Pfizer vaccine to be rolled out to 4 million students from next month
Over 4 million Thai students, between the ages of 12 and 18, will be inoculated with the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from September. Kanokwan Vilawan from the Education Ministry says officials will roll out 3 million doses of the vaccine, which arrives next month, and is seeking more doses to cover 4 million young people.
According to a Bangkok Post report, Kanokwan expects the rollout to be completed in a month, just in time for schools re-opening. She says 600,000 out of 900,000 teachers around the country have now been vaccinated.
Currently, over 1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by the US government are being administered to certain priority groups. The doses are being distributed by the Department of Disease Control, with fully vaccinated frontline healthcare workers prioritised for booster shots. The Bangkok Post reports that in the capital, Ramathibodi Hospital, Siriraj Hospital, and Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital are handling the rollout of the vaccines, which will be done by local hospitals in the surrounding provinces of Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, and Pathum Thani.
In addition to healthcare workers, 645,000 elderly people and those with underlying health conditions are also receiving a dose of Pfizer, as are women who are over 12 weeks pregnant. 150,000 doses have been set aside for elderly expats or those with underlying health conditions. Students who need to travel abroad to attend university are also entitled to a dose of Pfizer. Meanwhile, 5,000 doses are being used in research and 40,000 doses are being kept back in the event of future outbreaks.
In related news, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is visiting vulnerable groups at home, in order to vaccinate them. The BMA recently launched an online booking system for people whose condition means they are unable to leave home.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
