The Covid-19 outbreak in Songkhla's Chana district appears to have peaked and the infection rate should drop soon, according to Rural Doctor Society (RDS) president Supat Hasuwannakit.
Dr Supat, also director of Chana Hospital in Songkhla, wrote on his Facebook account that with the number of new daily cases edging down this month, Chana district seemed to have passed the worst.
The district saw its most serious Covid-19 outbreak last month when new daily cases peaked at 255.
The daily average was 100 in September and the same again so far this month.
The number of field hospital beds in the district grew from 400 to 1,240 while 25 community isolation centres of various sizes were opened last month to accommodate new cases.
With this month's drop, the field hospital is no longer operating at full capacity, he said. However, beds at Chana Hospital reserved for moderate and critical patients were mostly occupied.
While 76.2% of local people have received at least the first dose of a vaccine, Dr Supat said it would be a challenge to raise this percentage due to people's beliefs and other concerns.
However, he was optimistic about the coming months, saying the Covid situation should improve in December and January could see the reopening of schools and more businesses.
"The outbreak in Chana has reached its peak as we are seeing a gradual downtrend in new cases, and it is likely the same in the southern border provinces," he said.
Dr Songkran Maichum, chief of the Songkhla provincial public health office, said the outbreak should wind down as more people get vaccinated.
More than seven in 10 of a targeted 1.4 million people have received their jabs but others are refusing to be vaccinated, mostly due to their religious beliefs, he said. Health officials are working with local leaders to try to convince them to change their mind on the issue.
Songkhla logged 496 new cases yesterday -- the second highest after Bangkok's 752 -- and five deaths.
Meanwhile, Pattani has seen more jabs administered in several districts following a door-to-door campaign promoting the benefits of getting vaccinated to local residents.
Dr Manas Sriboon-iad, director of a community hospital in Mayo district, said the campaign was picking up steam as people gain a better understanding about the vaccines and are growing less worried.
He said some people were misinformed about the risks and were concerned that vaccination could prove fatal one or two years later.
