COVID
- Thailand News
Department head predicts Covid-19 could last up to another year
Depending on the actions the government and the people of Thailand take, the Director-General of the Department of Medical Services predicts Covid-19 could continue for just a few months or drag on for another year. Director-General Somsak Ankasil asserted that declaration in a recorded video message this week made to thank the medical officials across the nation. In it, he…
- Thailand News
Minister: Foreigners, migrant workers are cared for amid Covid-19
Facing mounting criticism of the plight of migrant workers, often Burmese or Cambodian immigrants, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Minister of Labour Suchat Chomklin has spoken out in defence of the treatment of foreigners within Thailand. He stressed to the press that all laws and policies are non-discriminatory and that the government has addressed the concerns and safety of foreign…
- Covid-19 News
“Withhold Intubation” for certain older Thammasat Hospital patients
Thammasat University Hospital, overwhelmed with Covid-19 infections, has decided to implement a fatal “Withhold Intubation Rule” for patients over 75 years old with severe conditions like incurable cancer and AIDS. The hospital is experiencing an extreme shortage of ventilators and together critical life-saving equipment, and was forced to make the tough decision that will inevitably lead to unnecessary deaths. The…
- Covid-19 News
Bang Sue vaccination centre open for expats 60+, under must wait
Bangkok’s Central Vaccination Centre at Bang Sue Grand Station is open to expats 60 years old and up for their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, a spokesperson for the CCSA reiterated today, adding that some younger foreigners had been showing up to the centre seeking a Covid-19 vaccine. Photos of the vaccination centre show the area packed with people…
- Phuket News
18 infections today in Phuket creeps closer to 90/week threshold
Today saw an infection spike in new local Covid-19 cases in Phuket, crossing the daily average number that threatens the future of the Sandbox scheme. Officials had laid out several factors that could cause the Sandbox to be reconsidered or even cancelled, chief among them was if weekly infections crossed over 90 people a week. Today saw 18 new local…
- Covid-19 News
Friday Covid Update: 14,575 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 14,575 new Covid-19 cases was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total case count since the start of the pandemic last year to 467,707. The latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 438,844 of those infections. Thailand now has 143,744…
- Covid-19 News
Friday Covid Update: 14,575 new cases and 114 deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration recorded another 14,575 new Covid-19 cases and 114 coronavirus-related deaths. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported 438,844 confirmed infections. Over the past week, daily infections have exceeded 10,000. The uptick was expected by the CCSA due to the emergence…
- Pattaya News
More places closed in new Chon Buri restrictions tonight
This evening the governor of Chon Buri added to the growing list of Covid-19 restrictions and closures as infections swell in the province and around Thailand. As the province reports hundreds of new infections every day, safety measures and restrictions seem to be implemented nearly daily to attempt to curb the spread. Tonight’s restrictions closed all Chon Buri tourist attractions…
- Covid-19 News
Thursday Covid Update: 13,655 new cases and 87 deaths; provincial totals
Another record high of 13,655 new Covid-19 cases and 87 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 424,269 infections. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported 453,132 Covid-19 infections…
- Bangkok News
2 people infected with Covid-19 rally in Bangkok to demand medical care
A small group of people, including 2 who claimed they were infected with Covid-19, held a rally outside the Government House in Bangkok yesterday evening, calling for the Thai government to provide proper medical treatment for coronavirus patients. 25 police officers dressed in personal protective equipment, or PPE suits, were called to monitor the rally. Just 7 people attended the…
- Covid-19 News
Study finds 2 doses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca effective against Delta strain
A study published yesterday shows that 2 doses of the Pfizer vaccine or 2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are almost as effective against the rapid-spreading Delta variant as they are against the Alpha variant. In Thailand, the AstraZeneca vaccine is being produced locally and is the primary vaccine being used in the nationwide Covid-19 immunisation campaign. Thailand recently approved…
- Covid-19 News
Firefighter in this month’s factory fire dies suddenly of Covid-19
One of the brave firefighters who battled the recent factory fire in Samut Prakan July 5 was diagnosed today with Covid-19, just hours before he died from the virus. Naruphon Wongyaem was among the teams that responded to the explosion at the Ming Dih Chemical Co factory just south of Bangkok in Samut Prakan’s Bang Phli district. After putting out…
- Covid-19 News
Pattaya restaurants suffering, closing over dark red restrictions
New severe Covid-19 restrictions go into effect as Chon Buri province and Pattaya inside it were classified as dark red zones, causing already hard-hit restaurants to suffer and some to close completely. Being pushed to take-away only after their customer base is already severely reduced by international borders being all but closed to tourism for over a year has left…
- Thailand News
CCSA recommends closure of 10 more places and venues in “dark red” zones
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is recommending the closure of 10 more places and venues in “dark red” zones as additional measures to combat the spread of Covid-19. Provincial authorities in each of the 13 “dark red” zones, including Bangkok, can decide whether to follow the CCSA’s recommendation. The measures in “dark red” zones currently in place include a…
- Covid-19 News
Wednesday Covid Update: Record high of 13,002 new cases; provincial totals
A record high of 13,002 new Covid-19 cases was reported today by the Centre of Covid-19 Situation Administration. Thailand now has 131,411 active Covid-19 cases. Another 108 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 3,610. Since the start of the pandemic last year, the CCSA has reported a total of 439,477 Covid-19 infections. The latest…
- Covid-19 News
Covid-19 “survival boxes” funded by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha’s donated salary
PM Prayut Chan-o-cha waived his salary for the next 3 months to support the public amid the most severe wave of Covid-19 infections. Some of the funds will be used for so-called “survival boxes” to distribute to those in “dark red” zones, according to government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri. Several cabinet members and other public officials announced they would temporarily forgo…
- Covid-19 News
Tuesday Covid Update: 11,305 new cases; provincial totals
11,305 new cases and 80 deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19 in Thailand, first recorded on April 1, the CCSA has reported a total of 397,612 infections. Out of the new cases recorded today, 595 were detected in correctional facilities. The latest wave of infections spread to…
- Phuket News
Phuket officials concerned over “Sandboxers” who test positive for Covid on arrival
Out of the so-called “Sandboxers” who tested positive for Covid-19 since the Phuket reopening started on July 1, half of the infections were detected after the first test taken at the airport on arrival. The positive results conflict with the travellers’ negative results issued no more than 72 hours before departure, a requirement under the “Phuket Sandbox” model. Noticing a…
- Thailand News
Tight restrictions, curfews in 13 “dark red” provinces until August 2
Despite tight restrictions imposed last week in “dark red” zones, the Covid-19 situation has not improved. To combat the spread of the Delta variant, the government classified 3 more provinces as “dark red” zones and updated the disease control restrictions. An order was published in the Royal Gazette, making it official. The new zoning and updates on restrictions will go…
- Transport News
Flights from dark red zones prohibited from Wednesday, July 21
UPDATE: Thai Smile are cancelling all of their domestic flights for 2 weeks. Thai Smile is the domestic subsidiary of Thai Airways. “Thai Smile Airways would like to announce the temporary suspension of service on all domestic flights effective from July 21, 2021 – August 3, 2021”. The result of the ban is that most airlines are just grounding their…
- Covid-19 News
Monday Covid Update: Record high of 11,784 new cases and 81 deaths
A record high of 11,784 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The CCSA also recorded another 81 coronavirus-related deaths. Since April 1, the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, the CCSA has reported 386,307 confirmed infections. The CCSA has said the expected uptick in cases is due to the emergence…
- Covid-19 News
June letter warned only 3 million AstraZeneca vaccines per month
AstraZeneca now looks like it will deliver far less than the original 10 million vaccines announced, but letters newly leaked show the Public Health Ministry was alerted at least a month ago that the actual amount of doses would be far less than that. In a letter dated June 25 to Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul, AstraZeneca confirmed with…
- Expats
Foreigners over 75 can get a vaccine at Bang Sue Bangkok
Foreigners of a certain age got some good news today as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that expats over 75 years old living in Thailand are now eligible to receive a Covid-19 vaccine in Bangkok. The announcement made this evening goes into effect tomorrow when Bang Sue Central Station will begin to accept qualified foreigners living in Thailand for…
- Transport News
Lockdown extending as flights from dark red zones are prohibited
A new announcement has declared that all domestic airlines must cease operation of any passenger flights out of the dark red zones including Bangkok and Pattaya beginning July 21. The decree comes as Covid-19 infections continue to rise in Bangkok and surrounding provinces while daily Covid cases hit 5 digits and daily deaths hit triple digits, both for the first…
- Thailand News
Poll: Covid-19 situation critical, government should help, not profit
A new Suan Dusit Poll tells that over 60% of people think the Covid-19 situation in Thailand has become “very critical” with nearly 90% citing the soaring death and infections numbers as the biggest concerning factor and 78% concerned over widespread business closures. A jarring 78% of respondents complained that the government needs to stop putting their profits over the…
- Covid-19 News
Government meeting to address rising Covid-19, action to take
With Covid-19 growing and record numbers being reported, the government is on edge and considering stricter measures to try to contain the spiralling pandemic. Yesterday saw 2 morbid benchmarks surpassed as daily infection numbers crept past 10,000 for the first time and daily Covid-19 deaths were over 100 for the first time. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration will be…
- Pattaya News
Couple hangs themselves to escape Covid-19 debt
A couple who were said to be deeply in debt due to Covid-19 in Mueang Chon Buri were found hanging in their home, apparently by suicide. Neighbours say the man and woman were both food cart vendors who struggled to find enough customers to make ends meet and had turned to a loan shark for help paying their bills. Yesterday…
- Covid-19 News
Gatherings prohibited due to Covid-19 before planned protests
For the safety of its citizens and to protect from the spread of Covid-19, the greater Bangkok area Covid-19 command centre has banned any activities or gatherings that involve more than 5 people. The ban on gatherings comes coincidentally just hours before planned mass anti-government protests in the capital, scheduled for today. The ban went into effect for Bangkok, Samut…
- Bangkok News
200+ teams go door-to-door to find Covid-19 around Bangkok
As Covid-19 infections continue to surge in Thailand, passing the 5-figure 10,000 mark for daily infections today, PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has deployed over 200 teams to do door-to-door Covid-19 testing in the most at-risk areas of Bangkok. The rapid deployment troops will be made up of a coalition of national police and Thailand armed forces, and the teams are attempting…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok’s Chatuchak weekend market closed July 16 to 29
The weekend is finally here! Maybe a day off work, time to relax… but if your plans included a trip to the weekend market, you’re in for some bad news. Bangkok’s world-famous Chatuchak weekend market has been closed from July 16 to 29 in an effort to avoid Covid-19 infection spread. The popular weekend market has been determined to present…
