Bangkok sets goal to vaccinate 70% of population by the end of the year

With Bangkok as the epicentre of the recent Covid-19 outbreak, infecting over 10,000 people in the capital since April 1, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says they now aim to vaccinate 70% of Bangkok residents by the end of the year.

Since Thailand started its national Covid-19 vaccination plan in late-February, just 1.4 million doses have been inoculated. Priority was initially given to Phuket and Koh Samui, tourist destinations said to be of “economic significance” in an effort to reach herd immunity and reopen the islands to foreign tourists.

In Bangkok, health officials have focused on vaccinated frontline healthcare workers and other people at high risk rather than the general population like Phuket and Koh Samui.

Bangkok has a population of around 10 million people. The administration says those 18 and older will be included in the vaccination plan. Governor Aswin Kwanmuang says 10 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine will be delivered between June and December. People need be injected with 2 doses for the vaccine to be effective. Aswin says that starting in June, they plan to administer 40,000 to 50,000 doses a day.

The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced that foreigners will be included in the national vaccination plan, but details for expats have not been released yet.

Those in Bangkok seeking a Covid-19 vaccine can register by messaging the @MorPhrom Line account. The vaccines will be administered at public hospitals in Bangkok as well as some department stores, according to Nation Thailand.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand