uk variant

  • Covid-19 News

    WHO assigns alternative names for Covid variants based on Greek alphabet

    After criticism over naming new variants of Covid-19 based on the country it was first detected, the World Health Orginisation has announced alternative names for the “variants of concern” based off the Greek alphabet… Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, etc. Last week, media outlets in the UK released reports last week saying more than 100 people had tested positive for the…

  • Covid-19 News

    93% of Covid samples from April test positive for variant found in the UK

    The Covid-19 variant first detected in the United Kingdom is said to have been found in many of the cases detected in April. Out of 300 samples, 93% tested positive for the mutated strain, B.1.117, according to director general of the Public Health Ministry’s Department of Medical Sciences, Supakit Sirilak. The latest outbreak of Covid-19 started in clusters in Bangkok’s…

  • Covid-19 News

    Four different Covid-19 variants detected in Thailand

    Four different Covid-19 variants have been detected in Thailand since April 1, the start of the latest wave of the coronavirus. More than 100,000 people have contracted the virus and more than 700 Covid patients over the past couple of months. The original strain of SARS-CoV-2 spread from Wuhan, China to Thailand back in January of last year. The first…

  • World News

    More than 15,000 foreigners arrested since January for illegal border crossings

    Thousands of foreign nationals have been arrested this year for illegally crossing land borders into Thailand. Due to fears that those entering Thailand illegally and evading the mandatory 14-day quarantine could possibly lead to the spread of Covid-19, particularly more contagious variants of the virus, Thai authorities say they will take tough legal action on illegal migrants and labour traffickers.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Chiang Mai sees 2 elderly deaths from UK Covid variant including French woman

    Chiang Mai province is reporting the deaths of 2 elderly women from the UK Covid-19 variant, including a French woman. The provinces death toll is now 9 according to the governor. The 81 year old French woman was suffering from high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes. She fell down on April 22 and received treatment at a hospital. After coming…

  • Covid-19 News

    Rapidly-spreading UK variant proving more deadly in Thailand

    Thailand’s Covid-19 death toll has risen dramatically in the third wave of the virus, with an additional 15 deaths reported today. The surging death toll is being attributed to the so-called UK variant, or B.1.1.7, which health experts say is far more contagious and is now proving far more deadly too. Thailand’s death toll to date now stands at 203.…

  • Covid-19 News

    Siam Bioscience says July due date of locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine still feasible

    Siam Bioscience Co. says the July due date for delivering its locally-produced Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccines is still feasible. The company is currently sending vaccine samples to laboratories in Europe and the US for quality inspections. If they are approved, then the samples will be sent to AstraZeneca for final inspections. After that, the vaccines will be registered with Thailand’s Food…

  • Covid-19 News

    Covid-19 vaccine CEOs say 3rd dose may be needed along with annual jabs

    The CEO for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines says it is likely that people will need a 3rd dose of the vaccine and to receive it annually. Albert Bourla, told CNBC, that the booster, or 3rd dose, will be needed less than a year after being fully vaccinated. “A likely scenario is that there will be likely a need for a…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand’s Civil Aviation Authority announces health and safety regulations

    The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand says airlines must continue to follow health and safety regulations as the country has seen a 3rd wave of the Covid-19 virus. Its the third time the CAAT have introduced restrictions on in-flight services since airlines were grounded in April last year. The authority says new guidelines to take effect today include… • Maintaining…

  • Covid-19 News

    UK variant more contagious but not more deadly – Lancet study

    Studies published in the renowned peer-reviewed medical journal The Lancet have found no evidence that the so-called UK strain of Covid-19 is more deadly. However, they do confirm that it is more contagious. The B117 variant, to give it its official name, has now been detected in Thailand, originally found in a cluster of infections from Bangkok nightlife venues. It…

  • Covid-19 News

    Understanding Covid-19 UK variant as it hits Thailand

    The so-called UK variant of Covid-19, a strain that is 1.7 times more contagious and deadly, has arrived in Thailand, present in the cluster in Bangkok’s upscale Thong Lor area that has spawned the pandemic third wave. Here’s why you should care. Referred to as the B117 variant, it first emerged in the UK county of Kent, though new research…

  • Covid-19 News

    Virologist says British strain likely brought in by people crossing Cambodian border

    Renowned virologist Yong Poovorawan says it’s highly probable that the UK variant was brought in by Thais or migrant workers crossing the border from Cambodia. He says the variant, officially known as the B117 strain, has been detected in over 1,500 Covid patients in Cambodia since February 20. The variant, which is 1.7 times more contagious than the original strain,…

  • Covid-19 News

    Covid-19 outbreak in Bangkok could take months to control, health official says

    It could take more than 2 months to control the recent Covid-19 outbreak in Bangkok which is concentrated around bars and nightclubs in Thong Lor. Health officials suspect the faster-spreading UK variant of the virus has spread at the bars and entertainment venues in Bangkok. The outbreak has reached around 20 provinces. While it may take 1 to 2 months…

  • Covid-19 News

    UK variant arrives in Thailand, top virologist warns against unnecessary Songkran travel

    “Whatever will be, will be. The reason is, it’s a matter that involves a huge number of people. The government will have to try to cope with that later.” – Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha. A prominent Thai virologist has confirmed that the so-called UK Covid-19 variant, aka B117, is behind the latest cluster of infections detected at Bangkok nightlife venues,…

  • Covid-19 News

    Top doctors say Thong Lor cluster might be the UK Covid-19 variant

    The UK variant of Covid-19 might be the strain of the virus that broke out at nightclubs and bars in Bangkok’s Thong Lor area, according to 2 top doctors in Thailand. The B117 variant is said to be faster-spreading – about 1.7 times more contagious than the original strain. Doctors suspect the mutated strain led to the outbreak at the…

  • World News

    Experts say UK virus mutation may affect vaccine efficacy

    A new mutation of the Covid-19 virus, which has been found in a strain currently circulating in the UK, may have an impact on the efficacy of vaccines, according to Public Health England. The E484K mutation has already been detected in South Africa and Brazil and has now been found in at least 11 samples of the B.1.1.7 strain in…

  • World News

    Outbreak in Vietnam linked to the more contagious UK variant of Covid-19

    The more contagious UK variant of Covid-19 is linked to a new outbreak in Vietnam with 276 people infected in 10 provinces and cities, according to the country’s health minister. The new cases are a major uptick for Vietnam, which has only recorded 1,850 cases and 35 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic last year. Vietnam had its…

  • Covid-19 News

    Covid-19 death toll exceeds 100,000 in the UK, government mulls quarantine for travellers

    With the Covid-19 death toll exceeding 100,000 in the United Kingdom, the British government is considering a mandatory hotel quarantine for visitors entering the country. A quarantine system is considered to be an effective way to limit virus transmission and stop new coronavirus variants from spreading into the country. Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with senior officials in a…

  • Thailand News

    Britons arriving in Thailand test positive for Covid UK variant

    Britons arriving in Thailand from England, have reportedly tested positive for the Covid-19 variant that was first identified in the UK. The family of 4 arrived from Kent, in southeast England, and are currently under quarantine at a private hospital after receiving the positive test results. Dr. Yong Pooworavan, chief of the Virology Centre of the Faculty of Medicine at…