Thailand thought that by closing the border, they could save their country from the worst of the coronavirus public health crisis. But instead the attack has crippled their economy. The new outbreak, which began in early April, has so far killed 400 people, making it the deadliest yet. The immunization program is progressing very slowly, and Suvarnabhumi, the main airport in the Thai capital Bangkok, has become a potential place for immunization to speed up the process. In this regard, Jayati Dasgupta reports from Bangkok VOA correspondent Bijitra Duangdi that check-in is being done first for inoculation.

Thailand’s main airport is Suvarnabhumi, with a small number of passengers flocking here during the epidemic, and the cars used by passengers to carry luggage are left empty and abandoned. Preparations are being made to turn the airport into a mass immunization center to help the country cope with the Cavid 19 epidemic.

Airport check-in desks have been transformed into mini-clinics in China for the delivery of synovac vaccine, and the waiting areas where we sit and wait before a flight allow people who have just been vaccinated to rest and Being used to monitor physical condition. In this tourism-dependent country, the first vaccination is being given to 4,000 airport employees.

The airport is accustomed to dealing with large crowds, and the government is now preparing for a mass vaccination program to combat the third wave of the virus, which is thought to be the third deadliest outbreak to date. Kittipong Kitikacharn, deputy general manager of Suvarnabhumi Airport, said: The airport already has all the facilities needed to turn a check-in counter and other equipment into a vaccination clinic. ”

More than 400 people have died in Thailand since the virus resurfaced in April. The number of daily attacks in Thailand is about 2,000, although much lower than the number of countries most affected, which is a huge number for a country that, as of March of this year, thought they had carried out the virus through lockdowns and border restrictions. Have been able to protect themselves from.

Outbreaks appear to be exacerbated during this period, when the Prayuth Chan-Ocha government is under increasing pressure to speed up its immunization program. So far, only seven million Thais out of a population of about 70 million have received two doses of the vaccine. Sarayut Jampa, vice-president of the accounting department at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Thailand, said: The vaccine does not protect us 100 percent, but research has shown that if I became infected with the virus after receiving this vaccine, I would be much less likely to get sick. ”

The airport staff is at the forefront of a country whose economy is dependent on the tourism industry and which has seen a sharp decline in the number of tourists since last March. Although the country is still battling the epidemic, foreign tourists who have completed the ticker dose since early July are promising to re-launch Thai beaches to those foreign tourists. This means that the airport may soon be busy again. But the country’s public hospital beds are full, a small percentage of people are vaccinated, and as the economy collapses at a rapid pace, these are days of great concern for Thailand. ” Even if I was extra careful, I would still be infected. ”

The country seems to be holding its breath now, hoping for an end to the epidemic.