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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Intentionally catching Omicron is a really stupid idea
OPINION “Why not just catch Omicron and get it over with? It’s a mild cold and will boost immunity, right?” Not a day goes past when the opinion is expressed widely, and often, on various social media around the world, where they mix their school biology classes with various theories on the internet and come up with a “cunning idea”.…
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Phuket immigration confirms vaccination not needed for extension
In order to combat rumours swirling online and amongst nervous anti-vax foreigners, the Phuket Immigration Office reassured people that vaccination is not required in order to get an extension of their stay in Thailand. The office in Phuket Town made the announcement via their Facebook page, though they did not address well several other complaints and issues that have been…
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Thailand’s updated Covid guidelines: What to do if you test positive or have symptoms
Following the surge in Covid-19 cases over the past two weeks, the government has announced an update on guidelines on the treatment and management of Covid-19 patients. Cases involving the highly contagious Omicron variant is on the rise, but Thai health officials say that luckily most patients have mild to no symptoms and do not need to undergo treatment at…
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Wednesday Covid Update: 7,681 new cases; provincial totals
19 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,869 with 171 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,681 new Covid-19 cases and 3,350 recoveries. There are now 66,286 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Koh Phangan Countdown partygoers share positive Covid test results on TikTok
Did you go to the Full Moon Countdown on Koh Phangan? Take a test for Covid-19, if you haven’t already. Some people who went to the countdown event have made posts and comments on social media saying they tested positive for Covid-19. Several others say they got sick after the party. One foreigner is in the spotlight after she posted…
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Pattaya Karaoke bar raided afterhours for violating Covid-19 rules
A karaoke bar in Pattaya flagrantly ignoring all Covid-19 regulations was raided by police last night as more than 50 people drank and partied inside. Police raided Jacky Karaoke around 11:30 pm last night after receiving an anonymous tip from someone reported to be worried about the illegal venue spreading Covid-19 in their area. The karaoke bar, located on Soi…
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Facebook post seeking Thai escort to infect client with Covid-19 goes viral
A post on Facebook looking for an escort in Thailand, but the client has a special request… He wants the woman to be infected with Covid-19. The post reads “Infected only. Work starts at 10pm. The client wants to be positive.” It says the client has a budget of 3,000 baht to 5,000 baht with a 600 baht commission for…
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Survey shows many Thais suffering suicidal thoughts and depression during pandemic
A recent survey shows that many Thais are enduring suicidal thoughts, depression, and burnout as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Amporn Benjaponpitak from the Department of Mental Health says the online poll assessed the mental health of over 2.5 million people in Thailand. A Thai PBS World report carries a breakdown of some of the results. Over 8% of…
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GPO to sell ATKs at 35 baht amid increased testing demand
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is working to make available millions of cheap antigen test kits as some areas in the country are reporting shortages amid Covid-19 infection surges and Omicron fears. The GPO just announced a deal to sell 3.5 million ATKs at 35 baht per kit, the lowest price seen in Thailand. A new deal signed by the GPO…
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Phuket seeing healthy tourism demand, with 4,000 Thailand Pass applications a day
The president of the Phuket Tourism Association says the island is proving popular with foreign tourists, receiving 4,000 applications a day through the Thailand Pass system. Bhummikitti Ruktaengam says most of those visitors are from Germany, Russia, Kazakhstan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and France. Bhummikitti credits the success of the island’s Covid-19 measures for inspiring confidence among foreign…
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No VIP isolation beds at field hospitals, better facilities through health insurance
When it comes to a stay at a Thailand field hospital, there’s no VIP section, according to the country’s Public Health Minister. For some who are not eligible for home isolation, it’s either a field hospital, where the stay is free, but the beds are made of cardboard, or a hospital, which can be expensive. Along with cardboard beds, some…
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Tuesday Covid Update: 7,133 new cases; provincial totals
12 coronavirus-related deaths were reported by the CCSA today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 21,850 with 152 of those fatalities since the start of this year. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA recorded 7,133 new Covid-19 cases and 3,306 recoveries. There are now 61,974 people in Thailand being treated for Covid-19. Out of…
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Thai virologist echoes WHO, other experts, in dismissing claims of “Deltacron variant”
Following recent media reports in Cyprus that a new “Deltacron” variant had been discovered in the country, a number of virology experts have downplayed the claims. Leonitios Kostrikis from the University of Cyprus says his researchers have identified 25 cases of the so-called variant. It supposedly combines the traits of both the Delta and Omicron variant, but experts now believe…
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Health officials in Phuket warn of bed shortages amid rise in Covid infections
Health officials in Phuket say hospital beds are running out as the infection rate begins to climb once more on the southern island. Kooksak Kookiatkul says that, as of Sunday, Phuket has reported 742 new cases. According to a Bangkok Post report, 513 of those are in local residents, with 2 in foreign residents. 133 have been imported by the…
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Health ministry says Covid-19 will become endemic in Thailand this year
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry plans to move Covid-19 from pandemic status to endemic status this year. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit says this can be achieved thanks to people cooperating with the vaccine rollout. While the Omicron variant is highly-contagious and spreading rapidly across the country, symptoms are milder and the death rate is lower. “The…
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CCSA warns that new Covid infections could jump to 20,000 a day
The CCSA says new Covid-19 infections in Thailand could reach 20,000 a day if the public do not take disease prevention measures seriously. According to a Bangkok Post report, 5,397 Omicron infections have been reported across 71 provinces so far. However, Dr Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says deaths remain low due to the high vaccination rate. “Even…
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Omicron cases rise, Bangkok residents flock to Bang Sue Vaccination Centre
Following an uptick in Omicron Covid-19 cases, Bangkok’s major inoculation centre at Bang Sue Grand Station was packed with those waiting to get vaccinated. Individuals who haven’t received their vaccine are welcome at Bang Sue Station with a walk-in service, while those who want a second or third dose need to register through a mobile network, either AIS, TRUE, DTAC,…
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Koh Chang national park closed due to Covid-19, but island remains open
The popular tourist destination of Mu Koh Chang, on the Gulf of Thailand’s eastern seaboard, has been partially-closed, as a result of Covid-19. Officials have decided to close camp sites and other tourism facilities in the national park. However, the remainder of the island remains open to visitors. According to a Thai PBS World report, there had been some initial…
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Officials set up child treatment facilities, expecting a surge in cases in the young
The Public Health Ministry is working with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to prepare treatment and isolation facilities for young children infected with Covid-19. According to a Thai PBS World report, officials are anticipating a surge in infections in the young. Dr. Adisai Pattanatang from The Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health says the facility can accommodate young Covid-infected patients…
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Bangkok opens new Covid-19 testing centre amid surge in infections
A new Covid-19 testing centre, capable of conducting up to 1,000 tests a day, will open in Bangkok tomorrow, as the capital grapples with a surge in new cases. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says it will be on the first floor of Car Park Building B at the government complex on Chaeng Watthana Road. According to a Bangkok Post…
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NIDA Poll: No optimism about pandemic, economy, and politics
A new NIDA Poll asked people about their thoughts on 2022, asking about politics, the economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic, with the majority of respondents not having a particularly positive outlook on the coming year. They were asked if the economy will improve, if the pandemic will subside, and also if PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will remain in power or what…
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Nonthaburi to give free vaccines for Thais as 3rd and 4th booster
Get your booster shots! Officials in the Nonthaburi Health Office announced that they would be offering free third and fourth vaccines as booster shots to all Thai people on January 13 and 14. The vaccines will be offered for free, but those who want to take advantage of the vaccination must register in advance for the shots. Vaccines will be…
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COVID-19 SUNDAY UPDATE: 8,511 infections, 12 deaths
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge upward, the CCSA reported 8,511 new Covid-19 infections today, up 248 since yesterday, and 12 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 2 from yesterday. Since April 1, 2021, in the latest wave of the virus in Thailand, a total of 2,240,677 confirmed Covid-19 infections have been reported, with 21,825 total deaths from the pandemic. In the 24…
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Experts say Omicron variant infections widely underreported
While the Omicron variant is now estimated to account for about 30% of all new Covid-19 infections in Thailand, experts believe that the actual number of cases of the strain is massively underreported. Dr Yong Poovorawan, the chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University, says that the more intensive testing…
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23 Chiang Mai restaurants closed due to Covid-19 outbreaks
Due to several Covid-19 outbreaks in the Muang district, Chiang Mai authorities have closed 23 restaurants from between 3 days and 2 weeks. The order came as Chiang Mai battles with increased Covid-19 infections like most of the rest of Thailand, pummelled by post-New Year’s holiday outbreaks and the rise of the Omicron variant. Chiang Mai reported 304 Covid-19 infections…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: Provincial totals and data
[UPDATE: PROVINCIAL DATA IS INCLUDED BELOW] Covid-19 infections have taken a sharp rise from 3,000 at the start of the year to over 8,000 infections recorded yesterday, with imported cases doubling, though deaths have been fairly stable and low. Today, the CCSA reported 8,263 new infections, up 737 since yesterday, and 14 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 5 from yesterday. Since April…
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COVID-19 SATURDAY UPDATE: Infections spike, deaths stable
Covid-19 infections have taken a sharp rise from 3,000 at the start of the year to over 8,000 infections recorded yesterday, with imported cases doubling, though deaths have been fairly stable and low. Today, the CCSA reported 8,263 new infections, up 737 since yesterday, and 14 Coronavirus-related deaths, down 5 from yesterday. Since April 1, 2021, in the latest wave…
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Government to prevent price gouging on Covid-19 test kits
With the Omicron variant rapidly spreading across Thailand, the need for Covid-19 testing not just once but frequently has become more and more vital. Antigen test kits have become a crucial tool f0r easy and fast home testing and the availability of ATKs in pharmacies across the country, even being stocked in 7-Eleven now, is a monumental step in encouraging…
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69 provinces moved to Covid-19 orange zone, no drinking
While the CCSA has stumbled over an exact decision regarding the closing of the Test & Go programme and what that means for people holding tickets after the currently proposed January 15th deadline, inside Thailand the party’s over as provinces have been rezoned with 69 of them being moved to the Orange Zone which forbids drinking among other Covid-19 curbs.…
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6 more Covid-19 infected tourist on the run from Koh Chang
Apparently the 2,000 baht fine for the first tourist to ditch out of his hotel while waiting for RT-PCR test results was not as big a deterrent as Thai authorities thought as there now been a number of copycat runners that authorities have had to hunt down. Just 2 days ago, officials were able to track down 2 Indian tourists…
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