COVID

  • Covid-19 News

    Health Ministry: test for Omicron variant before the holidays

    Headache? Coughing? Fatigue? Better get tested! The Ministry of Public Health is encouraging the people of Thailand to get tested for Covid-19 before the upcoming holiday period to try to detect, contain, and prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. The ministry asked everyone to check themselves and to be aware of the many symptoms that could possibly be attributed…

  • Covid-19 News

    Wednesday Covid Update: 2,532 cases; provincial totals

    31 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,471 with 21,377 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 2,532 new Covid-19 cases and 3,191 recoveries. There are now 38,202 people in Thailand being…

  • Covid-19 News

    UPDATE: Tourist who left quarantine, tested positive for Covid-19, turns himself in

    UPDATE: Thai media reports that the traveller who tested positive for Covid-19 and left his quarantine hotel without permission has contacted the Embassy of Israel in Thailand to turn himself in to police in Koh Samui. The Royal Thai Police deputy spokesperson for told Thai media the travellers could face criminal charges for violating the Emergency Decree. Officials are still looking…

  • Covid-19 News

    Tuesday Covid Update: 2,476 new cases; provincial totals

    32 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,440 with 21,346 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 2,476 new Covid-19 cases and 3,649 recoveries. There are now 38,892 people in Thailand being…

  • Thailand News

    Thai officials to review list of low risk countries, possibly ban travellers from high risk

    In addition to discussing whether to cancel the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme due to the uptick in Omicron cases, the Thai government will also review its list of countries considered to be at low risk for Covid-19 and consider whether to ban travellers from high risk countries. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told Thai media today that the…

  • Covid-19 News

    Monday Covid Update: 2,525 new cases; provincial totals

    31 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,408 with 21,314 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 2,525 new Covid-19 cases and 4,190 recoveries. There are now 40,097 people in Thailand being…

  • Covid-19 News

    First local Omicron case, officials consider cancelling quarantine exemption Test & Go

    Thailand’s first local transmission of the Omicron variant was reported today by public health officials. The confirmed case comes as the government considers cancelling the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme due to increasing reports of Omicron cases involving those arriving in Thailand from overseas. So far, health officials have reported more than 60 imported Omicron cases. The first local…

  • Phuket News

    5 Omicron variant infections identified in Phuket

    Phuket province has now identified 5 cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 according to health officials on the island. All 5 infections were identified from the RT-PCR test that all international arrivals are administered as soon as they land in Thailand. The Omicron infections were found in people who arrived on December 13 and December 14. One infection was…

  • Covid-19 News

    Is Omicron less or more dangerous than earlier Covid variants?

    A month after the first cases of the Covid-19 variant, Omicron, were officially detected in South Africa, we know a bit more about the potential dangers, but not a lot. Anecdotally, there have been plenty of doctors saying that the new variant appears to produce milder symptoms than earlier variants, as is often the case with these viruses. But they…

  • Tourism News

    British Airways cancels over 2,000 flights including Bangkok

    In the face of the spread of Covid-19 as infections surge in the UK, British Airways have suspended all their flights travelling to Bangkok until October of next year. Rumours began circulating about the possible cancellation earlier this week with popular travel sites speculating about the major airline suspending the route. Many passengers told stories of receiving cancellation notices from…

  • Covid-19 News

    TAC explains what happens if a tourist or child gets Covid-19

    One question that has frequently come up, and scared people from coming to Thailand in the age of Covid-19, is that of what happens if you test positive for the virus when you land in the country. An official with the Phuket Tourist Assistance Centre recently laid out the procedure for a tourist – or a child – who test…

  • Covid-19 News

    Moderna finds booster shot effective against Omicron variant

    Following in the footsteps of Pfizer, Moderna has announced positive results in their study of how the mRNA vaccine stands up against the new Omicron variant. In their new assessment, the makers of Moderna found that, very similarly to the Pfizer vaccine, 2 doses of Moderna is less effective against the Omicron variant than previous strains, but a third booster…

  • Covid-19 News

    Friday Covid Update: 3,537 new cases; provincial totals

    41 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,327 with 21,233 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 3,537 new Covid-19 cases and 5,459 recoveries. There are now 43,479 people in Thailand being…

  • Thailand News

    Riot erupts at Krabi prison over inmate Covid-19 treatment, 300 officers deployed

    Hundreds of police have been deployed to control an ongoing riot at the Krabi Provincial Prison off the Andaman coast. Around 70 inmates started rioting at around 9pm last night, throwing objects, setting fires, and smashing tiles and plates. Prisoners reportedly threw the riot because an inmate was offered Covid-19 treatment off prison grounds while others infected with the virus…

  • Covid-19 News

    Entertainment sector performers may receive one-time payout

    Some workers in nightlife and entertainment venues may soon receive a taste of Covid-19 financial relief from a government payout. The Social Security Office of Thailand agreed to help people in the entertainment sector who have been without work and any financial assistance for over a year. If the Cabinet approves the new measures, workers in the sector can receive…

  • Thailand News

    Thursday Covid Update: 3,684 new cases; provincial totals

    26 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,286 with 21,192 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 3,684 new Covid-19 cases and 4,531 recoveries. There are now 45,442 people in Thailand being…

  • Covid-19 News

    Omicron variant: 9 cases confirmed, 5 more suspected in Thailand

    Omicron is slowly creeping into Thailand. Officials have announced that there have now been 9 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 diagnosed within the borders of Thailand. Those nine cases have been fully genome sequenced and confirmed that they are definitely the new and highly infections variant. Omicron is believed to be more contagious but less severe than…

  • Covid-19 News

    Wednesday Covid Update: 3,370 new cases; provincial totals

    29 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,260 with 21,166 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 3,370 new Covid-19 cases and 4,557 recoveries. There are now 46,315 people in Thailand being…

  • Thailand News

    Health Ministry looks into fake vaccine certificates after social media post goes viral

    Thailand’s Public Health Ministry is looking into fake vaccine certification sales after a post advertising bogus certifications went viral on Facebook. A photo of what looks like a vaccine certificate issued by the Thai government with a caption saying “Get a vaccine certificate from us. No need to waste your time getting vaccinated.” Get a vaccine certificate from us. No…

  • Covid-19 News

    Tuesday Covid Update: 2,862 new cases; provincial totals

    37 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,231 with 21,137 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 2,862 new Covid-19 cases and 4,818 recoveries. There are now 47,531 people in Thailand being…

  • Thailand News

    “Sandbox” entry scheme to remain at 7 days, CCSA reverses move to cut down stay

    The period of stay under the “sandbox” entry scheme will continue to be seven days. The CCSA approved to cut the period down to five days but tightened measures after the emergence of the Omicron variant. Under the entry scheme, travellers who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can enter and roam freely in a designated province or area, such as…

  • Thailand News

    Covid control zoning revised: No more “red” zones, Chon Buri now “blue” reopening area

    With Covid-19 infection rates on a downward trend and active cases at the lowest it’s been since late-June, the CCSA revised it’s colour-coded zoning scale for managing the outbreak and now no provinces are classified as “red” zones under maximum control. Under the revised zoning, there are now 39 provinces classified as “orange” controlled zones and 30 provinces classified as…

  • Covid-19 News

    Monday Covid Update: 3,398 new cases; provincial totals

    23 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,194 with 21,100 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 3,398 new Covid-19 cases and 5,467 recoveries. There are now 49,524 people in Thailand being…

  • Pattaya News

    Pattaya restaurant busted operating after curfew as a nightclub

    In a familiar scene lately as Thailand toes the line between Covid-19 safety and restarting the tourism economy by relaxing alcohol bans in select areas around the country, a restaurant essentially operating as a bar on South Pattaya Road was shut down last night for violating the Chon Buri Communicable Disease Control order. Dripoly restaurant in Pattaya was raided just…

  • Covid-19 News

    COVID-19 SUNDAY: Positive numbers all around, lowest deaths since third wave

    Today was a great day for Covid-19 news as the numbers have improved from yesterday for every single metric except for infections brought in from abroad which jumped from 16 yesterday to 24 today. Daily infections and deaths are down, with deaths hitting the lowest number since the third wave of Covid-19 began in April. The total number of hospitalisations…

  • Covid-19 News

    Restaurants reminded to follow Covid-19 safety for holidays

    Though many people are not planning on travelling during the upcoming holiday season, the Department of Health has issued a reminder for restaurants the follow Covid-19 prevention regulations, especially with the increasing number of tourists for the holidays. The director-general of the department said with the upcoming long holiday weekends, more travellers can be expected to be patronizing restaurants, especially…

  • Tourism News

    Holiday travel: Poll finds most don’t have New Year’s plans

    A new survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University finds that most people do not have plans to travel over the New Year’s holiday, citing costs and worries of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 as the main reason to stay put. The Suan Dusit Poll was conducted from December 6 to December 9 and interviewed 1,304 people across all locations, ages,…

  • Thailand News

    2023 healthcare budget of 207 billion baht proposed including Covid-19

    In order to add Covid-19 testing and treatment to the benefits of universal healthcare in Thailand for 2023, the National Health Security Office is requesting a 207 billion baht budget. Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul chaired a meeting on Thursday of the NHSO which came up with the figure to request to include funding for Covid-19. The budget for…

  • Covid-19 News

    COVID-19 SATURDAY: 4,079 infections, 39 deaths, provincial totals

    Today, the CCSA reported 4,079 new Covid-19 infections, down 114 since yesterday, and 39 Coronavirus-related deaths, up 11 from yesterday. Since April 1, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,135,986 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported.   In the 24 hour period since the last count, the CCSA has reported 7,302 recoveries, up 561…

  • Covid-19 News

    Plant-based Baiya vaccine can be adjusted for Omicron variant

    Baiya Phytopharm says that the plant-based Covid-19 vaccine they have been developing in Thailand can be adjusted to be effective against the Omicron variant. The vaccine is currently in the middle of the human trials phase of testing and the Chief Technology Officer says the vaccine formula can be modified to fight Omicron. Baiya has developed a genetically engineered tobacco…