More than 70 per cent of Bangkok's adult population fully vaccinated

By Linda Khoo Hui Li

BANGKOK, Oct 19 -- More than 70 per cent of the almost 7.7 million adults living in Bangkok have been fully vaccinated.

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) announced today that a total of 14,101,289 doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been administered since the vaccination drive kicked off in February this year.

“A total of 8,132,826 are first jabs, 5,437,553 second jabs and 530,910 third jabs or booster shots,”  The Nation quoted BMA as saying.

Based on the civil registration record, there are 7,699,174 residents aged 18 and above in Bangkok.

Bangkok and 14 other provinces including Krabi, Chiang Mai and Chonburi are scheduled to welcome fully vaccinated international tourists from low-risk countries starting November 1.

On the same day, Thailand will end quarantine requirements for fully vaccinated visitors traveling by air from low-risk countries including the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, China and the United States to revive its tourism industry battered by COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, local authorities and provincial health authorities imposed more restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 in four southern provinces namely Pattani, Narathiwat, Yala and Songkhla following a rapid surge in the number of new cases.

In Pattani,  local authorities imposed lockdown in at least 22 villages in Sai Buri and health authorities have been setting up more field hospitals to accommodate the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.

Local media reported that authorities also set up barricades at the entry point of these villages to keep the people at home and reduce movement.

The COVID-19 situation in four provinces neighbouring Malaysia has been recording a rapid surge in COVID-19 cases lately.

Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 9,122 new COVID-19 cases and 71 deaths, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 1,802, 934 and 18, 407 fatalities to date.

Of the new cases reported, 621 new COVID-19 cases have been reported in Pattani, Songkhla (498), Yala (455) and Narathiwat (453).

-- BERNAMA