BANGKOK (NNT) – The first 200,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine which arrived in Thailand today will be distributed to 13 provinces, with frontline health workers and those at higher risk, being the first to receive the vaccine.
Following a ceremony to mark the arrival of the first 200,000 COVID-19 vaccines from China’s pharmaceutical company Sinovac today, samples from the shipment will be tested for safety, which is expected to take 4-5 days.
Health authorities are now expected to give the first injection of this COVID-19 vaccine on 1st March, with a subcommittee now working on the priority system which will determine who gets the vaccine first.
As of now, frontline health workers are at the top of the “whitelist,” of those receiving vaccination priority, followed by patients with acute and chronic respiratory diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, difficult to control asthma, cardiovascular diseases, stage 5 or higher chronic kidney disease, stroke patients, cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, persons with diabetes or obesity problems, as well as disease control-related workers with possible exposure to COVID-19 patients.
Following the safety inspection, the first 200,000 doses of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed to 13 provinces, with 70,000 doses going to Samut Sakhon, which has been hit the hardest by the most recent wave of infections.
99,000 doses from this first batch will be delivered to Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Tak, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Songkhram, and Ratchaburi, which are now designated ’controlled areas’.
About 14,700 remaining doses will be sent to provinces with economic and social development significance, namely Chon Buri, Phuket, Surat Thani, and Chiang Mai.
Information and Source
Reporter : Tanakorn Sangiam
Rewriter : Tarin Angskul
National News Bureau & Public Relations : http://thainews.prd.go.th