Seniors, including foreigners, to get jabs donated by Japan

Seniors, including foreigners, to get jabs donated by Japan

Focus will be on Bangkok for 1 million donated AZ jabs, more testing centres also approved

A health worker takes a swab from a woman at Mahanak market in Dusit district on Friday. More testing centres will be opened in Greater Bangkok. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
A health worker takes a swab from a woman at Mahanak market in Dusit district on Friday. More testing centres will be opened in Greater Bangkok. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)

Senior Thais and foreigners based in Thailand will be given priority for the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine that arrived in the country from Japan on Friday, according to the Covid-19 taskforce.

Thais and foreigners aged 60 or more and those with seven chronic diseases would be among the groups to receive the vaccine, said Dr Apisamai Srirangson, the assistant spokeswoman for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).

Other targets will be students, diplomats, athletes and people in need of jabs before travelling overseas, she addes.

The shipment that arrived in the capital on Friday contained 1.05 million doses of AstraZeneca, Dr Apisamai said.

The government is trying to inoculate more senior citizens, especially those living in high-risk Bangkok, to contain the rapid spread of the virus as the highly transmissible strain of the Delta variant is gaining ground.

The CCSA meeting on Friday, with lockdown measures high on the list, also agreed to give vaccinated healthcare personnel the Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot. As well, more testing centres will be opened in Bangkok and five neighbouring provinces to identify infected people.

People have overwhelmed several screening centres in Bangkok in recent days, with some camping out outside Wat Phra Sri Maha That in Bang Khen district on Wednesday, for mass testing after the jump in new transmission cases in Bangkok.

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