Thailand ‘must speed up testing, jabs’ to declare endemic by July 1
Daily Covid-19 testing and vaccination must be increased to declare Covid-19 an endemic disease by July, the Public Health Commission said on Sunday.
Under the Public Health Ministry’s roadmap for transition to an endemic, the death rate must drop below 0.1 per cent of cases, while over 60 per cent of the population – including the elderly – must have had three shots, and 80 per cent of the elderly must have received their first jab.
The death rate currently stands at 0.35 per cent of an average 36,512 cases per day, said commission vice-chairman Chalermchai Boonyaleephan.
However, that rate would be lower if testing was increased to get a more accurate picture of the true daily infection rate, he added.
Hence, he urged the government to increase testing by 3.5 times, especially via ATKs.
Accelerating Covid-19 screening was a crucial way to reduce the death rate, he emphasised.
Meanwhile, the booster campaign must be accelerated to 245,882 shots per day to reach the targeted 60 per cent coverage by July 1, Chalermchai said. The elderly population must receive 37,647 booster shots per day to reach the same target.
He said 84.1 per cent of the elderly have already received their first vaccine dose.
Chalermchai said it would be a challenge to meet the testing and vaccination targets for the transition to endemic Covid-19, adding success would depend on cooperation between all stakeholders in society.
