Surin gets ready for 'endemic status'

Surin is poised to be the first province to classify the spread of Covid-19 as an endemic. It wants to do so by Friday, three months ahead of the national target, according to local authorities.

Provincial governor Suwongpong Kitipattharapiboon said Surin is ready to be the first to do so as residents have cooperated well in maintaining public health safety under the Public Health Ministry's Covid-free setting guidelines.

The provincial PR office on Sunday announced on Facebook that Surin is ready to shift the status of Covid-19 to an endemic starting on April 1.

The office also urged people to get booster shots to build their immunity.

Locals are reminded they must maintain public health safety practices so deaths do not increase beyond the 0.5% rate among caseloads.

Meanwhile, the rate of hospitalisation must also not exceed 3% of infections and 70% of residents must have at least two vaccine doses.

At the same time, people must observe social distancing, wear masks, wash their hands, check their temperature in public places and use the Thai Chana app, the post said.

Surin reported 16,354 infections with 29 fatalities from Dec 24 to Saturday.

The province's move to designate the spread of the disease as an endemic came after the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) announced that 11 provinces had reported more than 600 daily infections on average, representing an increase in infections in those provinces.

On March 10, the Covid-19 Information Centre said the National Communicable Disease Committee decided to classify the spread of Covid-19 as an endemic nationwide starting on July 1, while the Department of Disease Control is expected to do so on the same day.

However, early steps will be taken ahead of the new classification.

From March 12 to early next month, officials say the severity of infections is likely to reduce under a goal they have set.

From April to May, officials must keep caseloads down, while from the end of May to the end of June, officials must push daily infection numbers down to between 1,000 and 2,000 in each province.