Imams, monks roll up sleeves to beat vaccination hesitancy in deep South
Buddhist monks and Islamic leaders in Narathiwat province got their Covid jabs at Waeng Hospital in Waeng district on Tuesday, in a move to encourage mass vaccination in the border province.
“Waeng district shares a border with Malaysia and is at risk of imported cases of Covid-19,” said district chief Russadee Pureeya. “The province has been urging local people to get vaccinated against the virus. Today, Buddhist monks and imams are getting jabs at local hospitals to reassure the public that vaccination is not against religious principles.”
Recipients were being interviewed and examined to ensure it was safe for them to get the jab, he added.
“No recipients on Tuesday displayed severe allergic reactions after the jab. Only minor muscle aches have been reported.”
Three districts in Narathiwat are under lockdown after an outbreak of the South African variant of coronavirus (B1.351) in the southern border province. Three variant cases discovered in Tak Bai earlier this month have spawned eight more infections, prompting the closure of Tak Bai, Su-ngai Padi and Bacho.
