Thailand News
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Ayutthaya hospital to test all staff for Covid after 18 test positive
18 staff members at a hospital in Ayutthaya have tested positive for Covid-19. Over the next couple of days, all 1,700 hospital staff members will undergo testing while those who were in close contact with the infected staff will be screened. The infected staff members, which include ambulance drivers and nurses, have been sent to another facility for treatment, according…
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13 teenagers arrested in Chon Buri for partying, gathering
13 teenagers were arrested last night in Nongprue, a town in the Chon Buri Province. Allegedly, they were partying in a luxury resort around midnight. A “concerned citizen” had reportedly alerted police, as they were concerned the gathering could lead to a Covid outbreak in the community. Police got to the Pool villa and arrested the 13 teenagers. The police…
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Crime Suppression Division seizes dozens of illegal firearms in a series of raids
Thai law enforcement officers are cracking down on the illegal firearms trade, primarily on the online sales of guns. The Crime Suppression Division, or CSD, executed a series of raids this month, seizing dozens of illegal weapons and arresting several people on illegal weapons charges. The raids were initiated following the investigation into the online sales of firearms on the…
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Monday Covid Update: 3,355 new cases, provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 3,355 new Covid-19 cases today and 17 coronavirus-related fatalities, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 199,264 confirmed infections and the virus-related death toll to 1,466. Thailand now has 39,854 active cases, a downward trend over the past week. The recent and most severe wave of Covid-19…
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Almost 8 million register for stimulus scheme, app briefly goes down
Almost 8 million Thai people have registered for the 50:50 copayment in the scheme in just an hour. The application opened at 6 am today. There was a short “disruption” in the “Pao Tang” app as a result However, the disruption was short-lived and the app was available soon after going down. Currently, around 23 million people qualify to get…
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Monday Covid Update: 3,355 new cases and 17 deaths
3,355 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total since April 1 to 170,401 confirmed infections. The CCSA also reported 17 more deaths related to the coronavirus. Out of the new cases, 784 were detected in Thailand’s overcrowded prisons, a spike in the past few days as the Department of Corrections rolls…
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Low immunity levels in some, despite 2 doses of AstraZeneca, Sinovac
A leading medical expert in Thailand has expressed concern that some people who’ve received both doses of either the AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccine are showing low levels of immunity to Covid-19. According to a Nation Thailand report, Thiravat Hemachudha from the Health Science Centre of Emerging Diseases at Chulalongkorn University says that, 3 or 4 weeks after inoculation, some people…
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Confusion, delayed appointments, and finger pointing: Thailand’s vaccine rollout in disarray
It seems it’s all turned into a bit of a shambles. Only a week after the government’s national vaccine rollout kicked off to great pomp and ceremony at Bangkok’s Bang Sue Grand Station, it has already run into problems. The Bangkok Post reports that both public and private hospitals are postponing appointments, saying they haven’t been given enough vaccines. The…
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Despite rumours, PM and goverment not planning early election
Amid a scattered Covid-19 response and vaccine rollout, and plenty of political fingerpointing and whispers, government officials dismiss rumours that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will call an early special election. The rumours gained traction after the prime minister urged cabinet members to hasten their work as the administration had only 1 year left, when in fact the 4-year term ends in…
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Thai PM not happy with soccer gambling
Prayut Chan-o-cha, has voiced his concern that there has been an uptick in illegal gambling by Thai people throughout the UEFA European Soccer Championship (AKA Euro 2020). The PM told the Royal Thai Police, the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, and “relevant agencies” to tighten the scrutiny of illegal gambling, with an emphasis on online gambling. He also asked…
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Survey shows lack of confidence in Government’s handling of vaccinations
Despite the mass vaccination campaign that has seen around 900,000 more vaccinations given, a lack of confidence in the government’s approach to Covid vaccinations still reigns. According to a new survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University (AKA the Suan Dusit Poll), over half of respondents had doubts that government could reach its stated goal of inoculating 50 million people…
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Goverment kind of discloses what the secret budget is spent on
The Thai government has shed some light on its “secret budget allocations” to parry criticisms that it should increase transparency about money being used on defence. The Prime Minister Operations Centre shared details on its Facebook page. They say the secret allocations taken out of the 3.1 trillion baht budget deal amounted to only .03% of the total (930 million…
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Pfizer vaccine application received, review process begun
The Food and Drug Administration in Thailand is now processing the application for the Pfizer vaccine for domestic use against Covid-19. The secretary-general of the FDA says they have received the application from Pfizer Thailand and have begun the review process, taking the vaccine one step closer to use in Thailand. The government had just submitted an order of 20…
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Covid UPDATE: 3,277 new infections and 29 deaths, provincial totals
There are another 29 Covid-related deaths and 3,277 new infections announced today. 892 of today’s cases were from Thai prisons, an ongoing source of infections where around 22,000+ inmates have now been detected as new Covid cases (more below). Here’s the provincial totals for today… • Meanwhile the Thai Justice Ministry says the start of a vaccine rollout in the…
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Red tape and restrictions suggest a slow Phuket reopening
With the rollercoaster ride of the Phuket Sandbox reopening scheme, some government officials remain mostly optimistic, while many others are scaling back predictions and expectations. A slow return of tourist to Phuket is forecast as the plan, which won’t be officially approved until just days before the scheduled reopening on July 1, is meeting with a fair amount of blowback…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 3,277 new infections and 29 deaths
The public health ministry has announced another 29 Covid-related deaths and 3,277 new infections for Saturday. 892 of today’s cases have been from Thai prisons, an ongoing source of infections where around 22,000+ inmates have now been detected as new Covid cases. • Meanwhile the Thai Justice Ministry says the start of a vaccine rollout in the overcrowded prisons started…
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Site launched for June 14 vaccine signup for all foreigners
The latest update on Thailand’s Covid-19 vaccine registration plans indicates that all foreigners can sign up online from June 14. The Thailand Intervac website seems to be constantly evolving and was first opened for diplomats on a specific URL and then for general foreigner signups on the main site, though hiccups and problems are often reported. The main site was…
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Autopsy reveals heart attack killed woman who received AstraZeneca vaccine
A 46 year old Bangkok woman that died on Tuesday after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccine, died from a heart attack, says the autopsy. Dr Atthasit Dulamnuay says: The right atria of the woman’s heart was found to be ruptured, causing a haemorrhage of 180cc of blood and severe pulmonary oedema, in which excessive amounts of fluid builds up in the…
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Thailand’s Golf Quarantine on hold until Covid situation improves
Thailand’s “Golf Quarantine” is on hold until the Covid-19 situation improves, an alternative quarantine option at a certified golf resort. The postponement was first announced last month. Travellers who made arrangements prior to the announcement and have been granted a Certificate of Entry, or COE, can still enjoy the Thailand’s Golf Quarantine. The programme allows foreign golfers to undergo the…
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Thai woman wants to sell her kidney to help with financial problems during Covid-19
A 64 year old Thai woman says she wants to sell her kidney to help her family with their financial problems brought on by the Covid-19. The woman from the central province Nakhon Pathom, just west of Bangkok, says that due to the disease control restrictions during the outbreak, she was forced to close her Chinese restaurant. Since then, she’s…
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Thai Airways to offer international flights to 16 destinations next month
Starting next month until September, Thai Airways will offer international flights from Bangkok to 16 destinations including Tokyo, Osaka, London, Paris and Frankfurt. The airline’s chief commercial officer says there’s an increase in demand for air travel and they plan to increase flights later this year under its 2021 Winter Programme. The airline says it “prioritises hygiene excellence” and strictly…
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Friday Covid Update: 2,290 new cases, provincial totals
2,290 new cases and 27 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total infection count since the start of the pandemic last year to 189,828 and the death toll related to the virus to 1,402. Thailand now has 43,428 active Covid-19 cases. Bangkok remains the epicentre of infections with tight restrictions to control…
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Alpha variant of Covid-19 makes up 9 in 10 infections
The Department of Medical Sciences confirmed today that nearly 90% of all Covid-19 infections in Thailand are from the newly-labelled Alpha variant. The strain, previously known as the UK variant as it was first identified in the United Kingdom, was found in 88.48% of 4,185 cases that university labs studied between April and June, with 3,703 infections of the Alpha…
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Best-case for Phuket’s Sandbox: up to 1.2 million tourists, Kasikorn predicts
Up to 1.2 million foreign tourists could travel to Thailand through Phuket’s “Sandbox” travel scheme. That’s the best-case scenario, according to the Kasikorn Research Centre. They estimate that the scheme, which is planned to allow vaccinated tourists to enter the country and stay on the island without going through quarantine, could draw in 550,000 people to 1.2 million from July…
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Friday Covid Update: 2,290 cases and 27 deaths
2,290 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total number of cases since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of infections, to 160,965. The CCSA reported 27 more deaths related to Covid-19. 5,711 people have recovered from Covid-19. The number of active cases has been on a downward slope over the past…
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Property market in tourism areas relying on vaccines for recovery
Tourism destinations in Thailand are pinning their hopes on Covid-19 vaccines to revive their decimated economies, including in the real estate sector. Vichai Viratkapan from the Real Estate Information Centre says the property sector’s recovery will be driven by the rollout of vaccines, particularly in tourist destinations that have borne the brunt of the economic devastation. “Tourism destinations like Phuket,…
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Thai government signs contract for 20 million Pfizer doses
The government has approved the order of 20 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from US manufacturer, Pfizer. The Bangkok Post reports that the head of the Department of Disease Control signed the contract yesterday. Delivery will be some time this year, but when exactly is unclear, as the vaccine has yet to be approved by Thailand’s Food and Drug…
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CCSA announces schools can reopen June 14 in most of Thailand
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has announced today that schools all across Thailand will reopen for the new school year on June 14. In-person classes will resume throughout most of the nation, though in Bangkok and 3 surrounding provinces, all learning will be remote. After a meeting today, the CCSA announced the decision that they have given the go-ahead…
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Phuket bars to stay closed for July 1 sandbox
Bars, pubs, and other “entertainment venues” throughout Phuket will remain closed when the province opens for its July 1 reopening, Patong Mayor Chalermsak Maneesri said today. Chalermsak says the entertainment venues will remain closed as a meeting with Phuket officials cited a covid cluster from such an establishment. He further told Thai media today that the Phuket Governor and the TAT…
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TAT officially announces vaccine website for foreigners
The Tourism Authority of Thailand officially announced today a website for foreigners in Thailand to register for their Covid-19 vaccine. The site – ThailandIntervac.com – was launched in an updated format on Monday by the Ministry of Public Health and serves as a national registration site to supplement the individual registration processes each province in Thailand was tasked with creating.…
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