At least 60,000 people yesterday placed bookings for an inoculation with the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine through online platforms of the Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA).
Nithi Mahanonda, CRA secretary-general and director of Chulabhorn Hospital, said on his Facebook page that he had ordered the online system be shut down when the number of registrants climbed to 60,000 at 9.30am yesterday.
The academy said on Thursday that registration for the Sinopharm vaccination would start at 8am yesterday and it would initially accept 40,000 registrations.
Dr Nithi said on his Facebook page that he had to apologise to people for any inconvenience during the bookings, pledging the online system for booking jabs will be reopened in another week.
He said the one more million doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine ordered by the CRA have now arrived in Thailand.
He also said the hospital will expand the systems' capacity to take registrations as there are over 400,000 people waiting to buy the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine.
He said those who can place bookings for the vaccine and pay in the designated period can receive the vaccine from July 28 to Aug 31.
The CRA opened its booking system at the website sinopharm.cra.ac.th and the application CRA SINOP to people in high-infection and controlled areas, which are Bangkok and nearby provinces and four southern provinces.
The zones cover Greater Bangkok (Bangkok city and Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon provinces) and the four southernmost provinces -- Narathiwat, Pattani, Yala and Songkhla.
The service was for people aged 18 and over who lived in maximum and strict Covid-19 control zones. The CRA set the price at 1,554 baht for two doses.
Meanwhile, Sutin Klungsang, chief opposition whip and Pheu Thai MP for Maha Sarakham, has praised Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha for being honest in revealing that the AstraZeneca vaccine delivery will be postponed.