Thailand News

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  • Officials expect 400,000+ Covid-19 infections from free ATK plan

    Officials expect 400,000+ Covid-19 infections from free ATK plan

    The Chinese-made Lepu Medical Technology antigen test kits at the centre of a controversial importing deal are now scheduled to be distributed free across Thailand from September 16. Health officials are anticipating a spike of several hundred thousand new Covid-19 cases as a result of ATK distribution. The National Health Security Office expects that as a result of the influx…

  • “Dark red” zone curfew, other rules remain until the end of the month

    “Dark red” zone curfew, other rules remain until the end of the month

    The nightly curfew for the 29 provinces classified as “dark red” zones for high Covid-19 infection rates will remain in place, at least until the end of the month. Those in Bangkok and other “dark red” provinces must stay home from 9pm to 4am, unless travel is essential. In a Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meeting today chaired by PM Prayut…

  • Foreign investors keep a close eye on struggling Pattaya hotels

    Foreign investors keep a close eye on struggling Pattaya hotels

    With Pattaya hotel operators in dire financial straits brought on by the lack of tourists during the pandemic, foreign investors are apparently keeping a close eye on the situation. The hotel operators in the tourist city are being warned that if they do not get assistance for their outstanding loans, then their businesses could be taken over by foreign investors.…

  • Ministry of Public Health rules AstraZeneca vaccine cause of blood clot death

    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…

  • Prediction for international travellers to Thailand lowered again

    Prediction for international travellers to Thailand lowered again

    Tourism researchers have once again downgraded their expectations for the total number of international travellers in 2021 after Thailand has yet to recover from the third wave of Covid-19 starting in April that brought the Delta various and huge infection numbers across the country. The Tourism Authority of Thailand, known for its rose-tinted predictions and press releases, had predicted in…

  • Friday Covid Update: 189 deaths and 14,403 new cases

    Friday Covid Update: 189 deaths and 14,403 new cases

    189 coronavirus-related deaths and 14,403 new Covid-19 cases were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the past 24-hours since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 15,610 recoveries. There are now 141,642 people in Thailand currently receiving treatment for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of Covid-19, first recorded on April 1, the…

  • Officials to review curfew, Covid-19 restrictions in dark red provinces today

    Officials to review curfew, Covid-19 restrictions in dark red provinces today

    The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration meets today to review the curfew in place in dark red provinces, and to discuss the easing of some restrictions. However, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says the CCSA will be asked to keep the 9pm – 4am curfew as is until the end of this month. While the hours…

  • Bangkok police to ramp up counter-protest measures

    Bangkok police to ramp up counter-protest measures

    Police in Bangkok say they’ll get tougher on anti-government protest action, but without resorting to violence, according to a Bangkok Post report. Piya Tawichai from the Metropolitan Police Bureau says there is a need to control activists rallying at the Din Daeng intersection in order to keep law and order. However, he adds that the capital’s residents will not be…

  • 2 hospital data breaches on Monday exposed patient data

    2 hospital data breaches on Monday exposed patient data

    Two prominent hospitals were the victims of data breaching hackers in the last few days with each hospital having over 40,000 patients’ personal information at risk. On Monday, Phetchabun Hospital had the personal data of 46,000 of their patients compromised while Bhumirajanagarindra Kidney Institute Hospital had the data from 40,000 patients stolen in parallel attacks. The Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau…

  • Mor Prom app to be used as a Digital Health Pass for travel

    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…

  • Alex Albon will return to Formula 1 alongside Nicholas Latifi

    Alex Albon will return to Formula 1 alongside Nicholas Latifi

    The Red Bull supported Thai driver, Alex Albon will go back to Formula 1 for the next season as a Williams driver. He will be racing alongside Canadian driver, Nicholas Latifi. 25 year old Alex has been a test and reserve driver for Red Bull throughout 2021. He also competed in the German Touring Car championship after being discarded by…

  • Rescued Chiang Mai child doing better, still needs time to heal, says doctor

    Rescued Chiang Mai child doing better, still needs time to heal, says doctor

    The toddler that was recently rescued in northern Thailand’s Chiang Mai province is recuperating well and has allowed her parents to hug her, but still needs time to heal both physically and mentally, says a doctor. Gina’s father says his daughter has a healthy appetite and looks fresher and healthier than she did the day before. A doctor cautions that…

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    Sponsored Aside from purchasing health insurance to cover common health issues and emergencies, many don’t realise that a cancer diagnosis could mean that they will be paying for treatment out of pocket. As many health insurance companies don’t cover or partially cover cancer treatments, it is important to think of possible future health issues. At The Thaiger, we care about…

  • Phuket officials keeping an eye out for crocodile, possibly a water monitor lizard

    Phuket officials keeping an eye out for crocodile, possibly a water monitor lizard

    Phuket sandboxers have 1 more thing to keep track of as a crocodile may still be on the loose. Officials from the Sirinat National Park are still on the lookout for a crocodile in the region after a search yesterday did not uncover the scaly reptile. Officials speculate that the crocodile may actually be a water monitor lizard. Park officials…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 16,031 new cases; provincial totals

    Thursday Covid Update: 16,031 new cases; provincial totals

    An uptick of 16,031 new Covid-19 cases was reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the total count since the start of the pandemic last year to 1,338,550 confirmed Covid-19 cases. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1, has accounted for 1,309,687 of those infections.…

  • Kitchen in Phitsanulok home plunges into river trapping homeowner

    Kitchen in Phitsanulok home plunges into river trapping homeowner

    An elderly man and his kitchen tumbled into a river this morning when a riverbank the house was built over collapsed. Rescue workers rushed to the Ban Wang Ped village in northern Thailand’s Phitsanulok province to help rescue the man who was struggling to stay above water. The wreckage of the kitchen made it difficult for the man to extract…

  • Thursday Covid Update: 16,031 new case and 220 deaths

    Thursday Covid Update: 16,031 new case and 220 deaths

    An uptick of 16,031 new Covid-19 cases and 220 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has recorded 15,417 recoveries. There are now 143,038 people in Thailand being treated for the coronavirus. In the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which…

  • Opposition to take legal action against Thai PM, ministers, following no-confidence vote

    Opposition to take legal action against Thai PM, ministers, following no-confidence vote

    Thailand’s opposition parties plan to take legal action against the PM and several of his ministers, following a no-confidence vote that went in the government’s favour. Chief opposition whip, Sutin Klungsang, says 6 parties will pursue legal action, according to a Bangkok Post report. Last week’s no-confidence debate targeted PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and 5 of his ministers: Public Health Minister,…

  • Bangkok court denies request for arrest warrants for anti-government protesters

    Bangkok court denies request for arrest warrants for anti-government protesters

    A Bangkok court has rejected a request to issue arrests warrants for 2 anti-government protesters. News of the activists’ potential arrest led to a planned rally being cancelled. However, the Bangkok South Municipal Court has decreed that as the charges in question carry a prison term of no more than 3 years, police must first issue a summons for the…

  • FDA considering Sinopharm vaccine for children over age 3

    FDA considering Sinopharm vaccine for children over age 3

    The Food and Drug Administration said that it will consider a request by Sinopharm’s local representatives in Thailand to use their vaccine for children age 3 and older. Biogenie Tech Co is the distributor of the Sinopharm vaccine within Thailand and they have requested permission to lower the age group the vaccine is approved for from 18 years old to…

  • Several markets and communities sealed off in Nakhon Si Thammarat following Covid outbreak

    Several markets and communities sealed off in Nakhon Si Thammarat following Covid outbreak

    3 markets and 2 communities in Nakhon Si Thammarat, a southern Thai province, have been sealed off for at least 7 days following the discovery of hundreds of new Covid cases. Local officials say the Bang Wang, 100 years, and Wat Hu Long markets are in isolation, as well as the Moo 1 and Moo 3 villages. Since the week…

  • Wednesday Covid Update: 14,176 new cases; provincial totals

    Wednesday Covid Update: 14,176 new cases; provincial totals

    228 coronavirus-related deaths were reported today by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, raising the pandemic’s death toll in Thailand to 13,511. Out of that number, 13,417 people died during during the latest and most severe wave of the virus in Thailand, which was first recorded on April 1. In the 24-hour period since the last count, the CCSA has…

  • Vulnerable Bangkok students to receive Pfizer vaccines later this month

    Vulnerable Bangkok students to receive Pfizer vaccines later this month

    Adolescents, notably vulnerable students, in Bangkok will receive Pfizer vaccines later this month. The students, between the ages of 12 and 18, should get their vaccine at Navamindradhiraj University starting September 21, said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday. The eligible students, who’ve been assessed by a doctor, must provide proof of having a disability, illness, or a chronic condition. The…

  • 12 million Sinovac doses to arrive this month or next

    12 million Sinovac doses to arrive this month or next

    The Cabinet Committee has approved a 4.25 billion baht budget to buy another 12 million Sinovac doses. The vaccine will be used for the immunity boost and the cross-formula method. The approval came yesterday afternoon. The vaccine allocation will prioritise 4 target groups: Patients with 7 underlying diseases Those over 60 years old Medical officials, frontliners, public officials who work…

  • Torrential rain warning for Thailand as Tropical Storm Conson approaches

    Torrential rain warning for Thailand as Tropical Storm Conson approaches

    Batten down the hatches, there’s some heavy rainfall coming in the next 24 hours and most of the country will get it. The Thai Meteorological Department says the approach of Tropical Storm Conson means most regions are in for some very wet conditions. Conson is currently moving in a north-westerly direction, across the central Philippines, headed for Vietnam. Over the…

  • “No Place Like Home” – New Online Care Marketplace SAIJAI Launches Digital Start-Up in Thailand

    “No Place Like Home” – New Online Care Marketplace SAIJAI Launches Digital Start-Up in Thailand

    Press Release A new digital on-demand online marketplace named SAIJAI has launched in Thailand and is setting its sights on democratizing home care in the country. Borne from a dynamic consumer behaviour shift over the past sixteen months to home-based lifestyle needs, the start-up brand is eyeing the Care From Home (CFH) marketplace, Thailand is the first market in its…

  • Survey shows over half of Thai hotels are considering closing due to low demand

    Survey shows over half of Thai hotels are considering closing due to low demand

    A survey conducted by the Bank of Thailand and the Thai Hotels Association shows that 52% of hotels are considering closing temporarily and 9% want to shut down for good. 62% plan to reduce their workforce costs as a result of the financial fallout from Covid-19, while 61% say they will cut expenditure elsewhere. The Bangkok Post reports that the…

  • Tourism officials push for resumption of Russia flights in last quarter

    Tourism officials push for resumption of Russia flights in last quarter

    The Tourism Authority of Thailand says it’s essential that commercial flights between Russia and Thailand be allowed to resume during the last quarter of the year. However, under Thailand’s emergency decree, international flights can only operate as semi-commercial, with limited seat capacity. Khanittha Phanworawat from the TAT’s Moscow office says this means the Russian aviation authority is still not allowing…

  • Local tour operator, marina and restaurant come together to help Phuket residents

    Local tour operator, marina and restaurant come together to help Phuket residents

    The following is a press release from 5 Star Marine, Ann’s Kitchen and Royal Phuket Marine on their one-day “Fundraising Experience” which raised 65,000 baht to help Phuket residents in need. With the continued economic effect in Thailand from Covid-19, new and innovative charity efforts are needed to engage both expats and locals in order to help the 48,000+ Phuket residents in…

  • 68 schools to reopen as part of “Sandbox Safety Zone in School” programme

    68 schools to reopen as part of “Sandbox Safety Zone in School” programme

    A new school programme, the “Sandbox Safety Zone in School” is being launched to reopen 68 schools across Thailand. The programme is being launched by the Ministry of Education. Education Ministry spokesperson, Kesthip Supawanich, says the schools that are part of the new programme include 44 schools from the Office of the Private Education Commission, 20 schools from the Special…