Sinovac, the manufacturer of CoronaVac Vaccine, has applied for registration of its vaccine for use with children aged three years and over, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Monday.
The application had been filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he said, citing a report from the Department of Disease Control.
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He said the FDA accepted the application for consideration. The Advisory Committee on Immunisation Practice last week approved in principle the use of Sinovac vaccine for children of this age group.
The FDA was studying additional documents from the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the importer of the vaccine. If it received the FDA's final approval, the Ministry of Public Health would go ahead with the use of the vaccine for children.
Mr Anutin said Thailand now had vaccines for people from the age of five years. He hoped to expand the coverage to children from the age of three years.
The minister asked people who had not been vaccinated or those who were due for a second dose or booster shot to get the jabs to improve their immunity.
Vaccination could reduce the severity of the illness if a person catches the disease, he said.