Under-60s to get to book jabs soon

Individuals aged between 18-59 will be able to start booking their vaccination appointments at the end of the month, deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek said on Monday.

Starting on May 31, individuals in the age bracket will be able to book their appointment through the Mor Prom app, Line chat, or directly at hospitals. Walk-ins will also be accepted at selected vaccination centres, she added.

Inoculations are currently underway for people aged over 60 years, as well as those suffering from underlying health conditions as outlined by the government.

Ms Rachada also said the Public Health Ministry was in the process of designing a registration system for expatriates.

She assured that Covid-19 vaccines made by both China's Sinovac and the British-Swedish firm AstraZeneca are effective in stimulating immunity against the disease.

That said, those who experience undesirable side-effects following inoculation are entitled to seek remedial assistance from the National Health Security Office, which has set aside about 100 million baht for such claims.

To date, 218 people have requested assistance in Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani. The majority reported a slight fever and body aches immediately after receiving a jab, although a small percentage developed a high fever and/or other side effects.

They were among the 91,551 people who have received their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine in the provinces, Ms Rachada said.

In response to the growing number of infections in recent weeks, the spokeswoman said the rise is due to the increasing number of pro-active, on-site tests carried out by the government, which has helped it track and control the spread of the disease.

As of Monday, 450,285 doses had been administered in Bangkok.