No lockdown necessary for Bangkok: Public Health Minister
There is no need to impose a lockdown in Bangkok as most of the Covid-19 cases discovered in the city have mild symptoms, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.
He was speaking after attending a meeting on the Covid-19 situation and allocation of vaccines with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday.
Anutin said the spread of the virus in prisons and worker camps can be contained by closing the areas and setting up field hospitals inside to treat patients based on their symptoms.
He said 70 per cent of Covid-19 patients in the country had mild symptoms, 20 per cent were at risk due to chronic conditions, while 10 per cent had developed severe symptoms.
“The government will also allocate vaccines for patients inside prisons,” he said.
He added that 1.7 million doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca will be delivered to Thailand towards the end of May, which should help kick off the mass rollout.
“Initial allocation will be based on the situation in each area. For instance, people in areas at risk of infection will receive AstraZeneca vaccines to contain the spread as soon as possible, while those in other areas will receive Sinovac,” he said.
