covid-19
- Economy News
Thailand increases durian exports to China by 14% this year
Thailand has exported 14% more durian to China in this year’s first quarter over the same period last year. The Trade Negotiations Department Director General says Thai durian auctions in the first quarter secured 186 million, making up 88% of the total amount of Thai durian exports to world markets. Last year, Thailand exported US1.5 billion worth of durian to…
- Covid-19 News
Order of 1 million Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine doses arrive in Thailand
Another 1 million Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine doses from China have arrived in Thailand while another batch of 500,000 doses will arrive next week. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation formally accepted the delivery at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport this morning. Altogether, 3.5 million doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine, known as Coronavac, have arrived in Thailand to be used to vaccinate people ages…
- Covid-19 News
160 infected in Bangkok’s Bang Kae Covid-19 cluster
An outbreak of about 160 new Covid-19 infections was identified today in Bangkok’s Bang Kae district, according to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. 1,413 people were tested by health workers in a Bang Kae department store on three dates – April 28, April 30, and May 1 – after 9 Cambodian employees in the store were confirmed to have…
- Bangkok News
Hundreds of Thailand slums at risk of Covid-19 as many can’t afford to quarantine
Following the Covid-19 outbreak at the Khlong Toey slum neighbourhood in Bangkok, there have been more than 1,000 slum communities have been identified as having similar living conditions as the Khlong Toey slum, and are now communities at high risk advised to be under watch to prevent another outbreak. The Social Development and Human Security Ministry’s Community Organisations Development Institute…
- Thailand News
Patent application for antiviral drug Favipiravir rejected by Thai officials
The patent application for the Japanese antiviral drug Favipiravir used to treat Covid-19 has been rejected in Thailand. With thousands of Covid-19 patients in hospitals and field hospitals, the Thai government made emergency orders for the drug, and sought permission for the right to produce the medicine locally. An application had been filed under the compulsory license system where the…
- Thailand News
Expats are included in Thailand’s vaccination plan, Phuket to start registration
Expats are included in Thailand’s vaccination plan, a spokesperson from the CCSA said today, clarifying recent reports that said Thais have priority in the first phase of inoculations. The spokesperson says comments were taken out of context and, in fact, foreigners have already been included in the first phase of vaccinations. We’d like to confirm that Thailand’s vaccination strategy is…
- Covid-19 News
Multi-day traditional Thai funerals shortened for Covid-19 safety
Traditional funerals in Thailand last several days with ceremonies and mourning before the eventual cremation of the lost loved one. But with the rising death toll of Covid-19, funeral ceremonies have needed to be revised and shortened for the safety of attendees. With infections in Thailand catapulting from 29,000 in early April to 74,900 as of yesterday, funerals have to…
- Thailand Protest News
Activist lawyer contracts Covid-19 in prison
Arnon Nampa, an activist lawyer in jail without bail since February on lese majeste charges has been infected with Covid-19, according to his Facebook page. An anonymous source at the Corrections Department confirmed with Reuters that Arnon had tested positive yesterday and has been sent to the prison hospital for treatment. The department later released a press statement confirming the…
- World News
Vietnam extends quarantine for overseas arrivals to 21 days
Just the thought of 14 days in isolation has driven away many prospective tourists. Imagine 21 days in quarantine. If you want to travel to Vietnam, you’ll now have to go through the 3 week quarantine upon entering the country, Vietnam’s Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long announced yesterday. The country of 96 million people has kept cases low at…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri sees drop in today’s daily Covid infections – Thursday, 76
Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is seeing a drop in the number of daily Covid-19 infections at 76 recorded today. Yesterday, the province saw 110 new infections. With today’s new infections, the province has seen a total of 3,041 infections since the latest wave of Covid-19 began in early April. 1,600 people are currently listed in medical care and…
- Covid-19 News
12 gamblers arrested in raid on restaurant in central Thailand
Police have arrested 12 people found eating, drinking, and gambling in a restaurant in the central province of Pathum Thani. Under disease prevention measures, there is currently a ban on in-restaurant dining in a number of provinces in Thailand. According to the Bangkok Post, the authorities raided the restaurant in the Lam Luk Ka district of Pathum Thani late last…
- Tourism News
Thai hotels call for extension to domestic travel stimulus packages
The Thai Hotels Association is urging the government to extend the domestic travel stimulus schemes, set to end on September 30. THA president, Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, says the stimulus packages, “We Travel Together”, which subsidises flights and hotel accommodation, and the Tour Teaw Thai co-payment scheme, must be continued until the current Covid-19 crisis is under control. She points out…
- Covid-19 News
Phuket struggles towards herd immunity, vaccine rollout slow in other provinces
So far, 22% of the population in Phuket is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while the majority of provinces in Thailand have not vaccinated any of the residents, according to data compiled by researcher Peter Scully. Bangkok, the epicentre of recent infections with more than 15,000 confirmed cases since April 1, has only fully vaccinated 1% of the population. Around 10…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s global reputation for pandemic management goes down the pan
Oh, how the tables have turned… This time last year, Thailand was in strict lockdown to combat a pandemic that was starting its march around the globe, while countries such as the US and UK dithered over how to handle the crisis. The upshot was both western countries ended up with 2 of the world’s highest infection rates and preventable…
- Thailand News
225 billion baht Covid-19 stimulus package gets initial approval
Thailand’s cabinet gave initial approval today for a stimulus package of 225 billion baht to provide low-income groups relief from the devastating third wave of Covid-19. The plan to invest nearly a quarter of a trillion baht into financial stimulation measures passed its initial stage today and will be reviewed and voted on within the next few weeks according to…
- Covid-19 News
Rising Phuket Covid-19 infections may cause ICU shortage
A shortage of ICU beds in Phuket may be coming soon according to an epidemiologist at the main government hospital, Vachira Hospital in Phuket Town. The Phuket governor held a live broadcast press conference where the doctor explained that, with the spread of the B.117 variant, which is more transmissible and often leads to pneumonia, she fears beds might fill…
- Covid-19 News
Independence Day holiday is set date for US to achieve herd immunity from Covid-19
US President Joe Biden is setting the national holiday of Independence Day, on July 4, as the date in which he says 70% of American adults should have had at least their first Covid-19 vaccine dose. But, Priya Sampathkumar, chair of Infection Prevention & Control at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, disagrees with that priority. “Vaccinating more people in the…
- Covid-19 News
“Bangkok Hilton” to make field hospitals for Covid-infected prisoners
Klong Prem Central Prison, in Bangkok, is making field hospitals for Covid-infected prisoners to help curb the spread of the virus. The Corrections Department is converting 5 buildings at the “Bangkok Hilton” in Chatuchak district to operate as hospitals, offering 500 beds in total. The prison would act as a home base for new arrivals who test positive for the…
- Covid-19 News
Food delivery companies and customers receive new Covid health measures to abide by
Thailand’s food delivery services and customers, especially in its capital of Bangkok, are now having to follow 4 additional health measures to help curb the spread of Covid-19. The Director-General of the Department of Disease Control handed down the orders after meeting with food delivery company representatives. The new measures include stricter supervision of employees to ensure that they are…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri’s daily Covid-19 infections slightly increase Wednesday – 110
Chon Buri province, which features Pattaya, is reporting 110 new Covid-19 infections for today. The number is a slight increase from yesterday, which saw 91 new infections. With today’s reported infections, the total amount in the province, since early April, now stands at 2,965, with 7 deaths. The Department of Public Health reports that 1,620 are still under medical care…
- Thailand News
Desparate expats in Thailand turn to vaccine tourism
Travelling overseas just to get a prick used to have a much more negative connotation. But with limited supplies and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines in Thailand, many expats are turning towards vaccine tourism, travelling to another country in order to secure a jab. With recent reports that Thai people will be prioritized and timelines vague for foreigners getting vaccinated, impatient…
- Thailand News
3 Covid-19 vaccines approved by Thai FDA, 3 more in registration process
3 Covid-19 vaccines have been approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration while 3 more pharmaceutical and biotech companies are in the process of registering Covid-19 vaccines for use in Thailand, according to FDA secretary general Phaisan Dankhum. So far, the FDA has approved the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, which was made in partnership with Oxford University in the UK…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 2,112 new infections and 15 deaths, provincial totals
2,112 new Covid-19 cases and 15 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing. Since April 1, there have been 46,037 confirmed Covid-19 infections in Thailand, making up more than half of Thailand’s cumulative count of 74,900 infections since the start of the pandemic last year. There are 30,222 active Covid-19 cases in Thailand.…
- Covid-19 News
Investigation: Was 91 year old woman’s death from Covid-19?
Medical staff are investigating the remains of a 91 year old woman whose body was found last night in order to determine if Covid-19 was a factor in her death. The woman was found in her home in Karon, Phuket, after police, rescue workers, and a medical team from the Phuket Provincial Hospital arrived around 6:30 p.m. She was found…
- Bangkok News
Renowned Thai monk investigated for criticising government’s handling of pandemic
One of Thailand’s most prominent Buddhist monks has been accused of meddling in politics after he criticised the government’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis. Thai PBS World reports that the Sangha Supreme Council has found Phra Maha Sompong Talaputto guilty of expressing political views, which is considered inappropriate. The monk and popular preacher from Bangkok’s Soi Thong Temple is renowned…
- Covid-19 News
Medics concerned about using anti-viral Favipiravir in Covid patients with minor symptoms
Medical experts are voicing their concern over the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s plan to use the anti-viral drug Favipiravir to treat field hospital patients. Field hospitals are currently being used for so-called “green” Covid-19 patients… those with only minor symptoms, or none. Favipiravir, sold under the brand name Avigan among others, is an antiviral medication used to treat influenza in Japan.…
- Covid-19 News
Vaccination ramped up in Klong Toey, PM wants outbreak curbed in 2 weeks
Officials are accelerating vaccination efforts in the Klong Toey district of Bangkok, along with proactive mass testing in an effort to curb transmission of Covid-19. Posting on his Facebook page, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha says the aim is to inoculate at least 50,000 of the approximately 90,000 residents, stemming the tide of infections within 2 weeks. The Bangkok Post reports that…
- Pattaya News
Chon Buri reports a decline in daily Covid-19 infections – Tuesday, 91
Chon Buri province, which includes Pattaya, is seeing a general decline in the amount of daily Covid-19 infections today. 91 were reported today. Yesterday, the number of infections reported in the province was 153. The total amount of infections in the province since the third wave began at the start of April, sits at 2,855, with 1,611 still in medical…
- Covid-19 News
Virologist urges government to carry out mass vaccination within 3 months
Prominent Thai virologist Dr. Yong Poovorawan is calling on the government to carry out mass vaccination of the population within 3 months, after a study showed that 1 dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine boosts immunity by more than 96%. Dr. Yong has been a persistent critic of the Thai government’s handling of the Covid outbreaks in the country. Posting on…
- World News
Bill and Melinda Gates to divorce after 27 years of marriage
Philanthropist and entrepreneur Bill Gates has announced that he and his wife of 27 years, Melinda, are to divorce. The world’s 4th wealthiest person posted a joint statement from the pair on his Twitter account yesterday, according to an NPR report. Bill Gates is reported to be worth more than US$130 billion dollars, having made his fortune with the Microsoft…
