covid-19 testing
- World News
Cambodia stops requiring Covid-19 tests for international visitors
Today, Cambodia stopped requiring international travellers to test for Covid-19 upon entering the country. Visitors still must be fully vaccinated, with proof of vaccination, to avoid two weeks of quarantine. Cambodian authorities also plan to issue visas on arrival again, which were suspended before due to Covid-19. The country’s Ministry of Health didn’t confirm when this would start, though. Cambodia…
- Covid-19 News
Health officials say PCR testing no longer required after positive ATK result
Patients who test positive for Covid-19 after using an antigen test kit no longer need to take a PCR test to confirm the result. Suphakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says the requirement for a follow-up PCR test is expensive and time-consuming. In addition, the generally mild nature of the Omicron variant has removed the need for people…
- Thailand News
Covid-19 clinics for mild patients to open in March
Thailand’s Public Health Permanent Secretary announced yesterday that Covid-19 clinics for patients with mild symptoms or none at all will open in Thailand on March 1. The clinics, called Accute Resperatory Infection clinics, will offer mild patients Covid-19 tests, exams, medicines, and advice from doctors about home quarantining. The spokesman stressed that 90% of new infections are by the Omicron…
- Thailand News
Thai officials talk of replacing second PCR test for Test & Go entry with ATK
Day 5 requirements of Thailand’s Test & Go entry scheme has been discouraging some potential tourists from travelling to Thailand. Not only is a second RT-PCT test needed on the fifth day of their stay (the first test on arrival), but travellers are required to book a night at a hotel approved by the Safety and Health Administration while the…
- Covid-19 News
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…
- Eastern Thailand News
Tourists turn their backs on Rayong over 330 baht antigen testing requirement
Tourists have hit back at the eastern province of Rayong after officials imposed a mandatory antigen testing requirement on all visitors. According to a Nation Thailand report, all arrivals in the province must have a negative antigen test result, certified by a doctor, no more than 72 hours before arrival. Tourists have expressed their anger on social media, with most…
- Covid-19 News
Free Covid-19 testing events in Bangkok daily throughout January
With Covid-19 infections on the rise, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration launched a series of testing events in 80 communities around the city through the end of January. The campaign is aimed at proactive testing to identify and hopefully contain infections as the highly contagious Omicron variant spreads quickly through the city and the country. The series of testing events began…
- Covid-19 News
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…
- Covid-19 News
Pattaya sets up 3 free Covid-19 testing points to access nightlife
After intensive rules requiring constant Covid-19 testing for Chon Buri restaurants and entertainment venues were announced last night, the Chon Buri Department of Public Health is now helping to ease the burden by setting up 3 free testing points in popular entertainment and nightlife areas. The Chon Buri Governor announced new rules late last night for venues that serve food…
- Covid-19 News
Cost of PCR tests reduced by 200 baht at labs run by Department of Medical Sciences
The Department of Medical Sciences is cutting the cost of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests by 200 baht. However, the reduction only applies to laboratories under the DMS. The price of PCR test kits remains unchanged. According to a Nation Thailand report, the fee is being reduced from 1,300 baht to 1,000 baht, in a bid to encourage more…
- Covid-19 News
Thai government defends sale of antigen test kits banned in the EU
They’ve been banned in the EU, but the Thai government says the cheap antigen test kits from NovaGen can be used here because they’ve been approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration. Sirikul Methivirangsan from the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation says the reason they’re banned in the EU is due to the bloc requiring some additional paperwork. According to a…
- Covid-19 News
Health official defends quality of antigen test kits, acknowledges shortcomings
The head of the Department of Medical Sciences has defended the quality of Lepu antigen test kits, while acknowledging their limitations. The Bangkok Post reports that Dr Supakit Sirilak was responding to complaints that the kits are less accurate and generate false Covid-19 results. Supakit says the kits are not as reliable as PCR testing in which samples are analysed…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket officials launch mass testing campaign in high-risk communities
Proactive mass testing is underway in Phuket communities with high infection rates, as officials attempt to curtail the spread of Covid-19 on the southern island. The Bangkok Post reports that 9 comprehensive Covid-19 response teams have been dispatched to the target areas. Provincial chief health officer Kusak Kukiattikun says the teams will use antigen test kits in an active case-finding…
- Covid-19 News
Covid patients with positive antigen test no longer need PCR test prior to treatment
The government’s Covid-19 task force says people who’ve taken an antigen test while at community isolation venues do not need to submit to a PCR test before getting medical treatment. The Bangkok Post reports that the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has made the announcement in an effort to accelerate treatment for patients waiting in community isolation. CCSA spokesperson Apisamai…
- Covid-19 News
Private sector says lockdowns won’t work without vaccines, mass testing
Industry representatives in Thailand say Covid-19 lockdowns won’t work unless accompanied by mass screening and vaccination. Supant Mongkolsuthree from the Federation of Thai Industries has expressed scepticism that the proposed tightening of restrictions in 13 high-risk provinces will bring the virus under control. Instead, he says the proposal could cost the economy around 100 billion baht and will be ineffective…
- Bangkok News
200+ teams go door-to-door to find Covid-19 around Bangkok
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge in Thailand, passing the 5-figure 10,000 mark for daily infections today, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has deployed over 200 teams to do door-to-door Covid-19 testing in the most at-risk areas of Bangkok. The rapid deployment troops will be made up of a coalition of national police and Thailand armed forces, and the teams are attempting…
- Covid-19 News
Proposal: stop Covid-19 testing foreign workers in dark red zones
Thailand’s Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin is scrambling to explain away a leaked alleged proposal to stop testing foreign migrant workers for Covid-19 after Thai social media exploded all day with criticism. The order had been sent to the Bangkok Employment Office Area 1-10 on July 5, but just came to light yesterday. The proposal to cancel testing for foreign…
- Covid-19 News
Rapid antigen tests to be made available to Bangkok public to relieve pressure on hospitals
The Public Health Ministry has approved in principle for rapid antigen tests to be made available for the public to purchase from Bangkok clinics and pharmacies. The idea is to relieve the pressure on hospitals struggling to meet an increasing demand for PCR tests as infections rise. According to a Pattaya News report, officials will meet today to confirm the…
- World News
Covid-19 breath test with 1-minute result approved for use in Singapore – VIDEO
The National University of Singapore says a breath test that can detect Covid-19 infection within a minute has been approved for use in the city state. The revolutionary test was developed by university start-up company Breathonix. According to a Bloomberg report, the breath test works in a similar way to a standard breathalyser used to detect alcohol. The person being…
- Covid-19 News
Officials threaten to prosecute clinics, labs that violate Covid control measures
At least 12 private Thai clinics and laboratories are being threatened with prosecution for failing to comply with Covid-19 control measures. The Department of Health Service Support says the facilities broke the law by failing to report infections and send patients to hospital. Department boss Thares Krassanairawiwong says a number of complaints have been received about the clinics and labs…
- Covid-19 News
Health officials advise on how to handle Covid-19 risk
Health authorities in Thailand are seeking a balance between testing at-risk people for Covid-19 and keeping the public calm in the face of a growing pandemic. While those who have been in contact or close proximity with Covid-infected patients need to be tested, many people are becoming hypochondriacs, fearing every symptom or ailment, from a simple cold to a headache,…
- Covid-19 News
12 hospitals in Bangkok stop Covid-19 testing due to limited beds for infected patients
So far, around 12 hospitals in Bangkok have stopped Covid-19 testing, due to either a shortage of supplies or not enough beds to admit patients if they test positive for the virus. While media reports say the hospitals have stopped testing due to a lack of supplies, a spokesperson for the CCSA the reason many private hospitals in Thailand are…
- Covid-19 News
No social distancing as hundreds queue for free Covid testing in Bangkok
Bangkok residents who queued for hours for Covid-19 testing yesterday have expressed concern that the event in the Thonglor area could end up being a super-spreader. Coconuts reports that over 1,000 people crowded into the area in front of the Barbarbar pub at Arena 10. The free testing comes as officials confirm over 500 infections linked to nightlife in the…
- Thailand Protest News
Protest leader Parit sentenced to 15 days’ additional detention for contempt of court
Pro-democracy activist Parit Chiwarak, aka, “Penguin”, has been handed an additional 15 days’ detention for contempt of court. The leader of the Ratsadon group is already being held at Bangkok Remand Prison on other charges. The new ruling relates to a March 15 incident, in which Parit tried to read a statement at the end of a court hearing, during…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA Update: 819 new Covid-19 cases, 1 death
819 new Covid-19 cases and 1 new death were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Thailand has reported a total of 15,465 cases and 76 deaths since the start of the pandemic last year. There are now 4,335 active Covid-19 cases and many patients are asymptomatic, according to deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign…
- World News
Migrant workers risk losing their legal status, the Cabinet to extend work permit amnesty
Over 1.7 million migrant workers in Thailand are going to lose their legal working status because they can’t submit work permit renewal and a health certificate with Covid-19 test results in time. The Labour Ministry then proposes the cabinet will extend the registration period (amnesty) for migrant workers to help maintain their legal status. Migrant workers, including those illegal and…
- Visa Information
Covid-19 test NOT required for visa extensions (at least not today)
No, you don’t, yes, you do… Expats are scratching their heads over the mixed messages circulating in relation to the latest Thailand immigration requirements, not to mention the announcements (and retractions) published in the nation’s English-language media outlets. It all began over the weekend, when the nation’s favourite part time travel blogger, Bangkok Post fanboy and School staff in Samut…
- Covid-19 News
900 more Covid-19 cases in Samut Sakhon detected in mass testing
900 more Covid-19 cases were detected in the coronavirus-hotspot Samut Sakhon, a local health official announced today. Due to the major outbreak in the province, just southwest of Bangkok, factories might be turned into quarantine areas and field hospitals. There are now 2,296 Covid-19 patients in the province, most of the cases detected in proactive testing, according to Disease Control…
- Covid-19 News
5 Thai provinces ordered into total lockdown
5 provinces in Thailand are in total lockdown, with travel restrictions barring anyone from leaving or entering, unless absolutely necessary. The provinces affected by the tough new measures are the eastern provinces of Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Trat, as well as the central province of Samut Sakhon, where Thailand’s Covid-19 resurgence originated last month. Thai PBS World reports that…
- Covid-19 News
UPDATE: Coming to Thailand? Check your insurance and ASQ fine print.
A concerned reader sent us this information, based on his experiences in the ASQ when he arrived in Thailand. We publish them with good faith but would urge everyone to check their insurance situation, whether they’re currently in ASQ or might be in the near future, to check your individual circumstances. AXA has also responded to the comment, we provide…
- Covid-19 News
Travellers from Thailand positive for Covid-19 in new saliva test at Japan airport
Over the past few weeks, 15 people who travelled to Japan from Thailand tested positive for Covid-19 in a new preliminary screening method, according to Thailand’s Department of Disease Control, or DDC. Laboratory testing was done to confirm the cases. Half of the cases came back negative in laboratory testing while 2 people tested positive in laboratory tests and 5…
- World News
Covid-19 testing units to be stationed along Thai-Myanmar border
In an effort to prevent a second wave of Covid-19, mobile testing units are being sent out to areas along the Thai-Myanmar border following a surge of cases in the neighbouring country. The Biosafety Mobile Units will be run by medical volunteers along with help from local doctors from the Department of Disease Control. The 13 units will have laboratory…
