PHUKET: A campaign to provide a third shot of vaccine against Covid-19 to elderly people and others in the "608 group" in this southern island ahead of the Songkran Festival will start on March 21, provincial health office chief Kusak Kukiattikoon said.
This group comprises people aged 60 years and over, people with chronic diseases and pregnant women.
Dr Kusak said that 92.88% of Phukt's population had now received the first shot of Covid vaccine, 87.48% the second shot, and 67.92% the booster or third shot.
The province planned to increase the third shot to at least 70%.
He said the provincial health office had selected about 20,000 names in the 608 group to get the booster shots. Their names would be distributed to all tambon hospitals and health officials would go to their houses to vaccinate them, particularly the bed-ridden elderly.
The campaign would begin on March 21, he said.
Dr Kusak said people should be certain they are free of Covid-19 before making home visits to elderly people during Songkran.
They should always wear a face mask while in their presence, especially for the traditional rod nam dam hua ceremony, and strictly observe social distancing.
Dr Kusak said that on March 15 the province recorded 384 new cases - three were tourists in the Phuket Sandbox and 21 entered under Test & Go.
He said the number of daily infections was declining, from an average of 500 to 384 on March 15. The number of tourists infected with the virus had dropped from 100-200 per day to about 30.
