The Public Health Ministry launched a pilot project for mobile Covid-19 vaccinations on Tuesday, with an initial target of inoculating 1,200 seniors currently staying at elderly care facilities in the capital.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said the mass Covid-19 vaccination drive is top of the government's agenda as inoculations will help prevent the deadly virus from surging again in the future.
He affirmed the government's commitment to vaccinate at least 70% of the nation's population by September, in order to achieve herd immunity.
Mr Anutin said senior citizens were high on the vaccination priority list because their age made them vulnerable to infections.
However, he admitted that many seniors were still unable to register for a vaccine, as jab registrations must be done online and/or through a mobile phone application.
"We have both healthy senior citizens and those who need care. To enable them to access the vaccines equitably, we have launched the mobile vaccination campaign to help those in need, so that they can access our services," he said.
He said the ministry and its partners, including the Health and Elderly Establishment Confederation (HEC) and Banphaeo General Hospital, have prepared several mobile Covid-19 vaccination units to serve elderly citizens staying in care facilities or high-risk communities.
In the first phase, which runs until Thursday, 32 units would serve around 1,200 people. The number of units was expected to reach 3,000 countrywide in the later stages of the campaign.
Tares Krassanairawiwong, chief of the Department of Health Service Support, said vaccines were very important for the elderly because they could prevent death and reduce the disease's severity.
The department had issued regulations to ensure hygiene and prevent infections in elderly care centres.
Pornthep Pongtawigorn, chief of Banphaeo General Hospital, said the hospital's medical staff would help administer the vaccines on-site.
Since February, 4,634,941 doses have been administered.