Thailand Ministry of Health reports 22,818 new COVID-19 cases and an additional 52 deaths since yesterday. The ministry also announced an additional 18,462 recovered patients.
As the cases are expected to soar during the Songkran celebrations, the government is urging the elderly to get vaccinated. There is about 2 million elderly population who haven’t got any vaccinations. During the festival, families are expected to reunite which could cause COVID-19 infections.
Not getting vaccinations can jeopardize the health of the elderly. 2.17 million senior citizens have not been vaccinated yet, the government is urging them to get it done. Department of Disease Control, Deputy Chief, Dr. Sophon Iamsirithavorn voiced these concerns.
“Getting vaccinated can save their lives and certainly minimize any severe symptoms if they catch Covid,” he said. “A large percentage of the elderly demographic in Thailand is now vaccinated with at least one shot, with coverage now extending to 83% of the elderly population or 10.54 million people.”
“But more than two million people in that age bracket still haven’t had any shots at all. They need to get vaccinated as quickly as possible,” Dr. Sophon added.
“We don’t want to see a tragic loss of life among older generations of families due to this disease during the Songkran festival.”
Previously, the department released possible scenarios should there be no preventive measures. In their worst-case scenario, they predicted that cases will reach 100,000 a day. If some measures will be in place, it could be at 50,000.
Meanwhile, hospitality businesses in Pattaya are urging the government to allow them to serve alcohol past midnight. They are also asking to extend dine-in services past 11:00 PM.
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