Tomorrow is D-Day for the much awaited state mass Covid vaccination programme. After receiving the first batch of vaccines from AstraZeneca, the government -- which had been attacked for its shambolic vaccine management during the past two months -- seems to be in the driving seat.
To ally fears of a vaccine shortage, the government is doubling down on vaccine imports. It is planning to secure 61 million AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses and about 10–15 million doses from Sinovac gradually in coming months with a plan to reopen tourist provinces by August and the whole country by the end of the year.
The government is said to be in talks with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson for 25 million doses. In addition, the Chula Vaccine Research Centre at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok is set to launch human trials of its mRNA vaccine called ChulaCov19 in the few months.
Most of these jabs will be provided to Thai citizens first, then foreign worker expats, diplomats, and migrant workers. Prominent foreign groups lobbied the government for a share of the vaccine supply, and their words did not fall on deaf ears. Foreigners are now set to be inoculated next week alongside Thais. The province of Chiang Mai has even launched a website for expats who wish to receive a jab in the North ahead of tomorrow's national rollout.
The government says it has laid out a scheme for everyone to get vaccinated, no matter what their nationality. But what about needy and marginalised groups like homeless people?
Last week, Anuk Pitukthanin, manager of the homeless people's well-being development programme under the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), called for the vaccine rollout to serve homeless people.
He pointed to recent evidence that about 20% elderly or suffering from chronic diseases, which is a priority group in the vaccine distribution plan.
These people should have been registered for the state Covid vaccination programme. Yet homeless people have always had a problem accessing the state's medical welfare system owing to their lack of records, national ID or even a birth certificate.
The pandemic has made life harder for everyone. Yet imagine roaming the streets of Bangkok amid a deadly pandemic with no place to call home, exposed to a possible coronavirus infection at any time. Imagine losing what little income you had before the pandemic due to Covid-19 restrictions, with mouths to feed and no roof over your head.
The treatment of homeless people has been less than ideal, and this has become more apparent amid the pandemic. Many still lack access to basic services such as social security and government housing. One homeless man was even arrested in Chiang Mai in April last year for violating a curfew imposed by the government as part of its Covid-19 containment measure.
The homeless are often shunned by society for lacking education or family resources. Many have disabilities that prevent them from working. Those who are lucky enough to secure some kind of work made tiny amounts, and that was before the pandemic.
The Issarachon Foundation estimated in 2019 that 4,392 people in Bangkok alone were living without a roof over their head. That number was projected to increase by 10% last year, due to restrictive government policies and Bangkok's decision to regulate public space. It is unclear what the figure is today -- it has been estimated to be higher due to the pandemic.
This is the reality for thousands of homeless people living in the streets of Bangkok. As the government begins to roll out its mass vaccination campaign tomorrow, it must not forget about inoculating people living in destitute conditions.
State agencies around the world say people who are homeless are at risk of contracting the coronavirus. The homeless should be considered a vulnerable group and be treated as such. However, a national identification card is needed for vaccination, with only about 30% of those living on the streets having one. The government must remove this red tape and set up a scheme to provide jabs to homeless people.
Other minority groups also need attention, including the disabled and ethnic minorities.
As of now, the situation remains unclear whether the homeless will be included in tomorrow's mass vaccine rollout. Nevertheless, the government must make sure that no one gets left behind.
It is in the best interest of the government to vaccinate the kingdom's most vulnerable citizens.
After all, isn't the goal of vaccination to eventually achieve herd immunity? If some people are neglected, the virus will always be a threat to the kingdom's economy.