Thailand pins hope on vaccine passports

Bangkok (VNA) – Immediately after Thailand’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign began at the end of last month, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered officials to look into the future use of vaccine passports, reported the Bangkok Post.

Last week, the national committee on communicable diseases gave the green light to a proposal for travel permits that show vaccination status. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said those who get two doses of Sinovac's jab will be the first to receive vaccine certificates. In case they want to go abroad, they can use them to apply for one-year vaccine passports or yellow cards in print or digital format at a cost of 50 THB.

The Thai government has sought at least 63 million doses of vaccine to cover half of Thailand's population by the end of this year. While Sinovac began shipping 2 million doses in February that will conclude in April, AstraZeneca will deliver 26 million doses from June to August and 35 million doses from September to December.

Somchai Jitsuchon, who serves on the board of directors at the National Vaccine Institute, was quoted as saying that vaccine passports will ease restrictions and help resume normal activities, especially international travel, because it will waive or shorten quarantine or remove some requirements for foreign visitors.

"Thailand will benefit tremendously because it is betting on tourism. For instance, Phuket insisted that quarantine should be scrapped, but the government may not agree to its demand for now. If there is no accident, vaccine passports will likely be in use," he said as quoted by the newspaper./.