    Thailand’s health officials plan to propose the easing of some Covid-19 restrictions in a bid to move away from imposing lockdowns when outbreaks are reported. Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says other countries are relaxing some curbs and Thailand is ready to follow suit. However, according to a Bangkok Post report, he did not specify what restrictions…

  • Australia to finally open to tourists in March

    Australia to finally open to tourists in March

    Vaccinated international tourists will finally be allowed to enter Australia again in March. The country’s borders shut exactly two years before that in March 2020. Skilled migrants and international students were only allowed back in December 2021. But now that Covid-19 cases are down in all states except Western Australia, Australia’s home affairs minister says she’s making the opening a…

  • Sunday Covid numbers, sixth day of climbing infections

    Sunday Covid numbers, sixth day of climbing infections

    A new high today, the sixth day in a row where the new infection numbers have been slowly rising again in Thailand. Today’s total of 10,879 new infections is the highest since October 14 last year when the numbers were trending down following the Delta (third) wave was sweeping through Thailand (from July to November 2021). Out of today’s new…

  • Thailand’s Covid infections push through the 10,000 milestone again

    Thailand’s Covid infections push through the 10,000 milestone again

    Thailand has pushed over the 10,000 new Covid infections a day for the first time since October 18 last year. Over the past 5 weeks the daily reports have hovered mostly in the 7,000 – 8,000 infection range. 217 of yesterday’s number scame from overseas arrivals. There were also 21 Covid-related deaths reported in today’s statistics, whilst 88,463 people remain under…

  • Thailand’s DDC director says Covid may enter post-pandemic phase this year

    Thailand’s DDC director says Covid may enter post-pandemic phase this year

    As Thailand has seen a downswing of daily new Covid-19 infections, which have remained below 10,000 since the beginning of January, the country’s Department of Disease Control director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong says the widespread virus may enter the post-pandemic stage this year. The global outbreak has three stages: pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic, the director says, adding that the world may…

  • Phuket officials alarmed by number of tourists testing positive on arrival

    Phuket officials alarmed by number of tourists testing positive on arrival

    Officials on the holiday island of Phuket have expressed alarm at the number of foreign tourists testing positive on arrival and are pointing the finger at allegedly fake results from pre-departure PCR tests. Deputy governor Pichet Panapong raised the issue during a call with the CCSA, in which he urged the government’s Covid-19 task force to improve screening measures for…

  • WHO issues cautious prediction of Covid “ceasefire” in Europe’s war on pandemic

    WHO issues cautious prediction of Covid “ceasefire” in Europe’s war on pandemic

    Europe could be in for “a ceasefire that could bring us enduring peace” in terms of the war on Covid-19, according to the World Health Organisation. WHO Europe director Hans Kluge says the milder Omicron variant, high vaccination rates and the end of winter approaching all combine to promise a “long period of tranquillity”. According to an AFP report, Kluge…

  • Thailand’s health minister says there’s no legal requirement to wear a face mask

    Thailand’s health minister says there’s no legal requirement to wear a face mask

    Legally, we can’t force you to do it, but just do it, okay? That seems to be the message from Thailand’s Public Health Minister in relation to the wearing of face masks. According to a report from the National News Bureau of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul has confirmed there’s no legal mandate for the wearing of face masks…. at least that’s…

  • New Zealand announces 5 step border reopening plan, starting this month

    New Zealand announces 5 step border reopening plan, starting this month

    New Zealand is slowly starting to ease restrictions and gradually reopen borders. The country announced a five-step plan for loosening some of the world’s most restrictive Covid-19 measures, starting with allowing citizens in Australia, who have been fully vaccinated, to travel back home at the end of the month. Vaccinated travellers will be free to enter on March 13, according…

  • Most Phuket tourists infected with Covid travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan

    Most Phuket tourists infected with Covid travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan

    Most tourists who tested positive for Covid-19 when they arrived in Phuket travelled from Russia and Kazakhstan, but particularly Russia, the Phuket provincial governor told the Bangkok Post. The governor says there will be an investigation of why a significant number of infections involved travellers from those countries. Governor Narong Woonciew says that out of about 300 daily diagnoses in Phuket,…

  • Phuket reports higher infection rate in second Covid tests for Test & Go travellers

    Phuket reports higher infection rate in second Covid tests for Test & Go travellers

    With two RT-PCR tests now required for Test & Go travellers, one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations, Phuket, is reporting a higher infection rate for the second test. Following the emergence of the Omicron variant in Thailand, with many travellers testing positive for the mutated strain, the Thai government decided to require two RT-PCR tests instead of the initial…

  • Thai health officials see signs of dementia in some recovered Covid-19 patients

    Thai health officials see signs of dementia in some recovered Covid-19 patients

    A number of patients who’ve recovered from Covid-19 are displaying signs of dementia, according to Thai health officials. According to a Nation Thailand report, the Department of Medical Services says the symptoms tend to develop between 1 and 6 months after contracting Covid-19. DMS boss Somsak Ankasil says the risk appears to be higher in patients with pre-existing brain or…

  • House speaker insists parliament building is safe, despite several MPs testing positive

    House speaker insists parliament building is safe, despite several MPs testing positive

    The Speaker of the Thai House of Representatives has insisted parliamentary business can continue as normal and that meetings are safe. Chuan Leekpai was responding to news that a number of MPs have tested positive for Covid-19. According to a Bangkok Post report, the speaker is anxious to have sessions continue as normal, pointing out that there are strict Covid-19…

  • Over 23,000 travellers register for Test & Go scheme on day 1 of relaunch

    Over 23,000 travellers register for Test & Go scheme on day 1 of relaunch

    A government spokesman says out of 29,194 foreigners who applied for a Thailand Pass on Tuesday, over 23,000 were registering for the Test & Go entry scheme. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says 23,660 registered for Test & Go on day 1 of its return. According to a Bangkok Post report, Thanakorn is optimistic that this number will increase. Test & Go was…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 8,587 new cases; provincial totals

    Wednesday Covid Update: 8,587 new cases; provincial totals

    22 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,207 with 509 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,587 new Covid-19 cases and 8,485 recoveries. There are now 83,094 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…

  • Bang Sue station offering lower dosage of Covid vaccines for booster shots

    Bang Sue station offering lower dosage of Covid vaccines for booster shots

    The director of the Institute of Dermatology says lower-dose vaccines are on offer at the vaccination centre at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station. Dr Mingkwan Wichaidit says people can opt to have a lower dosage of a Covid-19 vaccine administered intra-dermally. She says that administering half a dose under the skin has been shown to be highly effective and causes…

  • Hotels now required to confirm paid room bookings and PCR tests with government

    Hotels now required to confirm paid room bookings and PCR tests with government

    As part of the revamped Test & Go entry scheme, hotels are now required to confirm Thailand Pass bookings within 30 hours or applications will be rejected automatically. According to a Bangkok Post report, hotels must verify room bookings and PCR test appointments with the Foreign Ministry in order for a Thailand Pass application to be approved. Yuthasak Supasorn, governor…

  • Tuesday Covid Update: 7,422 new cases; provincial totals

    Tuesday Covid Update: 7,422 new cases; provincial totals

    12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,185 with 487 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,422 new Covid-19 cases and 8,715 recoveries. There are now 83,014 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…

  • NeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans

    NeoCoV could be ‘3 times more lethal’ than Covid-19, IF it gains key mutation for humans

    Chinese researchers in Wuhan have sounded the alarm on a species of known bat coronavirus that could potentially be 3 times more fatal than Covid-19, the Thai Public Health Commission’s Vice Chairman Chalermchai Boonyaleephan stated yesterday. If the virus were to mutate and make its way to human populations, it could turn into “Covid-22” and eventually be crowned “MERS-CoV-2,” Boonyaleephan said.…

  • Thailand’s mask mandate still in place, violators face fines up to 20,000 baht – CCSA

    Thailand’s mask mandate still in place, violators face fines up to 20,000 baht – CCSA

    Authorities are warning the public that Thailand’s face mask mandate is still in effect with a maximum fine of 20,000 baht for not wearing an appropriate mask in a public place to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration made a post on Facebook, reminding the public of the range of fines for those who do…

  • PM orders rollout of low-cost antigen test kits, aims to distribute 20 million a month

    PM orders rollout of low-cost antigen test kits, aims to distribute 20 million a month

    The Thai government plans to make lower-cost antigen test kits available to the general public through pharmacies and hospitals. According to CCSA spokesman, Taweesilp Visanuyothin, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha wants around 20 million kits a month distributed across the country, allowing people easier access to proof of being infected. The Bangkok Post reports that, according to government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, the…

  • Tourism operators welcome Test & Go reboot, despite frustration at rule changes

    Tourism operators welcome Test & Go reboot, despite frustration at rule changes

    Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme re-opens for registration today and has been given a cautious welcome by tourism operators. Businesses are unsure about the additional rules of Test & Go Version 2, including the requirement for an additional PCR test on day 5, which involves a second mandatory hotel stay until a negative result is obtained. This despite the…

  • Monday Covid Update: 8,008 new cases; provincial totals

    Monday Covid Update: 8,008 new cases; provincial totals

    16 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 22,173 with 475 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 8,008 new Covid-19 cases and 8,215 recoveries. There are now 84,319 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…

  • Beijing sees an increase in Covid-19 cases as Winter Olympics approaches

    Beijing sees an increase in Covid-19 cases as Winter Olympics approaches

    Just days before the Winter Olympics in Beijing, the Chinese capital reported a spike in Covid-19 cases with Sunday reaching 20 new infections, the highest daily count in the past 18 months. While the number is low in comparison to other cities around the world, neighbours are being sealed off and residents are being screened for Covid-19. A total of…

  • The show must go on: House to meet this week, despite 12 MPs having Covid-19

    The show must go on: House to meet this week, despite 12 MPs having Covid-19

    Parliamentary meetings scheduled for Wednesday and Friday of this week will go ahead, despite 12 MPs and 13 parliamentary officials being infected with Covid-19. Thai PBS World reports that House Speaker, Chuan Leekpai, says the meetings will take place, as his advisor, Dr. Sukit Atthopakorn, has stated, “the House must be able to function”. Sukit added that additional preventative measures…

  • Dr Yong: I don’t think “endemic” means what you think it means.

    Dr Yong: I don’t think “endemic” means what you think it means.

    Dr Yong Poovorawan, the country’s outspoken top virologist, is raining on Thailand’s endemic parade. The chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University pointed out that while the nature of Covid-19 may be evolving over time to be less of a threat, it will never by definition be endemic. It seems…

  • COVID-19 SUNDAY: 12 deaths, over 2.4 million total infections

    COVID-19 SUNDAY: 12 deaths, over 2.4 million total infections

    Today, the CCSA reported 8,444 new Covid-19 infections, down 174 since yesterday, and 12 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 7 from yesterday. Since April 1, 2021, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, today the country surpassed 2.4 million infections with a total of 2,403,661 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported. 22,157 total deaths have been recorded from the pandemic.…