national vaccine rollout
- Covid-19 News
“Covid is going nowhere, get vaccinated” – leading Thai virologist
One of Thailand’s most prominent virologists says the Covid-19 virus is going nowhere and everyone should get vaccinated. According to a Nation Thailand report, Yong Poovorawan took to social media to say the virus is here to stay and society will need to live with it. However, vaccination will offer protection from serious illness, hospitalisation, or death. Yong made reference…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to meet vaccination target a month ahead of schedule
Thailand is on course to meet its Covid-19 vaccination target by the end of November – a month ahead of schedule. Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana says over 80% of people in Bangkok and in several other provinces have now been vaccinated. On Wednesday, the Department of Disease Control distributed another 11 million vaccine doses to the provinces. According to a…
- Covid-19 News
2 million doses of government-bought Pfizer have arrived, 28 million to follow
The long-awaited first lot of Pfizer vaccine doses purchased by the Thai government have arrived in the country. 2 million doses touched down at Suvarnabhumi airport yesterday and were received by the Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, according to a Bangkok Post report. In total, the government has ordered 30 million doses of the mRNA-based vaccine, with the other 28…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry predicts infections will fall to 5,000 a day by end of October
Daily new Covid-19 infections are expected to fall to around 5,000 a day by the end of October, according to a Public Health Ministry spokesman. However, Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrajit remains concerned that they could rise again, due to a number of factors. The Bangkok Post reports that the emergence of infection clusters and the arrival of new variants are still…
- 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…
- 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
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
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
Thailand to start offering booster doses, vaccinating children from next year
The Public Health Ministry says that from next year, Thailand will begin offering booster doses to fully vaccinated people, as well as vaccinating children. According to a Nation Thailand report, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says research shows that the immunity granted by 2 doses of vaccine, regardless of the type, will decline over time. For…
- Covid-19 News
Government says Sinovac works, despite claims of lower efficacy against variants
Amid growing calls for more mRNA doses to combat the spread of the Delta variant, the Thai government continues to defend the Sinovac vaccine. The Bangkok Post reports that the government plans to purchase another 12 million doses of the Chinese vaccine, citing good results from a study of people fully vaccinated with Sinovac. However, the public is calling on…
- Covid-19 News
Cabinet approves 9.3 billion baht for procurement of Pfizer doses
A government spokesman says funding of 9.3 billion baht has been approved for 20 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. Anucha Burapachaisri confirmed the cabinet has approved the funds for the already signed order, while acknowledging a proposal to purchase a further 10 million Pfizer doses. According to a Bangkok Post report, Anucha says the Department of Disease Control plans…
- Economy News
CP boss outlines 4 ways government could speed up pandemic recovery
One of Thailand’s wealthiest businessmen has outlined 4 ways in which the government could accelerate the country’s Covid-19 recovery. The Bangkok Post reports that Dhanin Chearavanont, senior chairman of the Charoen Pokphand Group, was responding to questions from journalist Suthichai Yoon during a Facebook Live interview yesterday. According to Dhanin, the government must increase relief measures for those affected by…
- Covid-19 News
Second lot of Pfizer vaccines for healthcare workers to arrive tomorrow
The Department of Disease Control says the second batch of Pfizer Covid-19 vaccines donated by the US is expected to arrive tomorrow. The doses are earmarked for frontline healthcare workers in all 77 provinces. The Bangkok Post reports that DDC chief Opas Karnkawinpong has confirmed the delivery. The US government has donated the 1.5 million Pfizer doses to help Thailand…
- 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
Thai soldier who bragged about getting Pfizer vaccine says he’s a nurse
A Thai army sergeant who announced he’d received a dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine has sparked temporary outrage on social media. Noppadon Maneechan, who is based in the north-eastern province of Loei, has had to defend his reputation and refute claims that Pfizer doses have been secretly administered to the military ahead of healthcare workers and high-risk members of…
- 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
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
Government says ongoing vaccination and obeying the rules will drive infections down
If everyone obeys Covid-19 restrictions while the vaccination of high-risk groups continues, the Health Ministry predicts a big drop in new case numbers in the coming weeks. According to a Bangkok Post report, Kiattiphum Wongrajit says just a 5% increase in the public’s observance of disease prevention measures would be enough to make a significant difference. He adds that greater…
- Covid-19 News
Bangkok vaccination centres shut down at weekend due to vaccine shortages
The government’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout encountered another hiccup at the weekend as 25 vaccination centres in Bangkok had to close due to a shortage of vaccines. And in a separate development, the Bangkok Post reports that bookings for Friday and Saturday were cancelled via the Mor Prom app, due to a technical glitch. Sanan Angubolkul from the Thai Chamber of…
- Covid-19 News
Crowds rush to Bang Sue for vaccination ahead of walk-in registration ending
There were scenes of overcrowding reported at Bangkok’s Bang Sue station yesterday as people rushed to try to get a vaccine before walk-in registration ends. According to a Nation Thailand report, the rush was sparked by the announcement that walk-in registration for the elderly ends on Saturday. The following day, registration opens for everyone over the age of 18 but…
- Covid-19 News
Government under increasing pressure to share details of vaccine procurement deals
As Thailand battles its worst Covid-19 wave since the start of the pandemic, the government is coming under increasing pressure to divulge details of its vaccine procurement decisions. The Bangkok Post reports that at least 333 academics, media representatives, and individuals have signed a statement calling for full disclosure of everything related to the country’s vaccine procurement deals. The statement…
- Tourism News
Hotels hope for increase in foreign tourists to offset slump in domestic demand
Hotels in Thailand’s normally busy tourist hotspots are hoping that a further re-opening to foreign travellers will offset the drop in domestic demand. The Bangkok Post reports that travel curbs have decimated domestic tourism in places like Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga. Kongsak Khoopongsakorn from the Thai Hotels Association says the Phuket sandbox scheme welcomed around 10,000 tourists in its…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry insists donated Pfizer doses will go to medical workers first, not VIPs
Thailand’s Health Ministry has dismissed rumours that healthcare workers will get just 200,000 of the 1.5 million Pfizer doses donated by the US. Rungrueng Kijphati says 500,000 doses are being reserved as booster shots for the country’s healthcare workers. He says doses are expected to arrive later this month and administration will begin in August. “It is not true that…
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry asks vaccine importers to prepare procurement plans for next year
6 Covid-19 vaccine importers have been asked to prepare purchase plans for next year, which should factor in virus mutations. The Public Health Ministry made the request at a meeting with AstraZeneca Thailand, Pfizer Thailand, Zuellig Pharma, Janssen-Cilag, Biogenetech, and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation. According to a Nation Thailand report, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says an…
- Covid-19 News
Government does an about-face, will hold talks to join Covax
In a significant U-turn, the Thai government says it’s prepared to hold talks to join Covax, the global initiative that aims to ensure equal access to vaccines. Thailand famously became the only Southeast Asian nation not to join when it had the opportunity to do so last year. At the time, government spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri said Thailand preferred to sign…
- Covid-19 News
Healthcare workers to be prioritised for Pfizer vaccine from next month
The head of the Department of Disease Control says the country’s healthcare workers will be first in line for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from August. Opas Karnkawinpong says a donation of 1.5 million doses from the US government is expected to arrive at the end of this month. In a separate deal, the government has signed a procurement contract to…
- Covid-19 News
Opposition MP slams government over AstraZeneca procurement failure
An MP from the opposition Pheu Thai Party has blasted the government for not disclosing the details of the AstraZeneca procurement contract. Yutthapong Charasathien is demanding that Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul remove the head of the Department of Disease Control over the failings, accusing him of mismanaging vaccine procurement and allocation. The Bangkok Post reports that during a meeting…
- Covid-19 News
Thai industry representatives call on Health Minister to roll out vaccines in factories
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will meet with the Federation of Thai Industries next week as the FTI calls for Covid-19 vaccines to be rolled out in factories. FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree says the factory rollout is a priority as the surge in infections is causing some sites to close. To date, just 10% of around 10 million industrial workers…
- Covid-19 News
1 million additional vaccine doses being purchased for Bangkok residents
The Thai government has pledged to purchase an additional 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses for Bangkok residents in the coming 2 weeks. Apisamai Srirangson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the plan is to vaccinate 70% of the capital’s residents, but to date only 43.6% have been vaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that the Disease Control Department will…
