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Coronavirus pandemic
This Week in AsiaHealth & Environment

As Thailand lines up coronavirus jabs, confusion reigns on when inoculation campaign can begin

  • Health officials’ attempts to quell Thais’ confusion over vaccination drive leaves many questions unanswered
  • Although the government confirmed it would get China’s Sinovac vaccine from February, ahead of the AstraZeneca jab, details on a timetable were sparse

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Residents of Nonthaburi province undergo Covid-19 testing on Monday amid a resurgence of the virus. Photo: EPA-EFE
Jitsiree Thongnoi
Thailand has taken steps to secure even more doses of Covid-19 vaccine after a dramatic rise of coronavirus cases in mid-December plunged the country into another partial lockdown, yet questions remain around when an inoculation campaign can begin – and who will be included.
Thailand’s health authorities confirmed on Sunday that about 2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturer Sinovac Biotech would arrive beginning in February, raising hopes that they could get an inoculation campaign started earlier than originally planned.

Thailand made a deal in November to receive 26 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine starting in May, and on Tuesday, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said another 35 million more doses would be secured from the British pharmaceutical company.

The initial 200,000 Sinovac doses are expected to arrive by the end of February, with another 800,000 coming in March and further 1 million doses in April.

The prime minister on Monday also loosened a restriction on dining and drinking in Bangkok restaurants that were set to take effect on Tuesday, Previously, the government had said no dining or drinking would be allowed from 7pm to 6am, but it amended the ban to between 9pm and 6am following pleas by restaurant owners.

Bangkok schools have also been ordered shut until the end of January, while bars, entertainment venues, massage shops, swimming pools and gyms were earlier ordered to close.

Employees at Hua Lamphong Central Railway Station in Bangkok disinfect a train on Monday as health officials in Thailand announced 745 new Covid-19 cases, the country's highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. Photo: AFP
Employees at Hua Lamphong Central Railway Station in Bangkok disinfect a train on Monday as health officials in Thailand announced 745 new Covid-19 cases, the country's highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic. Photo: AFP
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