Health officials wonder why so many Thais refuse to get jabbed
Despite the fact that Thailand has suffered tremendously during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are still millions of Thais who refuse to get vaccinated against the virus. The secretary of the Ministry of Public Health has asked public health workers across the country to try and figure out why so many people don’t want the vaccine. The ministry thinks that if it has this information, they can create strategic campaigns to educate the public and encourage them to get vaccinated.
Vaccines are free to the public from November 27- December 5, according to Thai PBS. At-risk groups like the old and the sick will have priority. The ministry has announced that its goal is to have given 100 million vaccines by the end of November. But there are around 10 million Thais who are still unvaccinated. Regardless, the minister explained that the number of new infections has slowed down, and there is a noticeable decline in serious cases.
The ministry has also announced its new Covid plan, which they are calling the VUCA strategy. VUCA stands for Vaccinations, Universal prevention, Covid-free settings and Antigen rapid test kits. This new strategy is being implemented as Thailand prepares to open more and more to international tourism. The minister added that health officials are waiting to see whether the Loy Krathong festivities last Friday will lead to a spike in infections.
PBS reported that the infection rates in 13 provinces are under watch because of a troubling number of infections. They are put into 3 groups as follows:
- Five provinces record over 100 new infections per day and over 5% positive results from antigen tests. These include Songkhla, Surat Thani, Trang, Krabi and Nakhon Si Thammarat.
- Three provinces record over 100 new infections per day and less than 5% positive results from antigen tests. They are Khon Kaen, Sa Kaeo and Nakhon Ratchasima
- Five provinces record 50-100 daily new infections. They are Saraburi, Ubon Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Kanchanaburi and Prachuap Khiri Khan.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
