Yala public health officers have been providing Covid-19 vaccine to local residents of Betong district and have now achieved 76 per cent vaccination rate, Worawit Akkarothai, chief of Betong Public Health Office, said on Friday.

 

“We invited local people to get a jab since earlier this week and have been giving away one set of mosquito net to every vaccine recipient,” he said.

“We aim to create herd immunity in Betong as soon as possible so that the district can be fully opened and resume economic activities, many of which have been suspended for almost two years.”

Among local people who got inoculated this week are those of Sakai ethnicity who reside in Aiyoeweng subdistrict.

“This week we have over 50 people from Orang Asli group, a Sakai indigenous population residing in Hala-Bala rain forest, who came in to get their jab at Aiyoeweng vaccination centre,” said Worawit.

“The Orang Asli people are afraid that visitors to the city would bring Covid-19 to their villages, as the Hala-Bala Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the famous attractions in Yala. They are mostly farmers and rubber harvesters. They primarily speak Melayu and communicable-level Thai.”

Apart from the Orang Asli people, the inoculation centre also gave jabs to 10 Maniq people, another Sakai indigenous group in Betong.

“Those who got the jabs said that the rest of the village will soon follow,” added Worawit.

On Friday, Yala reported 194 new Covid-19 infections, with cumulative cases in the province recorded at 11,112 patients. Of these, 9,028 people have been cured and discharged and 110 people have died.

 

The Nation