Bangkok – The minister of public health said the southern border provinces have seen a stabilizing trend of COVID-19 infections, while the health ministry is maintaining its target to vaccinate 70% of the population. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said the nationwide vaccination coverage has now increased to 50% of the population, while the target is to achieve 70% coverage.
He said that in the southern border provinces, the number of new infections has started to stabilize while the number of deaths now has a tendency to drop. The minister attributed the improved outlook for the Deep South to vaccine doses that have been sent to the southern border provinces in recent weeks, saying this was proof that vaccines can quickly build immunity and prevent severe symptoms and deaths. He added that the same vaccines will be sent to other areas experiencing rising infection numbers, such as Nakhon Si Thammarat, this week.
Deputy Interior Minister Niphon Bunyamanee believes the vaccination rate in the southern border provinces can be raised to 70% before the election day for local administrative organizations on November 28th and this should keep the lid on Covid transmissions in those provinces. He added that disease control measures need to be stringently observed for the election, including during vote rallies, in order for infection numbers to drop before the election day. (NNT)
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