Phuket has begun rolling out a fourth Covid-19 vaccine shot for frontline workers from both government agencies and the private sector.
"From a target of 547,584 people, 481,762 of them have been administered a first dose of vaccine, while 467,676 have also received their second, 293,400 their third dose and 7,180 a fourth shot," Dr Withita Jangiam, deputy director of Vachira Phuket Hospital said yesterday.
Dr Withita was speaking to reporters, at the launch of the drive which runs until Thursday.
"We will also be administering a fourth dose to members of the public in high-risk groups, including people aged over 60, those with a chronic illness, pregnant women and children aged 5-11 by the end of the month."
Phuket logged 398 new domestic cases on Sunday, including 102 people involved in the Sandbox scheme and 22 Test & Go travellers.
Our data indicates that most cases involved international tourists, people in crowded communities and nightlife workers, she said.
Currently, about 40% of people are being treated at field hospitals, while "hospitels" and beds for moderate Covid-19 cases are becoming scarcer, according to Dr Withita.
More than 2,000 patients are being treated at home as nearly 50% of beds are currently occupied by people with severe symptoms.
"Due to comprehensive vaccine administration, patients who are admitted to ICU rooms can recover without relying on ventilators," she said.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged vaccinated members of vulnerable groups to receive a third dose to boost their immunity, in a bid to contain the spread of the virus, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.
Mr Thanakorn said Gen Prayut is aware vaccines have proven effective in reducing the severity of infections and number of deaths, but their effectiveness gradually wanes as time passes.
Gen Prayut also extended his condolences to the family of an 86-year-old woman in Songhkla who was the country's first casualty linked to the new Omicron strain.
Yesterday, Thailand recorded 6,929 new Covid-19 cases, with 13 deaths. Of the figure, 6,720 were domestic cases and 209 were imported.
Since Jan 1, 5,255 patients have recovered and 82,210 patients are being treated.
As of Sunday, 51.78 million first doses of vaccine had been administered, 47.57 million second doses, 10.17 million third shots and 622,167 fourth jabs.