COVID
- 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…
- 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
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…
- Thailand News
Thailand lifts ban on foreigners with Covid from visiting
Got Covid? Thailand is now saying feel free to come after a new provision has unbarred those with the virus from entering the Kingdom. The Cabinet moved forward with the decision to allow foreign visitors with the virus to enter Thailand while removing the virus from a list of forbidden diseases in foreign visitors. Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek says…
- Hot News
Report indicates TikTok’s search results create polarisation
A new report on TikTok’s search feature has concluded that the social media platform is producing polarising information. Climate change, politics, the war in Ukraine and Covid-19 searches were all found to produce misinformation on the platform. The study, by NewsGuard, claims that toxicity and false claims are a “significant threat” at TikTok. NewsGuard is self-described as a “journalism and…
- 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…
- 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
Moderna suing Pfizer for using their tech in Covid vaccines
After Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine brought in US$22 billion so far this year compared to Moderna’s US$10.4 billion, Moderna is suing Pfizer, claiming they copied technology in developing their vaccines. Moderna, a decade-old company that had been pioneering mRNA technology long before Covid-19, had said at the start of the pandemic that they wouldn’t enforce related patents to help the world…
- Covid-19 News
Spokesman warns end of CCSA, Decree not guaranteed
Mark Twain is often (mis)quoted as saying, “Rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” And the same, it seems, may be said of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) as a government spokesperson said yesterday that, despite an announcement Friday, the lifting of the Emergency Decree and dissolution of the CCSA will be closely evaluated and is not…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA to dissolve with end of Emergency Decree October 1
After over two and a half years, it’s finally time to say goodbye to our old friend, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations which has been in effect since March 24, 2020, and created the CCSA to cope with the coronavirus pandemic, will not be extended…
- Covid-19 News
CCSA spokesperson says 30,000 Covid infections per day
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration spokesperson is warning that Covid-19 infections are growing, with an increase seen in 44 of Thailand’s 77 provinces, including Bangkok. He said that between August 7 and August 13, daily Covid infections had averaged 31,148 cases per day, despite the Department of Disease Control reporting official numbers of about 1,900 infections today and 2,100…
- Covid-19 News
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla diagnosed with an unfortunate infection
If you’ve ever heard the advice “never get a haircut from a bald barber” you know that even something completely natural can tarnish the image of a brand in people’s minds. So, much like being judged for being an overweight fitness instructor, it’s a bit awkward for Albert Bourla that people now know he’s been infected by Covid-19, considering he…
- Covid-19 News
Virologist predicts most of Thailand will have had Covid by 2023
If avoiding the coronavirus feels futile at this point, maybe it is. According to one of the country’s top virologists, by about the end of this year, nearly everyone in Thailand will have been infected with Covid-19. The chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Department of Paediatrics of Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine Yong Poovorawan…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand has 5 BA.2.75 antibody-resistant Covid-19 sub-variant
Health authorities are now keeping a close eye on the development of five confirmed infections of the Covid-19 sub-variant BA.2.75, known to be antibody resistant. The director-general of the Department of Medical Sciences outlined all the cases and warned that the sub-variant could spread quickly if not properly monitored. “Officials are monitoring the development of the sub-variant. If the strain…
- Covid-19 News
Authorities warn: Don’t self-prescribe Covid drugs like Molnupiravir
New warnings are being issued about self-medicating or misusing Covid-19 drugs like Molnupiravir and the negative effects that could result from it. Department of Disease Control Director-General Dr Opas Karnkawinpong is warning that people who do not need treatment taking antiviral drugs may create drug resistance in their body, making it ineffective against future infections. Meanwhile, director of King Chulalongkorn…
- Covid-19 News
Study reminds that Long Covid, not just death, a hazard of infection
Much of the debate over the continued importance of the Covid-19 pandemic focuses on the milder variants lowering the death rate even when infections are on the rise. But Long Covid – the long-term effects of an infection that can last for weeks or months or longer – is an often overlooked, but potentially major, problem now and in the…
- Covid-19 News
New studies show Covid-19 started in Wuhan market, not lab
Two new studies suggest rumours of a lab leak or unnatural starts to Covid-19 are likely wrong, as a Wuhan animal market appears to be the epicentre of the pandemic’s beginnings. The studies were published Tuesday in Science, an academic journal, and point to a natural transition from animals to humans as the start of Covid, not any sort of…
- Covid-19 News
Emergency Decree extended by cabinet until end of September
The Thai cabinet met yesterday to officially extend the State of Emergency in Thailand, announced earlier this month, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This will be the 19th extension it will prolong the Emergency Decree that was set to expire on July 31, going into effect on August 1 and continuing until September 30. The decree, which was first invoked by…
- Technology News
Mor Prom to transition from Covid to a full healthcare app
Developed and evolved during the pandemic to be an all-purpose Covid-19 centre, the Mor Prom mobile app will now be transitioned into a new life as Thailand’s online health platform. The app was created as a Covid infection tracker, but quickly evolved into a source of coronavirus information, vaccine appointment scheduling and confirming, and a communication tool for the government…
- Covid-19 News
Poll shows nearly 2/3rds of Thais are tired of wearing masks
A new poll shows that Thais are tired of wearing masks and prefer to skip the inconvenience in many instances. The poll was conducted online by the Department of Health Service Support to judge people’s feelings about the relaxed Covid-19 restrictions in Thailand now. A total of 7,507 people responded to the opinion poll that was conducted between June 17…
- Covid-19 News
Study: vaccines prevented nearly half a million deaths in Thailand
Since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic, 31,031 people have died in Thailand from the virus, but a research team suggest that it could have been much worse without vaccines. The team from Mahidol University suggested that, without a vaccination programme in place, Thailand would likely have seen another 490,000 deaths. The MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis compile…
- Covid-19 News
5-day holiday weekend brings predictable surge in Covid-19 infections
While it was entirely predictable, Thailand rejoiced at the chance to get away for a five-day weekend, ignoring warnings from medical professionals, and now the country is seeing a spike in new and serious Covid-19 infections. The Department of Disease Control released figures showing that the number of people infected with severe Covid cases that require ventilators is rising again.…
- Covid-19 News
Molnupiravir should not be bought online and used, FDA warns
Self-administering the Covid-19 drug Molnupiravir can be dangerous, according to a new warning by the Thai Food a Drug Administration. The FDA announced that people should not purchase Molnupiravir independently and should only take the drug that has been used to treat Covid symptoms after consultation with a doctor or other medical professional who can prescribe proper usage. The Secretary…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 is far from over cautions the WHO
Despite the world seemingly getting back to normal, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is warning that the Covid-19 pandemic is far from finished. New surges in coronavirus infections in Thailand and around the world are beginning to strain medical facilities and workers, but people are tired of safety measures and growing impatient, frustrating the head of the WHO. “The virus…
- World News
Philippines: Covid-19 infections spikes 39%, dengue jumps 90%
Newly-elected President Ferdinand Marcos Jr is facing a health crisis already as a dual spike in Covid-19 and dengue fever infections threaten the well-being of the Philippines. Covid infections are steadily rising now, but concurrently, the country has seen a 90% spike in dengue fever infections. The amount of new coronavirus infections has jumped 39% week over week with the…
- Covid-19 News
Rise in holiday travel matches rise in severe Covid infections
The 5-day holiday weekend is driving up tourism numbers, but there also seems to be a rise in patients with severe Covid-19 infections that the Department of Disease Control says will likely increase from holiday travel. This warning came from the epidemiology director of the DDC, who laid out increases in severe coronavirus infections as well as those who require…
- Covid-19 News
Emergency Decree extended, but vows not to infringe on freedoms
The Emergency Decree, declared throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, has officially been extended for another 2 months. The decree which declares that Thailand is in an official state of emergency was set to expire on July 31, but this extension covers from August 1 to September 30. This is the 19th time the Emergency Decree has been extended. Prolonging the decree…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok preparing to reopen community isolation centres
With Covid-19 infections on the rise again, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration may reopen community isolation centres in crowded areas of the capital city. The plan would open facilities in 50 districts to help protect vulnerable people like pregnant women, the elderly, and those with underlying diseases from those infected with coronavirus. Bangkok has seen a rise to over 2,000 infections…
