Thailand's king, queen test positive for COVID-19

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails

Please enter a valid email address

Please enter a valid email address

SIGN UP

I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy

Thailand's king and queen have tested positive for COVID-19, and so far have only mild symptoms, the royal palace said Saturday.

Doctors prescribed treatment for King Maha Vajiralongkorn, 70, and Queen Suthida, 44, and requested them to refrain from duties for a while, the Royal Household Bureau said in a statement.

Their symptoms are “very mild,” the statement said.

Earlier Friday and Thursday, the couple visited Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, where she was admitted after she fell unconscious due to a heart problem on Wednesday.

The number of infections spread by the dominant omicron subvariants has increased in Bangkok and Thailand's tourist destinations after the country relaxed restrictions that were in place since 2020, according to the Department of Disease Control.

Its records show that 82% of the population, or at least 57 million, have been vaccinated with at least one jab. Of those, 53.5 million people have received a second dose and 32.5 million have received a third jab.