The government plans to administer about 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses next month, with Bangkok to get the largest share and at least 70% of people in Phuket to receive their second jab, according to a senior spokesman.
Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman for the government’s Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, said on Friday the centre expected to receive 10 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine in July.
Elderly people and those with chronic illnesses who had already registered for vaccination via the Mor Prom platform would be the first to receive them.
Bangkok would get at least 2.5 million doses.
Four other provinces were also being given priority.
They were the capital’s adjacent provinces of Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi and Pathum Thani, which would receive 600,000 doses in total. Phuket, which will reopen to foreign tourists first, scheduled for July 1, would get another 200,000 doses.
Between them, they would get about 30% of the 10 million doses, Dr Taweesilp said.
The next priority would be 23 provinces that border neighbouring countries, are maximum Covid-29 control zones, or must cope with post-outbreak situations, Dr Taweesilp said.
They were Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Tak, Nong Khai, Sa Kaeo, Ranong, Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani, Songkhla, Trang, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Ayutthaya, Chachoengsao, Chon Buri, Rayong, Chanthaburi, Buri Ram, Surat Thani (Koh Samui), Phangnga and Krabi.
They would receive altogether 2.5 million doses, or 25% of the 10 million doses.
The other 49 provinces would receive 3.5 million doses (35%), or about 70,000 doses each.
About 1 million doses (10%) would go to central inoculation stations, government organisations and to responses to outbreaks.
Dr Taweesilp also said the CCSA had changed its Covid-19 vaccine procurement plan from 100 million doses this year to 150 million doses by the end of next year.
The government had already either acquired or reserved 105.5 million doses – 61 million of AstraZeneca vaccine, 19.5 million of Sinovac, 20 million of Pfizer-BioNTech and 5 million of Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine, he said.
The government would additionally order another 28 million doses from Sinovac and 22 million doses from other producers.
The increase in purchases would cope with mutations of the virus and the possible need for a booster third-shot of vaccine, Dr Taweesilp said
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