Volunteers demand shots
KHON KAEN: Fifty-six village health volunteers (VHVs) in Nam Phong district yesterday called on officials to provide them with Covid-19 vaccines, claiming they have yet to be vaccinated since the onset of Covid-19 pandemic last year.
The volunteers gathered in front of a vaccination centre at the district office’s meeting hall at 9.30am yesterday to reiterate their call.
VHVs often come into close contact with Covid-19 patients, which means they should be considered frontline workers that need to be given priority for the vaccines. However, the current jab distribution programme does not cover VHVs, the volunteers said.
Chomyong Khamboh, 59, the leader of yesterday’s protest, told the media that VHVs were supposed to receive their jabs along with other frontline workers, but no volunteer in the district has received a dose since the national inoculation campaign began.
She said volunteers have repeatedly pressed their supervisors for the vaccine, but they have yet to receive a response.
“We’ve had to lie to villagers and tell them that we are all vaccinated, in order to convince them to sign up for the national jab rollout,” she said.
“We’re all afraid. As the pandemic enters its third wave in the country, I want the governor, public health office and vaccine-related officials to provide us with sufficient protection against Covid-19,” said Ms Chomyong.
Meanwhile, district chief Prachuap Rakphat said more than 1,000 doses have been allocated for frontline workers, including doctors and VHVs, but the jabs have not been distributed in a way that covers all frontliners.
“Further scrutiny will be conducted to assure enough vaccines will be administered to all VHVs,” he said.