PHUKET: Budget has been approved to purchase 60,000 doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine which will be used to provide a fourth booster shot for Phuket residents this later this month.
PPAO President Rewat Areerob at yesterday’s announcement. Photo: PR Phuket
Rewat Areerob, the President of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO or OrBorJor), explained yesterday (Jan 5) that efforts for the local economy to improve are ongoing but that meant increasing numbers of infection would arrive with incoming tourists to the island.
As such, he stated that the booster vaccination was essential for Phuket residents to allow this process of economic recovery to continue.
“Now, PPAO has approved the budget for the purchase of 60,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, which is expected to be available in Jan this year,” Mr Rewat said.
“The vaccine will be utilised as a fourth booster jab to Phuket people which will be administered via hospitals across the island.
“The fourth vaccine injection this time will increase immunity for Phuket people to be able to revitalise the economy and enable tourism which can generate income for the country,” he added.
At time of press no details were disclosed on exact dates of when the Moderna vaccine will be available, who would be prioritised to receive the jabs or how they would be made accessible to the public.
The announcement came on the same day that Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew confirmed there are no plans to close Phuket as authorities strive to fine tune their plans for a ‘Sandbox v2’ launch.
“The situation with COVID-19 cases increasing after the New Year’s festival may be a public concern, but I confirm there is no idea to close the island in any way,” Governor Narong said yesterday.
“The economic recovery is going well, but in the field of disease control, we have to think about how to live with COVID-19,” he added.
Source: The Phuket News