Thailand: Cab driver installs signboard reassuring passengers that he is fully vaccinated

After losing countless customers during the coronavirus pandemic, a taxi driver in Thailand has now discovered a method to calm nervous patients. Sombat Subin, who has been ferrying passengers in the country’s Nonthaburi province, has stuck a sign which notifies his potential customers that the taxi driver has fully been vaccinated against COVID. The taxi driver, whose income plummeted from about 60,000 baht ($1,920) a month to 10,000 baht, said that the idea has helped him increase his income.

Thailand, which has reported 179,886 cases and 1,269 deaths, has been reeling with new outbreaks. And with fear of the disease growing, people are often sceptical to commute via cabs and other public transport. However, with his innovating “lit up” signs, Subin has been, in three discreet languages, notifying people that he has been immunized against the infection.

The signboard consists of two words –Vaccine and COVID along with a tick mark next to it. The three languages used in the notification are- Thai, Mandarin and English. According to the 43-year-old, it has not only helped bolster confidence in his customers but also increase his income.

COVID-19 in Thailand 

Meanwhile, Thailand kickstarted its much-anticipated mass rollout of locally produced AstraZeneca vaccine on June 7, but it appeared that supplies were falling short of demand from those with scheduled appointments. Hospitals in various parts of the country have been posting notices for several days that some scheduled appointments would be delayed, adding to existing public scepticism about how many doses the new factory of Siam Bioscience,  AstraZeneca's local partner, would be able to produce each month.

While the infection in the Southeast Asian nation is still on the rise, residents in Bangkok breathed a sigh of relief as restrictions lowered. In addition to reopening parks and botanical gardens, the city will allow limited numbers of visitors to museums, science parks, historical monuments, ancient places and art centres. Bangkok, which has been a hot spot in the outbreak, reported 1,356 of the cases on Monday. CCSA deputy spokeswoman Apisamai Srirangsan said the capital currently has 45 clusters to deal with.

All Images: ThaiPBS