Omicron
- Thailand News
Annual Covid-19 booster shots planned for Thailand this year
The Public Health Ministry in Thailand aims to make this year the first in which individuals receive annual Covid-19 booster shots, akin to the seasonal flu vaccine. Deputy Government Spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek stated yesterday that Thailand must continue to monitor Covid infections, particularly after cases spiked twice last week due to the global spread of XBB.1.16, a substrain of the…
- Thailand News
Thailand detects 6 new cases of Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant and one XBB.1.16.1
Thailand‘s Department of Medical Sciences announced yesterday that it has identified six new cases of the Omicron XBB.1.16 subvariant, as well as one case of the closely related XBB.1.16.1 subvariant. This brings the total number of people in the kingdom infected with the XBB.1.16 subvariant to 34. The department’s director-general, Supakit Sirilak, confirmed that XBB.1.16 is responsible for 9.8% of…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16: What you need to know
Thailand has recently reported 27 cases of the new Omicron sub-variant XBB.1.16, leading authorities to closely monitor its transmission speed and the ease with which it can escape people’s ability to handle the virus following months, if not years, of vaccinations and herd immunity development. The Ministry of Public Health is recommending that individuals, particularly senior citizens and those with…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand faces rising Covid cases post-Songkran, new Omicron subvariant emerges
Health authorities have expressed concern over the increasing number of Covid-19 cases following the Songkran Festival, but they maintain that the situation is manageable. The Department of Medical Sciences (DoMS) has identified 27 instances of a new Omicron subvariant, known as XBB.1.16, with one associated fatality. Virologists predict that this new subvariant will spread during the rainy season. Prime Minister…
- Covid-19 News
55% rise in infections and deaths from Covid virus
Scientists are making their regular plea to the public not to forget about and completely write off Covid-19 yet. While people worldwide have generally moved on from the stressful and fearful days of the height of the pandemic, the virus is still bringing infections and death and still mutating. A Chulalongkorn University Faculty of Medicine doctor warns about a 55.6% increase…
- Covid-19 News
Covid cases down, international arrivals up
Good news for tourism, bad news for Covid-19: international travellers have surged while infection figures have actually declined. After Thailand relaxed its immigration measures, the number of tourists visiting has seen a steady increase. With extra fears due to Chinese tourism reopening amidst a major Covid wave there, the number of new cases in Thailand has been going down. According…
- 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…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok surges back above 10,000 Covid infections per day
Covid-19 infections have surged back to over 10,000 infections per day, in Bangkok alone. This time driven by the BA.5 sub-variant, and mostly identified through community testing and ATK results. Health officials also admit that many people are testing themselves at home, taking days off work and not registering their results with the health care system. Thailand’s last wave, driven…
- 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
Thai health authorities recommending the re-instatement of mask wearing
The highly contagious BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants are currently causing problems in Thailand, just like they are in other countries – more hospitalisations but no trend of a higher number of deaths. The downward trend, since April 1, has plateaued over the past month and started creeping up again. With statistics from many countries suggesting that BA.4 and BA.5…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron subvariant likely to be a dominant strain in Thailand
There is a chance that the new Covid-19 sub variants, BA.4 and BA.5, will likely dominate new Thailand Covid infections, as they have already in other countries. However, they have not yet caused serious problems in the Land of Smiles. The latest sub-variants have been characterised by the increased transmissibility and immune escape – such “immune escapes” could mean more…
- Tourism News
Hospitels close the door on Covid and hotels reopen for business as usual
With Covid-19 projected to be labelled as endemic next month, hospitels and alternate quarantine sites have resumed normal operations. Hospitels are hotels that provided rooms for people who had mild Covid symptoms. They helped ease the strain on the kingdom’s hospitals during the peak period of the coronavirus pandemic. But now the service is consigned to history, according to the…
- Covid-19 News
Wearing face masks in Bangkok may soon be dropped
But no date announced yet…. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration acknowledged there is a chance the Thai government will soon drop mask-wearing requirements in some public locations and allow night venues to stay open until 2am. Some restrictions were lifted at nightlife venues on June 1, well at least allowing them to “officially” stay open until midnight (including bars,…
- Covid-19 News
Studies show Omicron infection in vaccinated people “turbo-charges” immunity
Contracting the Omicron variant (of Covid-19) while fully vaccinated could boost your immunity to the extent that it can fight off a variety of coronavirus variants, according to new research. The findings were revealed in 2 US studies from the University of Washington and from vaccine producer BioNTech. If backed up by real-world data, this could be a sign that…
- Covid-19 News
Travellers will still have to wear face masks post-endemic phase in Thailand
As the number of Covid-19 cases in Thailand continues to decrease, the National Communicable Diseases Committee has started talking about post-pandemic measures or lingering preventative measure when the coronavirus is declared endemic in Thailand, including any requirement for travellers to wear face masks, according to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. Speaking to Thai media yesterday, he claimed that, with public collaboration…
- Covid-19 News
New Covid-19 variants of Omicron “are more infectious”
Three new Omicron sub variants have the ability to spread Covid-19 faster and infect the lungs… this warning from the World Health Oraganisation, according to Ramathibodi Hospital’s Centre for Medical Genomics. The World Health Organisation and several scientists across the globe have been keeping track of the three sub-variants, including in the US and South Africa, for some time. BA.4,…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | Thailand pass, Misbehaving foreigners & Solar Power
Is the arrival PCR test for the Thailand pass test & go going to be scrapped? A Japanese women sprays water at people and flaunts not wearing masks in her TikTok videos which has caused a lot of criticism online and a man in Isaan takes advantage of Solar Power to reduce his electricity bills from 4000 BHT to 44…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Academic says Omicron may have already peaked
Last week, as some Thai doctors were having fun predicting a ‘doomsday’ scenario with up to 100,000 new Covid infections per day post-Songkran, one academic just had to kill the party by citing..whoops… “real data”, that indicates Omicron may have already peaked in Thailand. In a Facebook post over the weekend, a science lecturer from Chulalongkorn University Jessada referred to…
- Covid-19 News
Academic says Omicron may have peaked in Thailand already
Last week some Thai doctors were predicting a ‘doomsday’ scenario with up to 100,000 new Covid infections pers day post-Songkran. Now there’s a new tune being sung… A science lecturer from Chulalongkorn University says he believes Thailand has actually passed its Omicron peak, as infections continue to trend downwards. In a Facebook post over the weekend, Jessada Denduangboripant referred to…
- Covid-19 News
Health ministry advises work from home policy for 7 days after Songkran holiday
Thailand’s health ministry is advising businesses to have employees work from home for 7 days, according to Chakrarat Pittawawonganon from the Department of Disease Control. The advice is designed to prevent a surge in infections following the recent Songkran holiday. “Once the Songkran festival is over, the number of cases may increase by 20 – 30%.” According to a Bangkok…
- Covid-19 News
Booster vaccines really do boost immunity to Omicron, says National Vaccine Institute
Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute has refuted a rumour spreading on Thai social media that claims booster shots of Covid-19 vaccines aren’t necessary for the Omicron variants, as infection from Thailand’s dominant virus stain effectively provides robust immunity. In fact, those who rely on “natural immunity” from infection potentially risk severe illness or death, the institute has warned, saying adults are…
- Covid-19 News
Shorter quarantine times proposed for Thailand. From 7 days down to…?
Starting in May, high risk groups who have been in close contact with Covid 19 will still have to self isolate at home, but the time will be shortened from 7 days to 5 days. While the self isolation period is shorter, they will need to monitor their health for another 5 days, according to the Director-general of the Department…
- Covid-19 News
Omicron BA.2 projected to become Thailand’s dominant strain within 2 weeks
The BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron will take over Thailand and become the new dominant strain of Covid-19, according to the Thai Medical Science Department. Last week, the department did a diagnosis of Covid-19 infections and discovered that the BA.2 sub-variant accounted for 96% of reported cases, while the BA.1 sub-variant accounted for a mere 4% of cases, according to the…
- Thailand video news
Pollution haze across Thailand | GMT
Unsafe levels of PM2.5 ‘particulate’ cloud Bangkok and surrounding areas today. The kingdom is expected to record about 100,000 new Covid-19 cases per day following the Songkran holiday. April will see THAI Cargo operate 58 flights to Guangzhou, 12 to Chengdu, eight to Kunming, and another nine from Kunming to New Delhi. With traditional Songkran water fights banned in Thailand…
- Covid-19 News
Kerry Express delivers FREE Covid care boxes to patients self-isolating at home
Thailand’s popular parcel deliver company Kerry Express is distributing their free “Kerry Care Box” to asymptomatic Covid patients who are self-isolating at home from now until after the Songkran festival. Face masks, paracetamol pills, cough syrup, alcohol, Fa Talai Jon herbal capsules and a thermometer are among the supplies included in the bundle for those who require at-home treatment during…
- World News
Asia’s weird Covid twilight zone – VIDEO
Tens of millions of people in China are under lockdown, including in the largest city Shanghai. Thailand’s infection numbers continue to creep up, already much higher than at their peak last year. Hong Kong morgues are overwhelmed and patients being turned away from hospitals. In South Korea health authorities are reporting the most cases per capita in the world. Vietnam…
- Bangkok News
Business owners on Bangkok’s Khao San Road kiss goodbye their Songkran plans
Businesses on Bangkok’s popular Khao San Road are axing their Songkran celebration plans, following news that they would have to abide by several restrictions. This would include an alcohol ban, having to provide free face masks to partiers if their masks got wet, and being held responsible if partiers took off their masks. The president of the Khao San Road…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Is the Deltacron variant a cause for concern?
A devoted Vietnamese husband attempted to paddle across the Bay of Bengal from Phuket to India on an inflatable boat to see his wife who he hadn’t seen in two years due to the Covid pandemic. Thai marines found 37-year-old Ho Huang Hung yesterday away from the Andaman coast after he had been at sea for 18 days. Hung was…
- Covid-19 News
‘Deltacron’ in Thailand? Pft! We got this – Public Health Minister
Don’t fear new virus variants — we can handle it. That’s the main message from Thailand’s public health ministry, which says the country is well equipped to handle any new Covid-19 strains, including the so-called “Deltacron” variant, a possible combination of Delta and Omicron. Speaking at the Thailand International Health EXPO 2022 on Thursday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said…
- Thailand video news
Anonymity online, Thai ice hockey team & Thailand Pass | Thaiger Bites
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- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Bangkok is easing its rules on alcohol sales
The Public Health Ministry says there’s no cause for concern after the BA2.2 Omicron sub-variant was reported in 4 Covid-19 patients in the kingdom. According to a report, the patients are 3 Thai nationals and a foreigner. The BA2.2 sub-variant was first discovered in Hong Kong, which is battling its worst Covid wave since the start of the pandemic and…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Harmful substances found in sausages in Thailand
Four new Covid-19 infections in Thailand appear to be the new mutated Omicron BA 2.2 subvariant that was first detected in Hong Kong….. this from the Department of Medical Sciences. But Thai authorities insist the public shouldn’t worry about the spread of the new subvariant as there has been no confirmation of any severe symptoms from the Global Initiative on…
- Thailand News
Thai officials suspect 4 patients are infected with new Omicron strain found in Hong Kong
Four new Covid-19 cases appear to be the new mutated Omicron BA.2.2 subvariant that was first found in Hong Kong, according to the Department of Medical Sciences. Authorities have insisted that the public should not worry about the spread of the new subvariant as there has been no confirmation of any severe symptoms and the Global Initiative on Sharing Avian…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Thailand’s Northeast new floating solar farm
Health authorities have reported the discovery of a new mutation of the Omicron coronavirus variant. The discovery has been made in Hong Kong which has been going through a horrendous time with Covid 19, recording record injections and deaths and an over-whelming of the country’s health system. In fact Hong Kong has recorded the world’s highest Sars Covid-2 death rate.Now…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Today | Thai govt assists Ukrainian and Russian tourists
The Thai government says over 7,000 Ukrainian and Russian tourists affected by flight cancellations will be allowed to extend their visas free of charge. It’s one of a number of measures officials are implementing to help visitors stranded as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Other measures potentially include offering shelter and access to a Chinese payment platform. The…
- Thailand video news
Thailand News Update | Thai suicide rate skyrocketed during pandemic
On Saturday, Thailand’s Department of Mental Health has reported the drastic impact of Covid-19 on mental health, with its director-general revealing that the suicide rate in Thailand is 5.9 times what it was in pre-Covid days.The department’s data found that people are 2.1 times more likely to develop stress, and 4.8 times more likely to develop depression, than they were…
- Thailand video news
Thai Tourism, Buying Russian Properties & Quality Tourists | Thaiger Bites
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