Vaccination of foreigners kicks off next week

It’s the moment you’ve all – okay, many of you – have been waiting for. The Thai government says that from Monday, foreigners living in the Kingdom who have registered for Covid-19 inoculation, will start to receive the vaccine. It’s been a long road of anxiety, confusion, and chaos to get to this point and there are probably many who won’t believe it until the moment they’re told to roll up their sleeve.

Sophon Iamsirithaworn from the Disease Control Department says the vaccination of pre-registered foreign diplomats will begin on Monday, the same day the government’s much-anticipated national rollout begins.

“Currently, we have started vaccinating diplomats and their families, and international organisations, such as UN staff, in which they have registered in advance to get a vaccine from designated hospitals.”

The Bangkok Post reports that all diplomatic staff, consular representatives, and the employees of international organisations in Thailand must register on this website between June 1 and 6. Eligible foreigners must register 1 day before their vaccination date, with inoculation taking place at Bangkok’s MedPark and Vimut hospitals.

Sophon says that other foreigners can be vaccinated the same day as Thai citizens, with priority being given to the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. He says everyone must register at the website above, adding that people who booked appointments using the Mor Prom app will be vaccinated with AstraZeneca. Bangkok is expected to receive more vaccine doses than elsewhere in the country due to its population and the fact that it is dealing with ongoing clusters of infection.

“There will be almost 1 million doses of AstraZeneca and Sinovac altogether assigned to Bangkok. In the first 2 weeks, around 500,000 doses should be administered.”

Meanwhile, on the southern island of Phuket, currently gearing up for its much-hyped July 1 re-opening, foreigners with work permits are being vaccinated today and tomorrow. A surplus of Sinovac doses is being used to inoculate qualifying, pre-registered expats.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post