Ten million doses of vaccine will be distributed nationwide this month as vaccinations are expedited for the most vulnerable groups, says the Department of Disease Control (DoDC).
So far, 22.5 million doses have been given to people and the three most susceptible groups -- the elderly, those with any of the seven underlying illnesses and women 12 weeks pregnant or more -- have been urged to get immunised against Covid-19.
The underlying illnesses are chronic respiratory disease, obesity in people weighing more than 100kg, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, heart and vascular disease and renal failure.
DoDC director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said new infections and fatalities remain high with 84% of deaths among these three groups.
The majority of those who died were also unvaccinated and tended to develop severe conditions which worsened quickly after contracting the disease.
Dr Opas said people in the three groups should register for free vaccination at the nearest state-run public health clinic this month.
The inoculation should be carried out promptly, particularly in the 29 provinces where the virus is most prevalent.
People in these provinces should at least be given their first vaccinations, he added.
This month, the department has procured 10 million doses of vaccine -- four million from Sinovac and six million from AstraZeneca -- to be delivered in batches to all provinces every week.
Dr Opas said there will be enough supplies of vaccine to cover all target groups. The vaccines, he added, were safe and effective to use as they were certified by both the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration.
"Vaccines can build immunity against all Covid-19 variants. They can prevent death and severe conditions," he said.
The vaccines, however, typically produce side effects such as fever, fatigue and headache. The conditions mostly disappear within one to three days of the vaccination.
People are required to have at least two shots of vaccine for sufficient immunity to be built up and act as a safeguard amid the evolving pandemic situation.
According to the department, 22.5 million doses have been provided to people from Feb 28 to Aug 12.
Of them, 3.6 million people aged 60 and above received their first jabs and 270,595 both doses. For those with seven underlying illnesses, 1.8 million had their first jabs and 331,504 both doses. So far, 8,382 pregnant women have been given their first shots.
