COVID-19 vaccines in Thailand
Thailand will be launching a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme in May 2021, revealed the Department of Disease Control (DDC) in an action plan on Thursday.
Before being administered, the vaccine will first need to pass quality checks for safety by the Public Health Ministry’s Thai Food and Drug Administration and Department of Medical Sciences, reported The Nation.
To immunise vulnerable groups first
The DDC shared that it will be preparing vaccination centres in over 10,000 sub-districts in order to prevent overcrowding in larger hospitals, as well as reach more communities faster.
Officials are currently being trained as part of the programme, and transport systems for the vaccine are currently in preparation.
Those prioritised for the vaccination include healthcare workers, the elderly, young children, and those in vulnerable groups. They will be required to undergo a registration process and will be called to designated vaccination centres and mobile health units.
To roll out over the next 2 years
In order to ensure that the vaccines don’t have any side effects, participants will be monitored via the programme from July 2021 to January 2022.
The director general of DDC Opas Karnkawinpong also confirmed that the vaccine will be provided free-of-charge at government facilities, and that private hospitals will have to source their own vaccine supply.
Thailand recently signed a ฿6 million deal to purchase 26 million doses of the vaccine, which would be sufficient to administer to 13 million people.