The Thai Ministry of Health has denied information about an outbreak of coronavirus with severe symptoms
Quick Look
- The Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Health of Thailand has denied information about an abnormal outbreak of coronavirus infection with severe symptoms that has spread on social networks.
- During the period from January 1 to August 31, 2026, 99,691 cases of the disease were registered in the country with a mortality rate of 0.02%.
- The dominant variant remains Omicron NB.1.8.1, which is not associated with severe symptoms and does not require mechanical ventilation in most cases.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
In Thailand, information about an abnormal coronavirus outbreak with severe symptoms including high fever and body aches has been circulating on social media. Previously, Russian media reported cases among tourists in Phuket.
The Department of Disease Control of the Thai Ministry of Health has denied information about an abnormal outbreak of coronavirus infection with severe symptoms.
According to the department, from January 1 to August 31, 2026, Thailand recorded 99,691 cases of coronavirus infection with a case fatality rate of 0.02%.
The dominant variant of coronavirus in Thailand remains Omicron NB.1.8.1, which is not accompanied by severe symptoms and in the vast majority of cases does not require patients to be placed on ventilators.
BANGKOK, September 10 – RIA Novosti. The Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Health of Thailand has denied information spread on the country's social networks about an abnormal outbreak of coronavirus infection with severe symptoms that allegedly originated in the kingdom.
Earlier on Thursday, a number of Russian media reported an outbreak of Covid among Russians on the tourist island of Phuket, and that the disease was accompanied by high fever, severe headaches and body aches, which the media called severe symptoms of coronavirus infection.
Since the end of August, information has been spreading on Thai social networks about an abnormal outbreak of coronavirus infection, which the country’s Ministry of Health officially declared untrue.
“Data for the period from January 1 to August 31, 2026 show 99,691 cases of coronavirus infection in Thailand with a case fatality rate of 15 cases, which is 0.02% of all cases of the disease. For comparison, the total annual number of cases in the previous 2-3 years ranged from 600,000 to 700,000,” the Thai Ministry of Health said in a statement.
The statement notes that, according to ministry statistics, in 2025, Thailand recorded 614,601 cases of Covid with a case fatality rate of 0.04% (274 deaths), in 2024 - 777,730 cases with a case fatality rate of 0.03% (219 deaths), and in 2023 - 618,793 cases with a case fatality rate of 0.14% (852 deaths).
The dominant coronavirus variant in Thailand in September remains Omicron NB.1.8.1, which remained dominant in the country in 2025. This strain of coronavirus is not accompanied by such severe symptoms as fulminant pulmonary edema, and in the vast majority of cases does not require patients to be placed on ventilators, the statement said.
As in previous years, the number of cases increased during the rainy season, when the number of cases of all respiratory infections increases, the ministry said.
Open Questions
- Which social networks were spreading false information?
- Have there been any cases of severe Covid recorded among tourists in Phuket?
- What measures is the Ministry of Health taking to combat misinformation?
