Thailand News Today | Phuket wants to declare Covid endemic

Phuket officials want to declare Covid endemic, even as the infection rate is rising on the southern island. According to a report, deputy governor Pichet Panapong says achieving endemic status would allow officials to focus on economic recovery. Local officials would also like to get rid of the daily reporting of new infections, instead only reporting Covid cases involving moderate to severe illness.

He said, quote “Phuket would be delighted to be the first province for the declaration. I hope this will help alleviate concerns about the virus and shift focus to economic restoration instead.”

According to Thailand’s National Communicable Disease Committee, a province can declare Covid endemic if the infection rate does not surpass 10,000 new cases a day, the fatality rate does not surpass 0.1%, and over 80% of high-risk people have had at least 2 vaccine doses.

Pichet is…