Kanchanaburi's Sangkhla Buri district is speeding up the process of vaccinating local residents.
Rangsiman Thongsawat, chief of the Sangkhla Buri public health office, said the office has rolled out 15,800 first doses of Sinovac vaccine, given by the Disease Control Department to vulnerable groups -- elderly people, pregnant women and patients with chronic diseases -- before the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine is allocated to boost their immunity.
He said the office has targeted 1,231 vaccinations across the district and allocated the vaccine to be given out at local clinics and a hall at Udomsit Suksa School to enhance convenience to locals.
Tomorrow it will vaccinate more people at Ban Kong Mong Ta local clinic and hopes to vaccinate all people in the district within two weeks.
The public health office and Sangkhla Buri Hospital have vaccinated a total of 2,231 people from a population of over 20,000. Their aim is reach 70% which is believed to secure herd immunity.
In tambon Nong Lu, connecting to the Thai-Myanmar border, Mr Rangsiman reported the vaccine has been rolled out to people with and without Thai nationality, as vaccine recipients only need to carry migrant permits.
"Those who do not have any documentation can also be vaccinated," he said. "They just need to register to get the vaccine, as the officers will record their names and submit them to the Public Health Ministry."
Pol Col Pongsakorn Uppapong, deputy commander of Kanchanaburi provincial police, said yesterday police had arrested 981 illegal migrants and 116 migrant traffickers since January.