Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has admitted that the end of the Covid-19 outbreak in Thailand is nowhere in sight and stressed the need for at-risk groups, now including unvaccinated young children, to get their Covid-19 shots as soon as possible.
The premier wants to warn the public that the outbreak is unlikely to end in the near future and has expressed concern about the rising number of infections and deaths among young children, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said yesterday.
Families with children aged five years and over should get them vaccinated to lower the chance of them developing more severe symptoms if infected with the coronavirus, said Gen Prayut in a statement relayed by the spokesman.
A number of young children who died after contracting Covid-19 were found by health authorities to not have received any vaccination against the virus, said the spokesman.
Gen Prayut also urged those who have already recovered to continue observing their health carefully and watch for any sign of Long Covid, which may include muscle pains, a persistent cough, anxiety and depression.
In another development, five medical organisations issued a joint statement emphasising the need for people to get a booster shot and even a second booster while the country is still battling the health threat associated with the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
A booster in addition to two regular jabs has been proven to further reduce the risk of hospitalisation and infection of the lungs, which may require treatment in an intensive care unit and the use of a ventilator, the organisations said.
They are the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand, the Infectious Disease Association of Thailand, the Preventive Medicine Association of Thailand, the Thai Society of Critical Care Medicine, and the Thoracic Society of Thailand.