Thailand to hit 100 million Covid-19 vaccine doses, but hesitancy lingers in restive southern provinces

Medical staff administer Covid-19 vaccine jabs to people in Saba Yoi district of Thailand's Songkhla province, on Nov 18, 2021. - AFP

BANGKOK, Dec 4 (The Straits Times/ANN): Thailand is poised to hit a milestone this weekend in its national vaccination drive, with the 100 millionth jab administered, bringing the number of those fully vaccinated in the country to 60 per cent of the population.

But with about 10 million people yet to get their first doses and the emergence of the new, possibly more transmissable Omicron variant, the authorities are stepping up efforts to dispel vaccine hesitancy and fake news in regions of concern, such as the Muslim-majority deep south which has been racked by a long-running separatist insurgency for years.