No plans to force people to take Covid-19 jabs yet: Public Health Ministry
The Public Health Ministry said on Monday that it will not take legal steps to force people to get vaccinated because the situation is still under control. However, it will consider enforcing strict regulations if there is another outbreak.
Meanwhile, the ministry’s permanent secretary said he is confident Thailand will reach the 100-million-jabs goal by December 5.
Permanent secretary Dr Kiattibhoom Vongrachit said that though the authorities are speeding up the administration of jabs to reach the target by yearend, more than 2 million vaccination records have disappeared in the system due to incomplete data.
He added that according to data available, some 10 million people have not been vaccinated yet, though this information is being verified. He said the ministry is also looking for ways to administer jabs to the unvaccinated.
As for the 8,000 or so vaccine naysayers, the ministry found that more than 60 per cent changed their minds after being provided with information about the benefits of getting a jab, though over 30 per cent still refused.
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“The ministry is still not planning to impose the Communicable Diseases Act to force people to get vaccinated, as there should not be any problems once the country achieves herd immunity. If there is a new outbreak, the ministry may consider using stricter measures such as prohibiting unvaccinated people from participating in activities that may pose a risk of spreading the virus,” he said.
“Though the rate of vaccines administered may have slowed down, officials are doing their best to achieve the goal of administrating 100 million vaccine doses by December 5,” Dr Kiattibhoom concluded.