The top priority for APEC in 2022 has been recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Hosting the cooperation this year, Thailand plotted a course forward for APEC economies in the post-COVID-19 era, acknowledging that the resumption of trade, commerce and investment was dependent on continued containment of the virus and proper protection of peoples.
Supporting recommendations to the region has been the Thai government’s successful campaign against COVID-19 in Thailand.
Through prompt and widespread action and adoption of innovations, technologies and supportive policies, Thailand was able to swiftly combat COVID-19 and enable economic progress to continue.
After ensuring care for the infected throughout the start of the pandemic, including setting up field hospitals across the nation, the Thai government’s leading objective was to provide free, safe and widely available vaccines to all.
Roll out of the vaccine was notably effective, with research performed by Mahidol University and Naresuan University using a model from the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Illness Analysis at Imperial College London finding that, between the time the first vaccine was administered in 2021 and July 3, 2022, an estimated 490,000 lives were saved.
The historic inoculation effort was facilitated by innovative mobile application ‘Moh Prompt’. Developed by the Ministry of Public Health to dispense information on vaccines, schedule shots and allow for tracking of the vaccinated. The app became essential to life in and even beyond Thailand.
Once significant vaccination led to travel being commenced in many economies, the ‘Thailand Digital Health Pass’ was added to Moh Prompt to accommodate entry requirements in places such as the European Union.
At home, the effort allowed for UCEP, or Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients, to become the focus. The policy ensured that anyone severely impacted by contracting COVID-19 could access medical care wherever convenient and at no cost.
Thailand’s ability to address the health crisis brought on by COVID-19 is within expectations as Thailand is working toward becoming the ‘Medical Hub of Asia’. Years of Thai government support for the expansion of medical device, pharmaceutical products, and medical food and supplements manufacturing stimulated by investment promotion incentives provided a strong basis for combatting COVID-19 and foreshadows an avenue of economic growth for Thailand and APEC going forward.