Thailand to roll out 4th anti-coronavirus shot in tourist hotspots

Bangkok, Jan 24 (EFE).- The Thai government has offered a fourth dose of anti-coronavirus vaccines in tourist regions as the country prepares to reopen its borders in February.

The vaccination center at Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok would begin giving the fourth dose of the vaccines from Feb.1, sources from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) told EFE on Monday.

The sources said there was still no date for the fourth dose for the general population in other provinces.

The official data shows that some 17 percent of the 70 million Thai population has received three vaccine doses. Sixty-nine percent has got at least two shots.

The authorities have already administered some 800,000 fourth doses nationwide, the majority of the recipients include medical and public health staff and people in vulnerable groups, official figures show.

The government now seeks to promote booster doses among people who have received the third dose more than three months ago in tourist hotspots like the capital and coastal provinces of Krabi, Surat Thani, and Phangnga.

Thailand is among a few countries alongside Chile and Israel to allow the fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccines.

It has announced to allow vaccinated travelers with single-night quarantine.

Thailand has accumulated 2.38 million Covid-19 infections since the pandemic began two years ago. These include 22,045 deaths.

In 2019, before the global health crisis, almost 40 million people visited the country, whose tourism sector is one of the main drivers of its economy. EFE

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