Ministry of Public Health
- Tourism News
Thailand entry may be simplified by switching to antigen test
At the CCSA meeting on Friday, the Ministry of Public Health will propose easing entry requirements by replacing RT-PCR tests with a much cheaper and faster antigen test. Health authorities report that Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul will propose the revision at Friday’s meeting to be enacted from December on. The simplifying of the required Covid-19 test is part…
- Thailand News
Health officials wonder why so many Thais refuse to get jabbed
Despite the fact that Thailand has suffered tremendously during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still millions of Thais who refuse to get vaccinated against the virus. The secretary of the Ministry of Public Health has asked public health workers across the country to try and figure out why so many people don’t want the vaccine. The ministry thinks that if…
- Tourism News
Thailand reopening sees 13,000 travellers, 10 Covid-19 infections
After the first 4 days of Thailand’s big reopening, over 13,000 people have arrived with just 10 of those travellers testing positive for Covid-19. According to the Director of Risk Communication and Health Behavior Development Bureau from the Ministry of Public Health Dr Sumanee Watcharasin, 13,229 people have entered Thailand in the last 4 days, and 10 international travellers –…
- Expats
Thailand requires 3 million baht insurance for ‘retirement’ visas
In a revision to the rules for non-immigrant OA visas, foreigners will now be required to hold a minimum of 3 million baht in health insurance, for in-patient services, in order to be eligible for long-term stays in Thailand, 8 times more than the 400,000 baht that has been previously required. The OA visa is also known as the Retirement…
- Covid-19 News
WHO approves Siam Bioscience’s AstraZeneca for emergency use
Today brought good news for Thai vaccines as the World Health Organisation approved the Siam Bioscience-licensed AstraZeneca vaccine for emergency use. Siam Bioscience, a company wholly owned by a subsidiary of the Crown Property Bureau, was licensed last November to produce the AstraZeneca vaccine for domestic use in Thailand and for sale and distribution around Southeast Asia. The director of…
- Covid-19 News
Ministry defends Pfizer vaccines against radiation accusations
Pfizer mRNA vaccines are facing accusations of being contaminated with radiation, and Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is fighting back against the allegations. The Ministry reassures that all the vaccines in use currently in Thailand are tested and safe for use. At the Department of Disease Control, Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director of the Emergency Health Hazard and Disease Control Division,…
- Tourism News
Anutin warns Nov 1 reopening could close again if Covid-19 surges
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul may have dampened the excitement over Thailand’s November 1 reopening when he announced that it is possible that the country could close up its borders in the event of a serious Covid-19 outbreak. The announcement on Monday by PM Prayut Chan-o-cha that he had told the Ministry of Public Health and Centre for Covid-19…
- Transport News
Covid-19 restrictions eased: domestic flights can fly full
The Ministry of Public Health says domestic airlines will have their capacity limits lifted and be allowed to fly full planes after the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration agreed to remove the limit. Until this new Covid-19 decree, flights were limited to 75% maximum capacity. The director for emergency health hazards and diseases warned that the easing of capacities does…
- Thailand News
Court rules for Health Ministry, calls dual pricing beneficial
In a closely-followed court case, the Administrative Court in Phetchaburi ruled that multi-tiered “dual pricing” in Thai hospitals are not discriminatory as they benefit Thailand, according to the media outlet Coconuts Bangkok. Ewrin Buse, who sued the Ministry of Public Health after discovering he was being charged more for his cancer treatment as a foreigner, vowed to appeal the decision.…
- Pattaya News
Pattaya mayor confirms Pattaya reopening postponed to November
The Mayor of Pattaya City has officially confirmed the city’s reopening to vaccinated foreign tourists has been delayed to November. The announcement follows a similar one made by the centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, yesterday. The Pattaya City Mayor Sontaya Khunplomek says many provinces have delayed their reopening from October to November, including Chon Buri, the province Pattaya is situated…
- Covid-19 News
Anutin: US donation offer of 1 million vaccines never received
Apparently citing chain of command technicalities, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul denied a report that Thailand didn’t respond to the US offering a donation of 1 million free Pfizer vaccines. He said no official formal notice of an offer to donate vaccines was received by his ministry. Anutin explained that the chain of command for vaccine donations involves the…
- Thailand News
Public Health Ministry defends October 1 reopening
It’s been nearly an hour since The Thaiger has published an article on the potential/definite/impossible reopening of Thailand and it’s various provinces, so it’s time for an update. The Public Health Ministry has responded to criticism that the reopening of Bangkok and 4 other provinces on October 1 is premature and ill-advised. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul responded to charges…
- Covid-19 News
“Sandbox Safety Zone in School” says 85% vaccination to reopen
In order to safely reopen schools for on-site learning, the Department of Health has declared that, for red and dark red zones, a minimum of 85% of all students, teachers, and staff in the school must be fully vaccinated before reopening. The issue of Education has become a quandary worldwide as countries weigh the need for children to receive an education…
- Thailand News
Ministry of Public Health rules AstraZeneca vaccine cause of blood clot death
The Ministry of Public Health has determined a person whose death came from a blood clot and thrombocytopenia ultimately died as a result of one shot of the AstraZeneca vaccine. This instance was the only one out of 628 cases that have been studied by the committee on Adverse Events Following Immunisation that concluded that a vaccine from AstraZeneca was…
- Thailand News
Mor Prom app to be used as a Digital Health Pass for travel
To coordinate and ease air travel for those who have been full vaccinated, the Ministry of Public Health announced plans to launch an air travel platform as part of the Mor Prom Line app. Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutacha chaired a meeting to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation, taking the first steps to develop the addition to the…
- Covid-19 News
National Vaccine Institute defends opting out of COVAX
The chief of the National Vaccine Institute spoke out defending Thailand’s decision to forego the COVAX vaccine programme as the government comes under renewed fire as part of the ongoing censure debate. He maintains that Thailand is better off without the program. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and the members of the ruling party in the cabinet are currently facing a vote…
- Covid-19 News
Almost 1 million Favipiravir pills are taken daily in Thailand
According to the Ministry of Public Health, Covid-19 patients in Thailand are taking almost a million Favipiravir pills each day as infection numbers surge around the country. The daily Covid-19 infection rates have now crossed over the 20,000 mark and with so many new cases, the demand for the antiviral tablets is skyrocketing. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation has been called…
- Covid-19 News
Thai-made subunit Covid-19 vaccine gets ok for human trials
Approval was received to begin testing on human subjects in September for a Covid-19 subunit vaccine created in Thailand by the Vaccine Research Centre of Chulalongkorn University and Baiya Phytopharm Company. The vaccine is the second to be racing to clear testing phases and be used to fight Covid-19 in Thailand. The other, an mRNA vaccine, is being developed by…
- Thailand News
40,000 cases a day could happen by September, says projection
Earlier this month, research by a professor from Mahidol University said worst-case scenario, Thailand could see 32,000 cases a day in a couple of months’ time. Now, according to a projection from the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand could see over 40,000 cases and 500 deaths per day if restrictions are not stringently followed/enforced and all inhabitants give their full…
- Covid-19 News
Free transport for Covid-19 patients returning to home provinces for treatment
Thailand’s Health Ministry says Covid-19 patients who want to return to their home provinces for treatment can avail of a dedicated transport service for free. Officials say patients should contact the National Health Security Office, adding that the service is for those with mild symptoms only. The Bangkok Post reports that at least 31,175 of the capital’s infected people left…
- Covid-19 News
Troubled vaccine registration site replaced by hospitals
Abraham Lincoln famously advised people not to change horses midstream, but with the ever-changing vaccine rollout, the Thai government seems intent on test-driving the entire herd in the middle of the flood. A Tourism Authority of Thailand press release today confirmed the Department of Disease Control announcement of yet another new Covid-19 vaccine registration plan for foreigners. After the Thailand…
- Tourism News
Reopening guidelines for Phuket and Samui
In a press release, the Tourism Authority of Thailand recently sought to lay out and clarify guidelines for how Thailand’s reopening will begin. The Phuket Sandbox plan rolls out first on July 1 (awaiting final approval), followed by a proposal for Surat Thani province reopening Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, and Koh Tao on a sealed route July 15. Here’s the…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok parks, salons, tattoo, massage reopen Monday
Does your dream day in Bangkok start with a manicure before viewing some great art or history, followed by a stroll through the park, maybe a quick neck tattoo before ending the day with a nice massage for your tired feet? If so, the restrictions in place for Covid-19 has had you sitting at home bored, waiting for everything to…
- Covid-19 News
Siam Bioscience delivers 1.8 million local AstraZeneca vaccines
Well, it’s a start. Good news today for Thailand’s snail-paced rollercoaster of vaccine rollout as the Ministry of Public Health has taken possession of the first 1.8 million AstraZeneca vaccines produced domestically. The vaccines were manufactured in the Bangkok by Siam Bioscience and are slated to be an integral part of Thailand’s mass vaccination scheme officially launching next Monday. Siam…
- Covid-19 News
Chon Buri province sees 108 new infections today
Thailand’s Chonburi Province, which features the city of Pattaya, is confirming 108 new Covid-19 infections today. Now, the province has seen a total of 2,153 infections since the third wave of Covid began in early April. 1,590 are still listed as undergoing medical care, with 1 death recorded this week. 562 have now been released from medical treatment and have…
- Covid-19 News
Initial investigation finds woman’s death not related to receiving 2nd Sinovac dose
Officials say a 23 year old woman’s death, after recently receiving a second Sinovac jab, is not related to the Covid-19 vaccine. The findings are from an initial investigation into her death by the Ministry of Public Health. The woman received the second dose of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine in Samut Sakhon province at her workplace on April 21. 1…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health to give traditional herbal medicine for mild Covid symptoms
Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is giving 600,000 traditional herbal medicine capsules to hospitals to help treat Covid-19 patients exhibiting mild symptoms. Fatalaijone is the medicine being handed out, as it is thought to suppress virus expansion in those patients with mild symptoms. But, according to the Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, it needs to be used along with modern…
- Thailand News
Thailand allows entry to 11 groups of travellers, cuts quarantine down for those vaccinated
Thailand’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration is allowing 11 groups of tourists to enter the Kingdom with shortened quarantine times for those who have been fully vaccinated. Those who are vaccinated are able to complete a 7 day quarantine upon entering as long as they can show proof along with registering at Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health. The registration process…
- Phuket News
“Sandbox” tourism scheme for foreign travellers in the works for Phuket
Tourism officials are working on what they’re calling the “sandbox,” a new pilot program to reopen Phuket and other destinations by the Andaman Sea to foreign visitors. The sandbox is like the “travel bubble” idea and would allow quarantine-free travel to certain areas. The sandbox model will be pitched to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration next Friday, Tourism and…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand acknowledges wildlife markets could be dangerous to humans
The Thai Ministry of Public Health is being praised after seemingly doing an about face over whether Bangkok’s Chatuchak Weekend Market could be the source of Covid‐19. After health officials denied that the World Health Organisation was investigating the market, a recent Facebook live press conference saw the Ministry acknowledging that wildlife trades may endanger public health. The recent investigation…
