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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Sponsored Is private health insurance in Thailand worth it? Real costs vs risks explained
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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5 movie theatres in Bangkok temporarily close
Yesterday, Major Cineplex stated it was closing 5 of its movie theatre locations in Bangkok. They will stay closed until July 25. The move is a precautionary measure against Covid. The movie Major Cineplex theatres closing are: Ratchayothin Rangsit Pin Klao Sukhumvit Esplanade Certain establishments are still open inside the shopping centre, however. They will still be closed at 8…
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Chon Buri governor orders nightly closures and requests residents to stay at home
With Covid-19 still on the rise in Chon Buri, the governor imposed new disease control measures ordering nightly business closures and officially requesting residents to stay at home from 9pm to 4am, unless travel is essential. The order goes into effect today. The restrictions are in place until the Covid-19 situation in Chon Buri improves. Chon Buri, which includes Pattaya,…
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2 Bangkok hospitals allowing foreigners to register for Covid-19 vaccination
UPDATE: The Thaiger has been informed that registration is open for 5 days only @ 100 people a day only. We would also urge people to understand that these vaccines are not in the country at this time and that people may be asked to pre-pay for the service. Following the decommissioning of the bug-ridden Thailandintervac.com website, expats in Thailand…
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Private hospitals call on government to cover costs of caring for Covid patients
Thailand’s private hospitals say that if the government would help cover the medical costs of Covid-19 patients, private facilities could help ease the burden on the public health system. The Bangkok Post reports that Pongpat Patanavanich from TPP Healthcare International, which owns MedPark Hospital, says medical costs at private hospitals are too high for those with limited budgets. According to…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 8,685 new cases and 56 deaths
8,685 new Covid-19 cases and 56 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, the CCSA has reported 324,849 infections. Out of the new cases reported today, 146 infections were reported in correctional facilities. The recent wave of infections spread to Thailand’s overcrowded prisons, infecting…
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Koh Samui opens for bookings from vaccinated foreign tourists
Koh Samui’s sealed route programme, Samui Plus, has opened for business, with vaccinated tourists now able to apply for a certificate of entry. Ratchaporn Poolsawadee from the Tourism Association of Koh Samui says some details need to be ironed out, including determing the cost of a 7-day stay at an alternative state quarantine facility, to include Covid-19 tests and medical…
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Study shows antibodies drop by 50% every 40 days after 2 doses of Sinovac
A study carried out by the faculty of medicine at Thammasat University and the National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology has found that antibodies halve every 40 days after 2 doses of the Sinovac vaccine. Researcher Anan Jongkaewwattana says 500 people who received both doses of the Chinese vaccine took part in the study. The findings confirmed that their…
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Bangkok construction workers infected with both Alpha and Delta strains
Some workers at a Bangkok constructions camp have tested positive for both the Alpha and Delta variants of Covid-19. The Bangkok Post calls it a “mixed infection” while both Nation Thailand and Thai PBS say the workers tested positive for a hybrid strain of the 2 variants. Thailand’s Medical Sciences Department director-general Dr. Supakit Sirilak announced the findings today saying…
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Monday Covid Update: 8,656 new cases; provincial totals
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded 8,656 new Covid-19 cases today, raising Thailand’s total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 345,027 confirmed infections. The latest and most severe wave of infections, first recorded on April 1 in Bangkok nightlife districts, has accounted for 316,164 of the total confirmed cases. Thailand now has a record…
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6 “Phuket Sandbox” travellers have tested positive for Covid-19 since July 1 reopening
So far, 6 people who entered Phuket under the “Sandbox” reopening scheme have tested positive for Covid-19. Those in close contact need to quarantine for 14 days. The reopening scheme allows travellers who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, as well as their children, to enter the island province without undergoing quarantine. Nearly 4,000 tourists entered Phuket from July 1…
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Monday Covid Update: 8,656 new infections and 80 deaths
8,656 new Covid-19 cases were recorded today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of infections in Thailand, to 316,164 confirmed cases. The CCSA also recorded 80 more Covid-related deaths. Out of the new cases reported today, 73 Covid-19 cases were found in correctional facilities. The latest wave…
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Tougher checks for visitors arriving on Phuket from high-risk provinces
As the southern island of Phuket grapples to keep its “sandbox” scheme running amid rising Covid-19 infections, tougher controls are being introduced for domestic visitors. From Thursday, until the end of the month, arrivals from the 10 “maximum controlled and restricted” and the 24 “maximum controlled” provinces, will need to meet stricter criteria if they want to visit Phuket. According…
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Pressure mounts for effective boosters as fully vaccinated nurse dies of Covid-19
The government is coming under increasing pressure to provide effective vaccine boosters to frontline medical staff, following the death of a nurse who’d received 2 doses of Sinovac. The Bangkok Post reports that the 30 year old nurse died a week after contracting Covid-19, despite being fully inoculated. Her cousin, Siwakorn Rattanakuntee, confirmed the death on Facebook, adding that the…
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Revenue Department dispells rumour of VAT for private vaccines
Thai government officials are moving quickly to quash a rumour being spread throughout social media that they are charging hospitals VAT for vaccines. A rumour being widely discussed around the internet accuses the government of Thailand of essentially profiteering off the importation of life-saving vaccines. A report claiming that the government is charging value-added tax on all the Covid-19 vaccines…
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618 Sinovac vaccinated medical workers get Covid-19
After being fully inoculated with 2 doses of the Sinovac vaccine, more than 600 medical workers have been diagnosed with Covid-19 infections, according to the Public Health Ministry today. A total of 618 hospital and medical staffers have been infected with Covid-19 despite having received the Chinese-made vaccine. It was not confirmed whether they were infected with the Delta variant…
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Phuket order says visitors must test negative for Covid before granted entry, with exceptions
The Phuket Governor, Narong Woonciew, issued an order today that stipulated that “anyone” who wishes to enter Phuket from a “red”, or “dark red” zone must test negative for Covid before they are granted entry. The restriction applies to those who have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from being infected. The order is set to take effect July 15…
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Lockdown tomorrow: What to expect in Bangkok and beyond
Though the government won’t use the word, tomorrow sees 10 dark red zone provinces going into, essentially, a lockdown. Here’s a rundown of what to expect during the 2 week period beginning tomorrow (Monday). The restrictions apply to all 10 provinces, but the information below is focused on the lockdown in Bangkok. INSIDE BANGKOK Things are about to quieten down.…
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Bangkok beauty pageant suffers Covid scandal
A formal complaint from the Huai Khwang district office in Bangkok been lodged against the organiser of the “Miss Grand Samut Sakhon 2021” beauty pageant, alleging the show violated the Communicable Disease Act. The complaint, lodged with the Makkasan police, alleges the pageant held on June 26 and June 27 at the Mirin Theatre RCA in the Huai Khwang district…
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Covid UPDATE Sunday: 9,539 new cases, news briefs
Today the public health department reported 9,539 new Covid infections & 86 coronavirus-related deaths. 103 of today’s cases were reported from the Thai prison system. Today’s numbers indicate a flattening of new infections but still much higher than the week before. Provincial totals published just after lunch time. • The ministries of Public Health and Transport have prepared a 5,000-bed…
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Phuket Sandbox woes: 2 more foreign Covid-19 cases, Delta variant
The Phuket Sandbox has hit a few hurdles with the revelation of 2 more international arrivals testing positive with Covid-19, as well as the first cases of the Delta and Beta variants on the island. The news comes in the wake of the Governor ordering most of the islands’ schools to close for 14 days due to the rising risk…
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All Phuket schools closing for 2 weeks amid Covid-19 fears
Ah, Thailand, where one city can simultaneously be reopening and reclosing. While the arrival numbers aren’t anywhere close to early predictions, the Phuket Sandbox has had relatively little Covid-19 issues and the people arriving are relatively happy. But the same cannot be said about schools in Phuket where, after numerous schools started closing due to infections, Governor Narong Woonciew announced…
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Preparing for Bangkok lockdown measures from today on
The CCSA announced yesterday sweeping new Covid-19 lockdown measures for Bangkok and surrounding provinces, as well as 4 southern provinces, and now people and businesses are scrambling to prepare before provisions go into effect from now until Monday. Airlines have quickly implemented emergency measures for domestic travellers to handle the wave of cancellations and rescheduling due to Bangkok and other…
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Covid UPDATE: 9,326 new infections, provincial totals
The provincial breakdown for Saturday which includes all the cases reported over the past 24 hours. Infographics from the NBT… Today the public health department has announced 9,326 new infections and 91 Covid-related deaths. 192 of the cases are from Thai prisons. The number, whilst only slightly higher than yesterday, is a continuation of the upward trend in cases, almost…
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Phuket daily Covid-19 hits 10, 3 short of Sandbox threshold
As Covid-19 surges throughout Thailand and the provinces in the south and around Bangkok enact curfews and other lockdown measures, Phuket has been relatively safe with just a trickle of infections. Yesterday for the first time in weeks though, Phuket recorded double-digit new Covid-19 infections, edging closer to the threshold for reconsidering the Sandbox scheme. Phuket Provincial Public Health Office…
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Covid UPDATE Saturday: 9,326 new infections, news briefs
Today the public health department has announced 9,326 new infections and 91 Covid-related deaths. 192 of the cases are from Thai prisons. The number, whilst only slightly higher than yesterday, is a continuation of the upward trend in cases, almost doubling over the past 2 weeks. The number of deaths reported today is a steep and concerning increase. • Following…
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1 million AstraZeneca vaccines from Japan for elderly in Bangkok
Japan recently donated just over 1 million AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand in hopes of battling the surging Covid-19 outbreaks hammering the country, and today the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announce plans to give those vaccines to the elderly in Bangkok. The 1.05 million vaccines that arrived today from Japan will be earmarked for senior citizens, both Thai nationals and…
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Sinovac not effective against Delta variant, AstraZeneca is
A new study released today seems to have confirmed what many have feared: the Sinovac vaccine has little effectiveness in stopping the Covid-19 Delta variant. The Delta strain, first identified in India, is particularly dangerous as it has found to be much more contagious and is spreading rapidly throughout Thailand. It has been predicted that the variant will be the…
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Lawyers Association accuse DDC failure over Sinovac
The chairman of the Lawyers Association of Thailand has said the government has failed its duty to protect the health of the Thai people by ordering more Sinovac vaccines instead of pursuing brands more effective against the Delta variant of Covid-19 fast becoming the dominant strain in Thailand. The accusation comes as the Department of Disease Control defends Thailand’s Cabinet’s…
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Health officials concede to using rapid antigen tests
Health officials are conceding to using rapid antigen tests on top of using the RT-PCR method to detect cases of Covid. The public Health Ministry is eager to use the rapid antigen test to determine possible infections as Covid cases incessantly rise. Thai media reports that the RT-PCR method would still be employed. The Director General of the DMS, Dr…
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Breaking: Travel restrictions and curfew to be set in Bangkok, “dark red” provinces
UPDATE: The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily press briefing has been rescheduled to 4pm today. More details will be reported following the briefing. Travel restrictions and a nightly curfew will be set in Bangkok and provinces classified as “dark red” zones for the high rates of Covid-19 infections, the government’s news bureau confirmed today. In this morning’s Centre for…
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