PM puts the brakes on walk-in vaccinations

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19, 2021
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Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday that he did not want to focus on providing Covid-19 jabs to walk-in public at the moment as the present stock of vaccines is not yet adequate to cover all citizens.

“By allowing walk-in vaccinations, large crowds might flock to certain units and could cause a commotion, especially in Bangkok, where the population is much denser than in the provinces,” he said.

“I want the primary registration channel to still be the Mor Phrom application or Line account, and have urged related agencies to fix problems as soon as possible after people could not register online.”

Besides the Mor Phrom platform, Thai citizens who are not in the priority groups can also register to get vaccinated at public hospitals or public health offices in their hometowns starting May 31. Registration for foreigners living in Thailand will commence in August.

“I want everyone to stop talking about walk-in vaccinations until we have clear measures to implement this. We can discuss the topic again when there are enough doses for everyone,” the premier said.

“The issue of walk-in vaccinations is a delicate one and requires careful planning and management,” he pointed out.

“The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration should be the only agency to provide updates on walk-in vaccinations should there be any, to prevent causing public confusion,” Prayut added.