No provinces have met criteria for the declaration of COVID-19 as an endemic disease, according to the Department of Disease Control.
Dr Chakkarat Pittayawong-anont, director of the department’s epidemiology division, said no provinces were likely to fulfill criteria for the redefinition of COVID-19 as an endemic disease in the near future.
According to primary criteria, new COVID-19 cases must not rise, more than 60% of local people have received their third COVID-19 vaccine shot, more than 80% of people aged 60 years and over must have receive their first jab and more than 60% of the senior citizens must have got their booster shot.
If provinces satisfy the criteria, they can start the endemic COVID-19 process that the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) already announced, Dr Chakkarat said.
Provincial authorities will then work out their relevant plan for implementation in a sandbox manner. The plans would be proposed to CCSA and might be implemented at the provincial level mid next month, he said. (TNA)