Bangkok Diary: Vaccine A Ray Of Hope For Thailand's Beleaguered Tourism Sector

By Linda Khoo Hui Li BANGKOK, March 11 (Bernama) -- Thailand’s village health volunteer Namonpak Satranong was among the first in the kingdom to receive COVID-19 vaccine, developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech Ltd, on Feb 28. The volunteer from Samut Sakhon province, the epicentre of the latest outbreak in Thailand since mid-December, was among the unsung heroes in the fight against COVID-19. At the height of COVID-19 outbreak, she measured the blood pressure and the temperature of those feeling sick, delivered medication to the homes of patients with chronic diseases, and helped create awareness on COVID-19 prevention to villagers. She also helped the Public Health Ministry with contact tracing. “We are directly exposed to the risk of COVID-19. Therefore, we need to protect ourselves and help guard the communities. “I am proud being among the first to be vaccinated. Then, I can explain to villagers on the safety and effectiveness of vaccine as well as boost public confidence,” she told Bernama when met recently. Thailand received its first batch of 200,000 doses of China’s Sinovac Biotech vaccine and another 117,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine that arrived on February 24, and began its COVID-19 vaccination drive on Feb 28. Another 800,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine is scheduled to arrive on March 25. To date, about 30,000 people including medical personnel, health volunteers, and at-risk groups have been vaccinated. Thailand aims to vaccinate 50 per cent of its population by year-end. In the bigger picture, the Thais view the vaccination drive as a ray of economic hope in the bid to revive the country's struggling pandemic-hit tourism industry that accounted for almost 20 per cent of the country's GDP in 2019. On Monday, tourism-reliant Thailand announced its plan to reduce its mandatory quarantine from 14 days to seven days for vaccinated travellers entering the kingdom, starting next month. Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirankul said non-Thai travellers who received a full course of vaccine at least two weeks and within three months of the travel period will undergo seven days of quarantine. They also must show negative COVID-19 test results within three days of departure. Travellers who have not been vaccinated but with a COVID-19-free certificate will need to undergo quarantine for 10 days, while travellers from Africa will still need to undergo 14 days of quarantine due to the highly transmissible South African variant of the virus. Besides that, vaccinated Thais who wish to make a trip out of the country will receive vaccine certificates or COVID-19 passport. However, the ‘vaccine passport’ plan is pending approval from the Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) meeting to be chaired by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha this Monday. The plan, according to Tourism Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakar, could welcome at least 5 million tourists in the kingdom this year. Thailand received only 6.7 million foreign tourists last year, mostly in the first quarter before travel ban was imposed in April, compared to nearly 40 million arrivals in 2019. The vaccine roll-out is hoped by many to help unlock travel and shape the tourism industry going forward. "Holders of the ‘vaccine passport’ to Thailand may skip compulsory quarantine requirements in October once herd immunity is achieved," said Anutin. -- BERNAMA