Did you know Thailand is going through another wave of COVID-19 right now? As of May 29, 2025, the total number of cases since the start of the year has already passed 200,000, with over 10,000 new cases reported each day. It’s spreading fast again.
I actually caught COVID-19 myself recently. It started with a fever that I thought was just from the weather change. But after a couple of days, it didn’t go away. So I went to the hospital late at night. The nurse asked about my symptoms and had me take a COVID test. I wasn’t expecting it, but the result came back positive.
In this article, I’ll share what symptoms I had, how the hospital handled it, and how my insurance helped me through the process.
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Is COVID-19 Still a Thing?
Some people now treat COVID-19 like seasonal flu. And while I agree that it’s not as serious as it used to be, it’s still something you should watch out for.
According to Thailand’s official COVID-19 page, there are now over 14,000 cases reported daily, with around 4 deaths each day. Honestly, I think the real number is probably higher. That’s because many people, including myself, don’t pay much attention to COVID anymore.
That also means a lot of people likely have COVID without even knowing it.
I spoke to a nurse yesterday. She said cases started going up again after Songkran, when people traveled home to see their families. Now that schools have reopened, she expects the numbers to keep rising over the next few months.
So yes, COVID-19 is still around. And while this strain doesn’t seem to be dangerous, it spreads really easily.
How I Got COVID
Looking back, it probably started three weeks ago when I went on a trip with some friends. One of them had a sore throat. About a week later, another friend in the group got sick. She thought it was just a cold. Then her husband got sick too. He took a COVID test, and it came back positive.
I happened to visit them last week. Everyone seemed fine at the time, except my friend who had a slightly raspy voice. We all thought it was just allergies. But turns out, it was COVID.
My Symptoms
About a week after visiting that family, I started to feel something was off. On Monday, I was unusually thirsty and sleepy the whole day. I assumed it was just from not sleeping well, especially since I felt normal again by evening. So I didn’t think much of it.
But on Tuesday afternoon, I started to feel like there was mucus stuck in my nose, just like how I usually feel before getting sick due to allergies. And I was right. That night, I had a mild fever. It wasn’t terrible, but it made me feel drained and I couldn’t sleep well.
By Wednesday, it got worse. The fever stayed all day. I was exhausted, my tongue felt extremely dry, and my sense of taste changed. I ended up sleeping almost the entire day. By evening, the fever still hadn’t gone down. That’s when I decided to head to the hospital.
Visiting the Hospital
I went to my social security hospital. The nurse asked about my symptoms, and after I explained everything, she told me I needed to take a COVID test. I had to buy a test kit from the counter for THB 110 since it isn’t covered by Social Security.
She also asked if I had done the test myself before. I said yes, so she asked me to do it myself since there were a lot of patients at that time.
So, I followed her instructions, went to the counter, bought the test, and did it.
The result: COVID-19 positive. I took a photo of it and waited for the nurse to finish with other patients before I could show her. She confirmed it and told me to wait outside for the doctor.
Waiting for the Doctor
The waiting area was just a makeshift setup in the hospital’s open-air parking lot, with around 10 COVID patients waiting there. This was around 10 PM. Everyone sitting there had COVID. Some were chatting about how they’d lost their sense of taste for days.
The worst part? Mosquitoes. There were swarms of them. One patient had mosquito repellent and ended up passing it around for everyone to use.
About 15 minutes later, the doctor came out and did a quick group consultation. She asked a few questions, listened to our breathing with a stethoscope, and said if I started having trouble breathing, I could come back for an X-ray.
Another 15 minutes passed, and the pharmacist showed up with our medications. But she didn’t explain much about how to take them. In the end, I had to rely on ChatGPT to figure out how to take the meds properly.
Was It a Good Experience?
Honestly, no. The worst part was waiting in a hospital parking lot, surrounded by mosquitoes. The instructions weren’t clear either. I had to ask several times just to figure out what to do next.
That said, it’s Social Security. I didn’t expect much. The treatment was free, except for the THB110 I paid for the COVID test. And to be fair, the doctors and nurses were kind.
Also, keep in mind, I’m Thai. If I were a foreigner, this whole experience would’ve been a lot harder, especially with the language barrier.
Why Do I Still Use Social Security?
Right now, I’m on voluntary Social Security under Section 39. Even though the system isn’t perfect, I keep paying for two main reasons:
- First, when I’m older, I know I’ll still have some kind of coverage. At that age, getting private health insurance is either difficult or very expensive.
- Second, I haven’t found a local health insurance plan that really works for me. This is something I’m honestly a bit jealous about when it comes to expats in Thailand. Most international health insurance plans offer better value than local ones.
For example, last year, I asked a Thai insurance broker friend to help me find a plan. It cost around THB 40,000 per year but only covered up to THB 5,000,000, and capped hospital room costs at just THB 3,000 per night.
Compare that to international plans. Many start with THB 35,000,000 annual limits and no room-and-board cap.
I recently reviewed the new ACS Expat Health plan. The Gold tier gives you US$2,000,000 (~THB 70,000,000) annual coverage, with a US$250 (~THB 8,750) room cap. It also has better benefits overall. And it’s actually cheaper than the Thai plan my friend found for me.
But I’m not an expat. So I can’t buy it.
What If I Had Private Insurance?
If I had private insurance, the whole experience would’ve been a lot easier. I wouldn’t need to go to the hospital at night just to avoid long queues. I could have gone to a better private hospital, had a smoother experience, got better medications, and avoided sitting in a parking lot full of mosquitoes or relying on AI to figure out how to take my meds.
Also, most private insurance plans now cover COVID-19 in full. I’m not an expert, though. If you want to find out more, it’s better to talk to an insurance broker. You can reach out to Carsten Creutzburg. He’s the person I always talk to when it comes to anything health insurance related.
Find out more: Thailand SSO vs. Private Health Insurance: Which One Is Better?
Should You Still Worry About COVID-19?
In my opinion, not really. You don’t need to be overly worried. My symptoms went away pretty quickly. While writing this, it’s been three days since I had a fever, and the fever is already almost gone.
Still, if you catch it, just quarantine yourself and avoid going out. It helps stop the spread, especially to people you care about.
Also, even if you don’t like it (I don’t either), it’s a good idea to wear a mask when you’re in crowded places. It protects you not just from COVID, but from other stuff like the influenza too. Stay safe.
Oh, and in case you are planning to travel to Thailand soon, you might want to get travel insurance. It can be an affordable travel insurance plan from Luma. The plan starts at less than US$2/day but comes with US$200,000 medical coverage.
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