covid-19
- 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…
- Thailand News
VIDEO: Bat-eating YouTuber sparks outrage in Thailand
Netizens in Thailand are outraged at a Thai YouTuber with 400,000 subscribers for eating bat soup – and encouraging others to eat bat meat – on her channel ‘Gin Zap Bep Nua Nua’ (“Eat spicy and delicious.”) The YouTuber confidently rips apart the bats, swimming in a mud-coloured soup with cherry tomatoes, and dips the meat in Nam Jim, a…
- 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…
- 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…
- Lifestyle
No masks or PCR needed for World Cup in Qatar says organisers
Good news for football fans traveling to Qatar for the World Cup in just over two weeks’ time – you no longer need a negative PCR or rapid antigen test to enter the Arab country. The Qatar Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) published a statement announcing the relaxation of Covid-19 related measures which take effect from today. “Visitors are no…
- 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…
- 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,…
- China News
China Southern Airlines ready for Bangkok takeoff
News breaking yesterday that China Southern Airlines is planning to resume flights to Bangkok signals more good news for the Thailand tourism industry aiming to attract another 12 million foreign travellers before the end of the year. In 2019 more than 12 million Chinese tourists travelled to Thailand, making up one-quarter of the kingdom’s foreign arrivals. There had been a…
- 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…
- 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…
- World News
Book on Trump reveals casual racism and homophobia
A controversial new book on Donald Trump by a New York Times journalist reveals that an intriguing look into his life from businessman to United States President, from casual racism to homophobia, and fear of dying from Covid-19. The book, Confidence Man, written by Maggie Haberman chronicles Trump’s time as a New York businessman and life during and after his…
- 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…
- 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
Nasal spray to prevent Covid hits stores October 1
Hibiocy announced the release of their anti-Covid nasal spray, set to hit the shelves on October 1. The spray is a homegrown invention, developed in Thailand by medical researchers at the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University. The design blocks Covid from entering the body through the nose. The company producing it is a subsidiary of Rojukiss International, and its…
- 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…
- 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…
- World News
Japan may eliminate Covid visa requirements for tourists
As countries around Asia and worldwide have dropped Covid-19 restrictions, Japan is finally set to follow suit. The country has maintained strict border controls, with special Covid visas required for visitors to enter, even from countries that had previously never required any sort of visa. It is reported that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is considering easing those restrictions as soon…
- 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
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…
- Thailand News
Virus expert tells Thailand’s masses to top up for pandemic fight
One of Thailand’s top virologists last night insisted that it is vital everyone in the kingdom tops up on their vaccination jabs with a booster shot to defeat Covid-19. Dr Yong Poovorawan likened getting vaccinated to training the body’s immune system to become a frontline soldier in fighting off invading diseases. “The Covid-19 virus does not just invade our body…
- 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…
- Covid-19 News
Thai authorities approve Pfizer for children under 5
Thai authorities have approved Pfizer’s Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccines for children between six months old to under five years old. The secretary-general of the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval yesterday. For children in this age range, the dose will be adjusted to 10 micrograms per dose. For children 5-11 years old, the dose is 30mcg. Eight weeks…
- Thailand News
China opens classroom doors to students from Thailand
Good news for students from Thailand as China announced last night that schools will be finally opening their doors to foreign students for the first time in two years. Last year the Chinese ambassador, Han Zhiqiang, said that students from Thailand would be one of the first groups allowed to return to China when the country reopens. Thailand has more…
