BANGKOK (THE NATION THAILAND/ANN) – Thailand is aiming to administer COVID-19 booster shots to more than 70 per cent of the population before the virus can be declared endemic, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana has announced.
Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry is accelerating its vaccine rollout for the elderly across the country to protect them from the virus ahead of the Songkran festival in mid-April.
Thanakorn said booster shots are necessary if people want to coexist safely with COVID-19.
Not many people in Thailand have taken booster shots.
He said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has expressed concern for the elderly, children and those with chronic conditions who can develop severe symptoms if infected.
Prayut has suggested that village health volunteers across the country find a way of actively encouraging local residents, particularly those at high risk, to get booster shots so the 70-per-cent target can be met, Thanakorn said.
More than 126.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered from February 2021 to March 17, and of those, 20.2 million were booster shots.
