Covid vaccination priorities announced

Covid vaccination priorities announced

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, announces the Covid-19 vaccination schedule at Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Screenshot)
Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, announces the Covid-19 vaccination schedule at Government House in Bangkok on Tuesday. (Screenshot)

The first 200,000 Covid-19 vaccine doses to arrive on Wednesday will be sent to 13 provinces with high infection rates and economic significance, according to a government spokesman.

Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Tuesday that the vaccination programme will be divided into two phases.

The first phase, with limited doses available, will cover:

- medical and health personnel in both government and private sector in contact with infected people;

- people with chronic diseases, severe and chronic respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, stage-5 renal disease, stroke, cancer under treatment, diabetes and obesity with body weight of more than 100 kilogrammes;

- people aged 60 years and over;

- disease control workers in contact with patients.

The second phase, with greater availability of doses, will cover:

-          recipients from the first phase;

-          other medical and health personnel;

-          tourism-related workers;

-          workers who travel internationally, including pilots, flight attendants and business people;

-          the general public;

-          diplomats, staff of international organisations, foreign business people and expatriates;

-          workers in the industrial and service sectors.

Dr Taweesilp said 2 million doses from Sinovac were set to arrive from February to April.

Phase 1

The first 200,000 doses to be delivered on Wednesday will be delivered to 13 provinces with the highest infection rates, the greatest economic significance, or both.

The provinces with the highest infection rates are Samut Sakhon (a Covid-19 maximum and strict control zone) and eight provinces designated as Covid-19 control zones: Bangkok (western), Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Tak (Mae Sot district), Nakhon Pathom, Samut Songkhram and Ratchaburi.

The four provinces of economic significance are Chon Buri, Phuket, Surat Thani (including Koh Samui) and Chiang Mai.

Phase 2

A further 800,000 more doses are expected in March and 1 million more in April, the spokesman said.

AstraZeneca will deliver 26 million doses from June to August and 35 million doses from September to December.

Vaccination procedures at hospitals will take 5-7 minutes per recipient, who must then wait for 30 minutes while their condition is monitored, Dr Taweesilp said.

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