covid-19 vaccination
- Covid-19 News
Education ministry to accelerate vaccination of over 200,000 teachers
All vocational and secondary school students should be fully vaccinated by November 15 and the vaccination of 210,000 teachers is being accelerated ahead of schools re-opening. So says Suphat Champatong from the Education Ministry, adding that the government has taken delivery of 3 vaccine types – viral vector, live attenuated, and inactivated. In a Bangkok Post report, Suphat says the…
- Covid-19 News
Thai health minister says all target groups will be fully vaccinated by year end
Thailand’s Public Health Minister says all target groups will have received 2 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of this year. In addition, Anutin Charnvirakul says certain groups will receive a third, or booster, dose this year and boosters will be administered to all in the coming year. He adds that there are currently between 700,000 and 800,000…
- Bangkok News
Officials say Bangkok could re-open from November 1, if 70% are vaccinated
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has indicated that Bangkok could re-open to international tourism from November 1, provided 70% of the population are fully vaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that this is the first time the CCSA has used the November 1 date when discussing the re-opening of the capital. The original date given by the tourism ministry for…
- World News
Amnesty says vaccine makers putting profits before lives amid global inequity
Amnesty International has accused the manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines of putting profits before lives and called on wealthy governments to distribute 2 billion doses to poorer nations. According to an AFP report, Amnesty boss Agnes Callamard says that US President Joe Biden is expected to use the UN General Assembly to confirm a pledge to fully vaccinate 70% of the…
- Covid-19 News
Rollout of AstraZeneca boosters for people fully vaccinated with Sinovac begins September 24
Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the rollout of AstraZeneca booster shots for people fully vaccinated with Sinovac will begin next Friday. Those who received the Sinovac vaccine between March and May will be up first. Anutin says people who’ve been fully vaccinated with Sinorpharm will also receive AstraZeneca boosters at a later stage. Thai PBS World reports that the government…
- Covid-19 News
Education Ministry confirms timeline of vaccine rollout for school students
Thailand’s Education Ministry has confirmed the timeline for vaccinating school students ahead of a planned November re-opening of both state and private schools. Yesterday, Supat Jampathong from the ministry chaired a conference call between senior government officials, school district staff, schools, and educational facilities. According to a Bangkok Post report, those in attendance discussed the timeline of the vaccine rollout…
- Covid-19 News
Chulabhorn Royal Academy to buy 8 million Moderna doses to use as boosters
The Chulabhorn Royal Academy has announced that it will purchase 8 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, to be administered as boosters during 2022. The CRA is 1 of 5 agencies with the authority to procure alternative Covid-19 vaccines and has already purchased supplies of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. According to the CRA, the Moderna delivery will happen in…
- World News
Cathay Pacific crew fired after refusing to get vaccinated
In what could be a global first, Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific has fired an unspecified number of crew after they refused Covid-19 vaccines. The carrier has defended the sacking of air crew who it says refused available vaccines without providing any medical justification, adding that it can’t operate without its crew being vaccinated. “The pandemic has had a huge…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok health officials to roll out Sinovac/AstraZeneca vaccine cocktail
From next Tuesday, health officials in Bangkok will replace 2 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine with 1 dose of Sinovac, followed by a dose of AstraZeneca. According to a Nation Thailand report, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says the policy is in line with guidelines for the dark red provinces, issued by the Public Health Ministry. The reason for the policy…
- Covid-19 News
Foreign Ministry denies it wouldn’t work with other countries to get vaccines
A Foreign Ministry spokesperson has denied claims that officials wouldn’t cooperate with other countries in the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines. According to a Nation Thailand report, Tanee Sangrat insists Thailand has worked with a number of countries in accepting donations, swapping vaccines, and other areas of cooperation. “The ministry has used various channels, such as vaccine swaps, accepting donations, and…
- Covid-19 News
Covid patients must receive a vaccine dose within 3 months of infection
The Department of Disease Control says Covid-19 patients who’ve never been vaccinated must receive 1 dose within 3 months of contracting the virus. Nation Thailand reports government spokesperson Traisulee Traisoranakul as saying people who have recovered from Covid-19 remain at risk of contracting the highly-contagious Delta variant. Traisulee says the guidelines from health officials are that recovered patients who’ve never…
- Covid-19 News
Proof of vaccination to be required for dine-in service in “dark red” provinces
Proof of vaccination, or a negative antigen test result, will be required to eat in at restaurants in the “dark red” zones from October 1. The Bangkok Post reports that the negative test result must be no more than a week old, while people who’ve had Covid-19 must show health records that prove they’ve recovered from the virus. Suwannachai Wattanayingcharoenchai…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to prioritise vaccination of over 50s, who make up 80% of Covid deaths
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the vaccination of people over the age of 50 is being given urgent priority. Thai PBS World reports that the decision comes after it was revealed that 80% of Covid-related deaths or in the over 50s. According to Apisamai Srirangsan from the CCSA, the majority of those deaths are in the elderly and…
- Covid-19 News
Government considering Covid-19 cards for vaccinated people and recovered patients
The Thai government is considering issuing cards that show who’s been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or who has recovered from the virus. Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says the cards could be useful as various businesses prepare for re-opening in a Covid-19 world. The Bangkok Post reports Kiattiphum as saying fully vaccinated people could be issued with green-coloured…
- Covid-19 News
Government says rate of Covid-19 infections on the decline
A government spokesman says there are signs the daily rate of new infections is on the decline, with recovered patients outnumbering new cases for the last 10 days. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says that while the Delta variant is contributing to the high infection rate, he’s confident the number of daily new cases will continue to fall. Today, Thailand has reported 15,972…
- Covid-19 News
More Bangkok field hospital beds available as recovered patients outnumber new cases
The Public Health Ministry says the number of Covid-19 patients who’ve recovered has outnumbered new infections in Bangkok for the last 10 days. Dr Kiattibhoom Vongrachit says the reduction in new cases means more field hospital beds have become available in the capital and surrounding provinces. According to a Thai PBS World report, last week there were 3,526 patients undergoing…
- Covid-19 News
First vaccine dose administered to nearly 90% of Bangkok residents
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration says nearly 90% of the capital’s residents have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Pongsakorn Kwanmuang from the BMA says 6,717,824 people, or 87% of residents, have now been given the first dose. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says 27% of Bangkok residents are fully vaccinated. Pongsakorn says the BMA still plans…
- Covid-19 News
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,…
- Covid-19 News
Thai FDA hopes to grant full approval to Pfizer vaccine imminently
Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration is seeking more information from Pfizer about its Covid-19 vaccine, in the hope of granting it full approval shortly. The vaccine, along with the other Covid-19 vaccines in use in the Kingdom, currently only has emergency use authorisation. The US Food and Drug Administration recently granted the Pfizer vaccine fully approved status. The Bangkok Post…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to take delivery of 61 million AstraZeneca doses by end of the year
A government spokesman says Thailand will receive 61 million vaccine doses from AstraZeneca by the end of this year. According to a Nation Thailand report, Anucha Burapachaisri has also confirmed the company is working on second-generation vaccines to better handle future mutations of the virus. “Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had an online meeting with AstraZeneca’s chief executive officer Pascal…
- Phuket News
Phuket tourism operators more hopeful after Sputnik approval
Phuket’s tourism operators are feeling slightly more confident about the last quarter of the year, following the approval of the Sputnik V vaccine. The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has added the Russian vaccine to the list of vaccines that will be accepted when granting entry to foreign tourists arriving through the Phuket’s sandbox scheme. Thailand’s tourism sector has taken…
- Covid-19 News
WHO condemns countries administering Covid booster shots during global shortage
The World Health Organisation has slammed the concept of booster shots while millions are yet to receive a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. The WHO adds that there is as yet no scientific evidence that such boosters are necessary and administering them is immoral when so many countries are struggling with vaccine shortages. A number of countries, including the…
- Covid-19 News
Only 6.7% of Thai population fully vaccinated, over 23% have received 1 dose
Just 6.7% of Thai residents are fully vaccinated against Covid-19, while over 23% have received their first dose. The figures were released by the Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation Ministry, according to a Nation Thailand report. The southern island of Phuket is the only province where the majority of people have been fully vaccinated. The island launched its quarantine-free…
- Covid-19 News
Medical expert calls for export of AstraZeneca doses to be suspended
A prominent medical expert has urged the government to stop exporting locally-produced doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine until Thailand has enough for its own people. Dr Prasert Auewarakul from Siriraj Hospital’s Faculty of Medicine says Thailand needs at least 10 million doses a month over the next 3 months. According to a Bangkok Post report, he says this period is…
- Covid-19 News
Rollout of Pfizer doses gets underway
The first rollout of the eagerly awaited Pfizer vaccine has kicked off, with doses being distributed first to Bangkok and the surrounding provinces, followed by other high-risk provinces around the country. According to a Bangkok Post report, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control has confirmed the doses will be given as booster shots to frontline healthcare workers who…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry to distribute 10 million vaccine doses across Thailand this month
The Public Health Ministry has confirmed that 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines will be distributed across the country in August. Thai PBS World reports that the vaccine doses will primarily be AstraZeneca and Sinovac, but also include the 1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by the US. Bangkok will receive 1.23 million vaccine doses, with priority being given to elderly…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry calls for a halt to criticism of doctors not involved in vaccine decisions
Thailand’s Public Health Ministry has issued a statement in defence of 4 top doctors it says are being unfairly criticised for vaccine decisions they were not involved in. Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Health Ministry says the doctors are dedicated in their fight against Covid-19, but have never had any involvement in vaccine procurement. “These medical advisers only gave advice to…
- Covid-19 News
Nurse dies of Covid-19 a week after receiving first dose of Sinovac
A nurse has died of Covid-19 a week after getting her first dose of the Sinovac vaccine, with a doctor saying she wouldn’t have built up enough immunity in that time. 45 year old Uraiwan Chantharaplin died at Rajavithi Hospital in Bangkok, with the death confirmed by Samutsakhon Hospital where she worked. The Bangkok Post reports that on July 25,…
- Covid-19 News
11 charged for allegedly selling fake Bang Sue vaccination appointments
Police in Bangkok have charged 11 people with selling fake vaccination appointments through unauthorised use of the Bang Sue vaccination booking system. According to a Bangkok Post report, Dr Mingkwan Wichaidit, who runs the vaccination centre at Bang Sue Grand station, says the unexpectedly large number of appointments aroused suspicion. It’s understood up to 2,000 suspicious appointments appeared in the…
- Covid-19 News
Vaccine hesitancy testing the patience of fully inoculated Americans
As the Delta variant prompts a new wave of infections in the US, fully vaccinated Americans are running out of patience with fellow citizens who refuse to be inoculated. The issue of vaccine hesitancy, driven by factors such as conspiracy theories and mistrust of the government, could lead to restrictions being re-imposed, rather than the return to normality people are…
