Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered hospitals to build up their COVID-19 vaccine doses for inoculation for elderly people and their younger relatives who will return home during the Songkran holiday and planned to propose an end to compulsory RT-PCR tests for COVID-19 after the festival.
Mr Anutin gave the order and revealed his plan when he presented honorary plaques to representatives of seven provinces where more than 70% of senior citizens have been vaccinated against COVID-19. The provinces are Nan, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Phuket, Maha Sarakham, Lamphun and Chai Nat.
He said that the people who returned to their native provinces during the Songkran festival and stayed there for 4-5 days could bring their elderly relatives to COVID-19 vaccination at all hospitals. He said that about 2.07 million elderly people had not been vaccinated against COVID-19 yet.
Mr Anutin emphasized that 90% of new COVID-19 fatalities were elderly people and 60% of them had not got a single shot of COVID-19 vaccination.
He also said that in the meeting of the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration he would propose to replace compulsory RT-PCR tests on visitors with antigen tests to pave the way for the redefinition of COVID-19 as an endemic disease and promote country reopening. (TNA)
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