covid-19
- Covid-19 News
Thai tour group in Hong Kong disappointed after being stuck dining in hotel room
A 50-member Thai tour group to Hong Kong had a not-so-great experience after being forced to dine in hotel rooms due to current Covid-19 restrictions. The group was supposed to tour the city for four days and three nights as part of a new wave of tourists being welcomed. But, Hong Kong’s Covid measures have proved to be disappointing as…
- World News
After APEC, Hong Kong leader John Lee tests positive for Covid-19
Attendees of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit were sent home with seven souvenirs, including a photo with the Royal Family. But one leader got an unexpected eighth souvenir that wasn’t particularly welcomed. Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee came home from the APEC Summit in Bangkok and tested positive for Covid-19. The highest political office holder tested positive for…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 infections up 12.8% last week
Despite everyone in Thailand – and the rest of the world – being bored of it, Covid-19 is still here. Last week, new Covid infections in Thailand rose 12.8%. The greatest leaps were seen in tourist areas and Bangkok. In the last week, an average of six people per day died of the coronavirus, while 3,166 people were admitted to…
- World News
Tourists not keen on travelling to Hong Kong under current restrictions
It was thought that the relaxation of pre-pandemic measures in Hong Kong would see tourists flocking back but that’s not the case. Travel agents in Hong Kong revealed there is still a dearth of visitors to the special administrative region of China despite the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions. Hong Kong travel agencies made known that tourists are coming back in…
- Covid-19 News
Thai physician raises concerns over Omicron mutations as cases rise
One of Thailand’s top respiratory experts is urging the nation to be on guard for Omicron subvariants of the Covid-19 virus after the World Health Organization (WHO) raised concerns about mutations of the disease. The WHO last week raised concerns about the public health implications of the rise of some Omicron variants, specifically XBB and its sublineages (indicated as XBB*),…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand ends emergency Covid vaccine procurement
The winding down of the Covid-19 pandemic has hit a new milestone as the emergency use procurement of vaccines has now ended. The Ministry of Public Health announced that it has officially cancelled its plans to obtain more vaccines against the coronavirus. The end of the programme was officially published in the Royal Gazette on Thursday and was put into…
- Events
Too big to fail: Full Moon Party revives Koh Pha Ngan
In the US, the phrase “too big to fail” is applied to financial institutions whose defaulting would cause the national or even global economy to collapse. So these institutions receive bailouts to keep them afloat in times of economic crisis. In Thailand, our too-big-to-fail institution might be the Full Moon Party. The legendary party, running for nearly 40 years on…
- Covid-19 News
Shanghai Disneyland visitors locked inside over Covid case
As the war on Covid-19 rages on in China, some Shanghai residents are being told to stay home after a Disneyland outbreak spurred the resort’s lockdown. Those who had visited the city’s Disney Resort were essentially barred from leaving until a Covid test cleared them of the virus. The event is just another example of China’s strict zero-Covid policy, forcing…
- Tourism News
THAI needs to raise 10 billion baht as part of its restructuring plan
Thailand’s State Enterprise Policy Office (SEPO) announced Thai Airways (THAI) needs to raise 10 billion baht to ensure the company’s shareholding does not dip below 40%. The Finance Ministry, THAI’s biggest shareholder with a 47% stake, revealed plans are already underway to raise the finances and preserve its shareholding in the company. SEPO Director General Pantip Sripimol reported that the…
- China News
Academics in Thailand welcome President Xi’s third term
Academics in Thailand welcomed news yesterday that Chinese leader President Xi Jinping secured an historic third five-year term as general secretary of the ruling Chinese Communist Party. President Xi’s third term will be viewed as undemocratic and autocratic by the Western powers but Thailand’s top boffins believe continuation is the key which will benefit the kingdom and ASEAN countries. Thai…
- Covid-19 News
Resistant and contagious BQ.1 sub-variant hits Thailand
As new strains of Covid are beginning to crop up in Thailand, the first infection of the highly resistant and contagious BQ.1 sub-variant has now been found in the kingdom. Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics confirmed the presence of the sub-variant of the Omicron strain, which mutated from the BA.5 sub-variant. In a post on Facebook, the centre cited…
- Health
UN: Children’s well-being has taken major hit over past three years
A new report by the United Nations has found that childhood well-being has been on a three-year decline. The report attributed the critical regression of such well-being to the global fallout from the Covid pandemic as well as climate shocks. Moreover, the report also says the two factors are also jeopardising gains in women’s health. According to the Straits Times,…
- Covid-19 News
Accurate Covid-19 information may have been blocked by former US president Trump’s aides
Former US President Donald Trump is facing an investigation over his former aides blocking the release of accurate Covid-19 information. According to the Straits Times, senior staff members at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) claimed that the former president’s aides bullied staff and tried to rewrite their reports to align them with the former president’s downplaying…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand finds 3 new subvariants, 4th in Hong Kong from Thai travellers
Three new Covid-19 subvariants have been found within Thailand’s borders according to Thai scientists. The global scientific community believes that the subvariants in the group found in the kingdom will become the dominant strains of Covid within the next few months. A separate strain, XBB, was found in three passengers from Thailand in Hong Kong, despite the variant not being…
- Tourism News
Taiwan welcomes Bangkok travellers as first unrestricted flight
Taiwan has ended mandatory quarantine and welcomed a plane from Bangkok as the first international flight to land without Covid-19 restrictions. Just after midnight this morning, a flight from Bangkok arrived to fanfare as the first commercial flight where passengers were not required to quarantine on arrival. Taiwan lagged behind other countries in Asia in loosening restrictions as the Covid…
- Covid-19 News
Covid vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years old
Children between the ages of six months and four years old can now get a Covid-19 vaccine. The Ministry of Public Health launched a new campaign to vaccinate young children using the Pfizer vaccine at a significantly lower dosage. The same vaccine has been used in the United States for young children in the same age range. The Thai Khu…
- Covid-19 News
Schools no longer need to close for Covid outbreaks
With Covid-19 being downgraded to a communicable disease of concern, schools and universities will no longer require closures for outbreaks. Minister of Education Trinuch Thienthong spoke at a press conference yesterday and said that new control measures won’t include definite closures, should an outbreak of the coronavirus afflict a school. With many students often packed into a tight area, schools…
- Covid-19 News
Bang Sue’s Central Vaccination Centre officially closed
Bang Sue Grand Station served as a hub for Covid-19 vaccines but now it has officially closed as the Central Vaccination Centre. The centre was opened last May to provide Bangkok residents with a place to receive their initial vaccines and follow-up boosters. But on September 30, the final needle was jabbed into a patient’s arm, the last vaccine at…
- Covid-19 News
Face masks still required on public transport, in cinemas
Thailand recently celebrated lifting all remaining Covid-19 restrictions and fully reopening its borders to international travellers. But, while tourists can enter without proof of vaccination or negative tests, face masks are still mandatory on public transportation throughout the country. A deputy director of the Department of Health has explained that some Covid safety and prevention measures remain in place. In…
- Tourism News
Today is the day! Full post-pandemic Thailand reopening
After nearly three years, today is THE DAY. In July of 2021, officials cheered the reopening of Thailand with the Phuket Sandbox. Then we had other sandboxes, Test & Go, the Thailand Pass, and numerous other stepping stones. Then in July of this year, we ditched so many regulations and declared a reopening. But today, October 1, Thailand officially declares full and…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand watching BQ.1.1 variant as Covid rules ease
As Thailand prepares to eliminate the last of the Covid-19 protections for the country, a new highly contagious variant of Omicron has been put on the country’s watch list. The BQ.1.1 variant was first confirmed in the UK last month and has so far only infected a meagre 78 people, but those cases have been spread throughout 10 different countries…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 restrictions to be lifted from October 1
Visitors to Thailand will soon be free of showing a Covid-19 vaccination or test certificate as of October 1. The changes were announced by Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after a meeting with the National Communicable Disease Committee today. In that meeting, it was also deemed to be unnecessary for people with mild or no symptoms of the virus to…
- Thailand News
WHO urges world to end Covid pandemic
The World Health Organisation is urging the world to end the Covid-19 pandemic as newly reported cases decline. The organisation’s chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, says the number of new cases dropped to its lowest level since March 2020. “We have never been in a better position to end the pandemic. We are not there yet, but the end is in…
- Covid-19 News
Favipiravir: DMS says Thai Covid study contradicts US study
A top respiratory specialist in Thailand spoke out on Friday about a study in the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal last month saying that not only does the antiviral medication Favipiravir not seem to help fight Covid-19, but it can lead to patients getting gout. Now the Department of Medical Sciences is defending the use of Favipiravir in Thailand to treat…
- Covid-19 News
Favipiravir found ineffective against Covid-19 & causes gout
The bad news for Favipiravir is that a new study found it to be ineffective in the treatment of Covid-19 infections. And more bad news, it can also cause gout. The study was released in the Clinical Infectious Diseases Journal on August 6, and Thai respiratory specialist Dr Manoon Leechawengongs of Vichaiyut Hospital posted on Facebook Friday that Thailand needs…
- Crime News
Bangkok woman stabs husband to death after a few days isolating in the same room
A woman stabbed her husband to death this morning in Bangkok. The couple were both infected with Covid-19, living in a house of five, and had been isolating in the same room for a few days. Officers from Udom Suk Police Station received a report at 6.57am today that a woman had killed her husband at their home in the…
- Covid-19 News
Are face masks still required on domestic flights in Thailand?
The world is moving on from the Covid-19 pandemic, but face masks are still popular in Thailand. You might see people on domestic flights in Thailand wearing masks, but are they mandatory? The Thai government made face masks “voluntary” back in June but still recommends wearing them in crowded spaces. The news was published in the Royal Gazette and said……
- Covid-19 News
Thai government to downgrade Covid-19 disease status from October 1
Thailand’s government is expected to downgrade the Covid-19 disease status from October 1. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul made the announcement, saying that the disease will be classified as “communicable under surveillance.” Until now, the Covid-19 disease was classified as a “dangerous communicable disease,” but Anutin says the current situation has been deemed suitable for regrading. In February 2020, the…
- Covid-19 News
China locks down 21 million people in Chengdu
The city of Chengdu in China, home to over 21 million people, will go into lockdown at 6pm today to control another Covid-19 outbreak. The country’s President Xi Jinping has committed to a ‘Covid Zero’ approach, despite the detrimental economic effects of lockdowns. Residents of the capital of Sichuan province must stay home at all times, except for mandatory Covid…
- World News
Groups of 8 or more dining in Hong Kong required to Covid test
A new Covid-19 regulation that came into effect yesterday in Hong Kong is drawing ire from groups of diners and restaurants. The new rule requires all members of any group of eight or more dining in restaurants to present a photo of a negative Covid test taken within 24 hours of dining or a text message confirmation of a negative…
