PRIME Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha reassured the public that the vaccines available here are effective against both the Indian and South African variants of coronavirus that have now spread to Thailand but this also depends on individual behaviour after getting his second shot of AstraZeneca vaccine this morning (May 24), Amarin TV said.
Meanwhile the Public Health Ministry earlier revealed that there were 2,713 new cases over the past 24 hours and 30 fatalities.
The new batch of cases, 2,507 among the general public and 206 in prisons and detention centres, raised the cumulative confirmed total to 132,213, with 103,350 having emerged in the ongoing wave of infection that started on April 1.
The 30 more fatalities raised the death toll to 806.
Another 1,565 patients were cured, taking total recoveries to 86,100 with 58,674 having done so in the ongoing Covid wave.
Gen Prayut mentioned after getting the second jab that he is confident of safety because even though there are side effects, they are not life-threatening.
The key issue right now is ensuring adequate vaccination sites nationwide but all sides, public, private and business sectors, have prepared for this. However it is also necessary for there to be people coming in to get inoculated with fewer of them showing up in some areas, he said.
Gen Prayut also told the millions of people who have registered for vaccination via Mor Phrom application that the pattern of the current wave of infection has to be taken into account with this raging more strongly in some areas than others so changes have to be made. Nonetheless, he confirmed that everyone would get the jab.
He told people in some areas who have not yet been vaccinated or only a few of them have done so to strictly protect themselves by maintaining social distance and not going to risky areas.
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Prime Minister Prayut getting his second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine. Photos: Amarin TV
