Thailand sets to start COVID-19 vaccinations on February 14
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on January 17 that Thailand is targeting the immunisation of 19 million people against the coronavirus in the first phase of inoculations starting on February 14.
A healthcare worker holds a vial of the AstraZeneca/Oxford Covid-19 vaccine (Photo: Reuters)Inoculations will begin with 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine, he said, giving no timeline for the first phase.
Of the 19 million to be vaccinated, 11 million will be people aged over 60, and 6.1 million are those with underlying diseases, he said.
Another 1.7 million doses will be for medical professionals, and 15,000 for government workers involved in managing the virus. Meanwhile, those under 18 and pregnant women will not be vaccinated this time.
The Thai Prime Minister apologised for not solving COVID-19 related problems as fast as the public had demanded.
The timeframe of vaccination will depend on the capacity of hospitals administering the vaccines and number of doses they receive, according to head of the government’s vaccine management committee Sophon Mekthon.
Thailand has altogether secured 26 million doses from AstraZeneca to be produced by local firm Siam Biosience and 2 million doses from China’s Sinovac. It has also reserved 35 million doses from AstraZeneca.
Thailand will initially import the vaccines but is expected by June to be producing it locally, Sophon added.
On January 27, Thailand documented 819 new COVID-19 infections. The country had reported 15,465 COVID-19 cases and 76 deaths.
Authorities say they will vaccinate 31.5 million people./.
You should also see
Millions of children in Vietnam protected by vaccination over 40 years: UN agencies
Millions of children in Vietnam have been protected by immunisation over the past 40 years, said the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF offices in Vietnam on April 25 when they mark the World Immunisation Week from April 24-30.
See more
World
Thailand expects wave of tourists during Golden Week
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) estimates that about 996,000 foreign tourists will visit the Southeast Asian country between April 26 and May 5, known as the Golden Week holidays in Japan, during which Chinese tourists also prefer to travel overseas.
World
Argentinian media praises Dien Bien Phu Victory
Argentinian newspapers have called Vietnam's Dien Bien Phu Victory (May 7, 1954) a symbol of the national liberation movement of oppressed and colonialised peoples worldwide.
World
Laos speeds up granting licences to foreign workers
Laos's Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare plans to issue visas to illegal foreign workers and extend permits to legal ones so that they can continue to work in the country.
World
Argentinian scholar praises Vietnam’s April 30, 1975 victory
The complete reunification of Vietnam on April 30, 1975 was an extremely significant event in the history of the country and the world, opined a scholar from the Institute for International Relations at the National University of La Plata, Argentina.
World
Malaysia tackles food security challenges
Empowering local communities in the agriculture sector to attract young people to this field is one of the measures taken by Malaysia to address labour shortage while also contributing to tackling challenges in food security.
