covid-19
- Covid-19 News
New study:Moderna effective against Delta variant
A new lab study shows that the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna is reasonably effective against the growing Delta variant first identified in India. The study found that the vaccine was only slightly less effective against the newer strain than it is against the original Covid-19 virus. The study tested blood serum from 8 subjects who had finished their second…
- Covid-19 News
110 faulty bottles of Sinovac vaccine rejected by Thai FDA
The Food and Drug Administration says it has found 110 faulty bottles of the CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac Biotech that contain lumps of gel. Surachok Tangwiwat from the FDA says CoronaVac vials need to be shaken prior to use but, in the case of the defective bottles, even shaking would not dissolve the gel. According to a Coconuts report, the…
- Thailand News
Krabi man allegedly fires gun at quarantine hotel, flees with wife and son
A man in Krabi was arrested after he allegedly fired a gun, shooting through a window of an alternative state quarantine, or ASQ, hotel and ran off with his wife and 9 year old son who were staying at the hotel after coming in close contact with those infected with Covid-19. 45 year old Somyos Khongsiri’s wife and son were…
- Covid-19 News
Top medic says cloth masks don’t protect against Covid-19
A prominent infectious disease specialist at Bangkok’s Phramongkutklao Hospital says cloth masks are ineffective against Covid-19 and people should wear surgical masks. Nation Thailand reports that Dr Thanaphan Phibunbannakit has called on the government to procure additional surgical masks as Thailand logs 4,786 new infections and a record high of 53 deaths. Thanaphan says people who are yet to receive…
- Covid-19 News
Wednesday Covid Update: 4,786 new cases, record high of 53 deaths
4,786 new cases and a record daily high of 53 Covid-related deaths were recorded today by Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The daily coronavirus death tally in Thailand has been in the 20s to 40s during the current and most severe wave of the virus, infecting 230,438 people since April 1. Out of the new cases recorded today, 127…
- Northern Thailand News
Rush to build extra field hospitals in Tak as over 600 new infections reported
A cluster of over 600 Covid-19 infections has officials in the northern province of Tak rushing to build 4 new field hospitals as the existing 2 are now full. The Bangkok Post reports that the infections were detected at a clothing factory in Mae Sot district. Local health officials carried out mass testing of 1,000 workers, with 606 of them…
- Covid-19 News
Restrictions may be eased at some Bangkok camps to allow essential work to continue
Tough restrictions on movement at construction camps in Bangkok may be eased slightly to allow essential work to go ahead. Natthapol Nakpanich from the National Security Council says officials discussed the issue at a meeting yesterday, noting that the suspension of some works could pose a risk for engineering reasons or by delaying hospital builds. For this reason, construction work…
- Thailand News
American expats in Thailand continue to urge US to provide vaccines to citizens overseas
Some Americans in Thailand are still pushing the US government to supply Covid-19 vaccines to those living overseas. Democrats Abroad Thailand is now calling on American expats to contact senators and urge them to support the allocation of vaccines to citizens overseas. The expat group’s Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force is also set to hold a Zoom meeting tomorrow evening to…
- Covid-19 News
Tuesday Covid Update: 4,662 new cases; provincial totals
Continuing on an upward trend in Thailand’s most severe wave of Covid-19, 4,662 new infections were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 254,515 confirmed Covid-19 infections. Of that number, 225,652 were reported since April 1, the start of the recent and most extreme wave of…
- Covid-19 News
Sinovac vaccine 71% to 91% effective against Alpha variant, Thai study shows
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry says 2 doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine are 71% to 91% effective against the Alpha variant of the virus which was first detected in the UK. A study on the effectiveness of the Sinovac vaccine, also known as Coronavac, was done by Thailand’s National Communicable Diseases Committee and the National Vaccine Committee. The study…
- World News
Oxford University study shows strong immune response after third AstraZeneca dose
Researchers at Oxford University say a third dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine provokes a strong immune response. However, they add that there is no evidence yet that such boosters are required, particularly given that some countries are struggling with insufficient supplies. A study carried out at the renowned English university shows that a third, or booster, shot increases antibody…
- Covid-19 News
Tuesday Covid Update: 4,662 new cases and 36 deaths
4,662 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising Thailand’s total since April 1, in the current and most severe wave of the virus, to 225,652 infections. The CCSA reports that 36 more people infected with Covid-19 have died. Only 10 of the new cases reported today were found in correctional facilities, a downward…
- Covid-19 News
Chief medic says Delta variant will become dominant strain in Bangkok
The Department of Medical Sciences says it expects the Delta Covid-19 variant to become the prevalent strain in Bangkok within the coming months. The variant was first reported in Thailand in April, when it was detected in migrant workers in the Laksi district of the capital. The spread of the variant has sparked concern globally due to it being highly…
- Covid-19 News
Monday Covid Update: 5,406 new cases; provincial totals
A significant uptick of 5,406 new Covid-19 cases was recorded today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, just as new restrictions are taking effect in Bangkok and other “dark red” provinces to curb the spread of the virus. Of the 249,853 Covid-19 cases recorded in Thailand since the start of the pandemic last year, the recent and most severe…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 screening centre in Bangkok temporarily closed to migrant workers
After many migrant workers infected with Covid-19 were reportedly abandoned at the Public Health Ministry’s Pre-Admission Centre in Bangkok, it is now temporarily closed to migrant workers. The centre is used to screen people who are infected with the virus before sending them to a facility for treatment. Apparently, a number of workers have been dropped off at the centres.…
- Covid-19 News
Asymptomatic patients in Bangkok can self-isolate at home while waiting for hospital bed
Amid an ongoing shortage of hospital beds, the Medical Services Department has agreed that asymptomatic Covid-19 patients in the Bangkok area can self-isolate at home until a bed becomes available. According to a Thai PBS World report, department chief Somsak Akkasilp says each patient will be provided with a thermometer and oximeter, allowing them to monitor their symptoms. Patients considered…
- Covid-19 News
First case of Beta variant reported in Bangkok
Bangkok has reported its first case of the Beta variant of Covid-19, originally detected in South Africa. According to a Bangkok Post report, the patient had contact with an infected person in the southern province of Narathiwat. Hundreds of cases of the Beta variant have already been reported in southern Thailand and are believed to have been imported from Malaysia.…
- Pattaya News
Partiers arrested in raid Covid-19 tested, awaiting court Monday
After the raid on 2 nightclubs masquerading at restaurants in Pattaya that resulted in 121 arrests, the group of arrested partygoers are all being tested for Covid-19 while awaiting court hearings. The raids of The Garden 168 and Mo Salah Bar and Restaurant late Friday night into early Saturday morning found a mix of Thais and foreigners drinking, smoking shisha,…
- Covid-19 News
Chum Saeng Hospital closed after 4 staff contract Covid-19
After 4 staff of Chum Saeng Hospital in Nakhon Sawan were infected with Covid-19, the hospital was forced to close until July 10. The medical personnel assisted in delivering a baby and after the birth, the woman complained of chest pains. She was then tested for Covid-19 and the results came back positive. The hospital, in the Chum Saeng district…
- Covid-19 News
Dept of Medical Sciences warns against antibody testing kits
The National Department of Medical Sciences is speaking out against a growing trend of people trying to self-test regarding Covid-19. They are warning people against using home antibody testing kits in order to test the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine after they have received their inoculations. The Department warns that not only could test results be inaccurate, but a misunderstanding…
- Covid-19 News
As Phuket opens, Bangkok, 9 provinces face new restrictions
Things are changing next week in the level of severity of the rules and restrictions for Covid-19 safety and control. No, we’re not talking about loosening all the restrictions in the Phuket Sandbox reopening, we’re referring to partial lockdowns in Bangkok and 9 other provinces around Thailand to battle rising Covid-19 infections. The Royal Gazette published today the new restrictions…
- Pattaya News
121 arrested in raid of “restaurant” clubs violating Covid-19 rules
A raid around Pattaya at the earliest hours of this morning brought over a hundred arrests for violating Covid-19 measures, drinking, gathering, and smoking shisha. The raid of 2 venues that attempted to skirt the national bar and club closure laws by operating as an alleged restaurant took place between midnight and 2 am. The so-called restaurants had been operating…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 patient dies after waiting 1 week for ICU bed
As Bangkok faces a health crisis of bed shortages for Covid-19 patients, one woman died after waiting a week to be assigned an ICU bed. The woman was 38 years old from Laos and lived in Ban Krua Nuea in Bangkok. She suspected that she caught Covid-19 at her work selling clothes around Pratunam Market. After developing a cough she…
- Covid-19 News
Senator tests positive for Covid-19 after Parliament sessions
After a week of important meetings with most of Parliament in attendance, Senator Lieutenant General Lertrit Wechsawan has tested positive for Covid-19. The 74 year old member of parliament was in attendance for the parliamentary proceedings regarding government referendum voting and later confirmed the diagnosis. It is hoped that exposure and close proximity was limited with the senator, and it…
- Thailand News
Update list of high/medium/low risk countries for travelling to Thailand
Update: Under the “Phuket Sandbox” and “Samui Plus” travel models, travellers not only need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 to be eligible to enter Thailand under the schemes, but they also need to be travelling from countries classified by Thailand’s Department of Disease Control as a low to medium risk for Covid-19. The DDC posts a new list on…
- Covid-19 News
Anutin says health system won’t collapse despite shortages
After senior doctors said the Covid-19 outbreak situation was critical and suggesting a one-week lockdown in Bangkok, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reassured people that the health system will not collapse. With a rise in new Covid-19 infections, available hospital beds are getting scarce and there are shortages of medical staff, despite the reassurances of Anutin.…
- World News
Airlines participate in trials of IATA Travel Pass app
A number of airlines worldwide are participating in trials of a Travel Pass app from the International Air Transport Association. TTR Weekly reports that at Montréal-Trudeau airport in Canada, Air France is trialling the app for outbound flights until July 15, just one of a number of airlines testing it globally. The app is designed to ease passengers’ concerns about…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 cluster found at children’s home outside Bangkok
A cluster of Covid-19 infections has been reported at a children’s home in the central province of Pathum Thani, with at least 33 children testing positive. The Bangkok Post reports that the children at the Rangsit Babies Home are all between the ages of 3 and 6 and 6 babysitters at the home are also infected. Apisamai Srirangson from the…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 round-up for expats 3: Are countries helping Thailand?
With so much information swirling around the reopening of Thailand and the international tourism and vaccine distribution for foreigners, we thought we’d round up some updates for our readers about what your home country says about if you should travel to Thailand and how they are helping with a vaccine and the Covid-19 situation inside the Kingdom. The information in…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 round-up for expats 2: Will your country give a vaccine?
With so much information swirling around the reopening of Thailand and the international tourism and vaccine distribution for foreigners, we thought we’d round up some updates for our readers about what your home country says about if you should travel to Thailand and how they are helping with a vaccine and the Covid-19 situation inside the Kingdom. The information in…
