Vaccine shortage closes jab centres

A health worker administer a Covid-19 vaccine to a woman at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce on May 25, 2021. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)
A health worker administer a Covid-19 vaccine to a woman at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce on May 25, 2021. (Photo: Nutthawat Wicheanbut)

A shortage in supplies of Covid-19 vaccines led to the weekend closure of 25 vaccination centres in Bangkok.

Also, the "Mor Prom" app cancelled all bookings for Friday and Saturday and has yet to offer new appointments.

Chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (TCC) Sanan Angubolkul said on Sunday that supplies had not arrived as scheduled, forcing all 25 vaccination centres operated by the TCC and private sector in Bangkok to suspend operations until new deliveries are made.

"We have no choice but to close our vaccination centres until we get more vaccines; we hope there will be vaccines allocated by the centre at Bang Sue Grand Station to help ease congestion there," he said.

More than 2.4 million people had registered with the TCC's vaccination centres, but due to inadequate supplies there remains a long waiting list.

At the same time, the account for the "Mor Prom" application announced yesterday that due to a technical error, all bookings made for Friday and Saturday were cancelled and no further bookings would be taken until the app is fixed.

"People can still register directly on hospital websites. The Mor Prom team would like to apologise for the inconvenience," it said. It was unclear what caused the problem with the app or how long the repairs will take.

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Vocabulary

  • appointment: a formal arrangement to meet or visit somebody at a particular time, especially for a reason connected with their work - การนัดหมาย, การนัดพบ
  • cancellation: a decision to stop something that has been arranged from taking place - การยกเลิก
  • congestion: a situation in which a place is crowded with people or vehicles - แน่นขนัดไปด้วยรถหรือคน
  • inadequate: not enough, or not good enough for a particular purpose - อย่างไม่เพียงพอ
  • inconvenience (verb): to cause to have difficulties - ทำให้ได้รับความไม่สะดวก
  • operations: the activity or work done in an area of business or industry - ปฎิบัติการ
  • register: to put your name and other information on an official list in order to be allowed to do something, e.g., vote, study, stay in a hotel etc - ลงทะเบียน
  • scheduled: planned to happen at a particular time or day - ตามตารางเวลา
  • shortage (noun): when there is not enough of something - การขาดแคลน
  • suspend: to stop for a period of time - ยกเลิกชั่วคราว, ระงับชั่วคราว
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