COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand

The COVID-19 pandemic in Thailand is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Thailand was the first country to report a case outside China, on 13 January 2020. As of 2 April 2022^[update], the country has reported a cumulative total of 3,684,755 confirmed cases, with 25,318 deaths from the disease, and currently ranked fourth in the number of cases in Southeast Asia, behind Vietnam, Indonesia, and Malaysia.

Thailand was relatively successful in containing the pandemic throughout most of 2020, but has been experiencing an uncontrolled resurgent outbreak since April 2021. An initial wave of infections, mostly traced to nightlife venues and a boxing match in Bangkok, peaked on 22 March 2020 at 188 newly confirmed cases per day. As preventive measures were implemented, the outbreak subsided by May, and the country reported almost no locally transmitted infections until December, when it saw a surge of infections primarily clustered around large migrant worker communities in Samut Sakhon Province. The new outbreak spread to many provinces, with a maximum daily of 959 cases reported on 26 January 2021, before partially subsiding in February. In April, however, a new wave of infections originated from Bangkok's Thong Lo–area nightlife venues and rapidly spread in Bangkok as well as throughout the country. It was identified to be of the highly transmissible Alpha variant first reported from the United Kingdom, and by 14 April, over a thousand cases per day were being identified, causing a shortage of hospital beds as government policy required admission of all confirmed cases.

The Thai government's response to the outbreak was initially based on surveillance and contact tracing, though it was late to implement clear quarantine measures. In response to the first outbreak, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha declared a state of emergency, effective on 26 March, and the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)^[a] was established to coordinate the government's response, working in conjunction with the Department of Disease Control and issuing public communications through its spokesperson Taweesin Visanuyothin.^[4] Lockdown measures were implemented in varying degrees throughout the country, with public venues and businesses ordered to close. A curfew went into effect on 3 April, and all commercial international flights were suspended from 4 April. The public has cooperated relatively well with health advisories, and the country's robust public health infrastructure has been credited as a contributing factor to its relatively successful initial response.^[5][6] Easing of restrictions was gradually implemented from mid-May. The curfew was lifted in July and academia reopened in August. However, the state of emergency remained in effect.

With the subsequent outbreaks in December 2020 and April 2021, the government appeared reluctant to implement the same degree of restrictive measures for fear of further disruptions to the economy. In December, it focused instead on mass testing of migrant workers and travel restrictions from affected provinces, while in April, it allowed the Songkran (Thai New Year) holidays to go ahead (though without water-splashing celebrations), despite having cancelled the holidays in 2020 when the caseload was lower.^[7][8] Vaccinations began at the end of February 2021, mostly limited to healthcare workers and mainly using the CoronaVac vaccine imported from China's Sinovac Biotech. The majority of the country's vaccine supply is planned to rely heavily on the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine through a manufacturing deal secured by palace-owned Siam Bioscience company, with first batches expected in June 2021.

The pandemic has heavily disrupted the country's economy, of which tourism is a significant sector. The International Monetary Fund has predicted Thailand's GDP to shrink by 6.7 percent in 2020, a revision from a previous estimated 2.5% increase.^[9] The government has borrowed and announced several assistance measures, including cash handouts to those affected and a 1.9 trillion-baht (US$60 billion) stimulus package, though few people have actually received it.^[10] Dissatisfaction to its economic impact and government response contributed to the second wave of 2020–2021 Thai protests starting from 18 July 2020.

On 23 September 2022 General Prawit Wongsuwan, Deputy Prime Minister acting Prime Minister chair of CCSA was reported that General Supot Malaniyom Secretary-General of the National Security Council (NSC), had reported a better overview of the pandemic, new infected and the death toll decreased and the Ministry of Public Health has adjusted the COVID-19 from dangerous communicable diseases to surveillance infectious disease; therefore resolved to cancel the declared a state of emergency and collapse the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) with effect from 30 September 2022 onwards and will use the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558, which was already approved by the Cabinet in 2021, to control the COVID-19 situation instead.^[11][12]

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