Thailand Denies Reports of Severe COVID-19 Outbreak

September 11, 2026 | 11:27 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thailand's Ministry of Public Health on Thursday, September 10, denied rumors circulating on social media regarding an unusual COVID-19 outbreak with severe symptoms allegedly occurring in the country.

As reported by ANTARA, earlier that same day, several Russian media outlets reported a COVID-19 outbreak among Russians on the tourist island of Phuket. The illness reportedly came with a high fever, severe headaches, and body aches. Since late August, information about this unusual viral infection outbreak has been circulating on Thai social media.

According to the ministry, Thailand recorded 99,691 COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths from January 1 to August 31, 2026, with deaths accounting for 0.02 percent of total cases. This was significantly lower than in the previous two to three years, when annual cases ranged from 600,000 to 700,000.

Based on ministry statistics, Thailand recorded 614,601 COVID-19 cases and 274 deaths (0.04 percent) in 2025. In 2024, there were 777,730 cases and 219 deaths (0.03 percent), while in 2023, there were 618,793 cases and 852 deaths (0.14 percent).

Omicron NB.1.8.1 continued to dominate in Thailand in September—a variant that also dominated the country in 2025.

This COVID variant does not present with severe symptoms such as acute pulmonary edema and, in most cases, does not require patients to be placed on a ventilator. As in previous years, a number of COVID cases rose during the rainy season, when cases of all types of respiratory tract infections also increase.

Health Ministry spokesperson Jurai Wongsawat stated that the current number of cases remains low compared to those in 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Overall, despite the rising incidence of COVID-19—and considering that the onset of the rainy season typically triggers a surge in respiratory infections—"current numbers remain lower compared to data from two or three years ago," said Jurai.

Read: BMKG Warns of Thunderstorms Across Western Indonesia on Friday

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