Thailand unveils Covid-19 vaccine plan for first 2 million doses; 166 new cases reported on Valentine's Day

Images courtesy of The Nation Thailand/ANN

BANGKOK, Feb 14 (The Nation Thailand/ANN): The Ministry of Public Health has said that vaccination for Covid-19 would be undertaken in two phases.

Ten provinces that have seen regular cases in the second wave are in the priority list for Covid-19 vaccination from February to April.

The Covid-19 vaccine policy will cover everyone in Thailand, including migrant workers, to ensure effective disease prevention, Dr Sophon Mekthon, chairman of the government's subcommittee on Covid-19 vaccine management, said.

The target groups for Covid-19 vaccine in Thailand is divided into two phases:

Phase 1, due to limited stocks of doses, will prioritise medical personnel and public health officers on the frontline, both in the public and private sectors, people with underlying disease and severe chronic respiratory diseases, people with cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease in stage 5 and above, cerebrovascular disease, all cancers during chemotherapy, radiotherapy and immunotherapy, people with diabetes and obesity with weight more than 100kg or body mass index greater than 35kg/m2, people aged 60 and above and staff involved in Covid-19 control who may be required to come in contact with patients.

In phase 2, when there are enough vaccine doses, the focus will be on reviving the economy, society and national security and to build immunity in the population.

The target groups are tourism operators, such as hotel staff, entertainment venues, tour guides, international travellers such as pilots/crew, international businessmen, general citizens, diplomats, international organisation staff, and industrial workers.

Dr Sophon Iamsirithaworn, general communicable diseases director at the Department of Disease Control (DDC), said that from February to April, the vaccines will be distributed in 10 provinces with the highest and strict control, areas that used to be the most regulated areas and areas where ongoing infections were found, through hospitals, both public and private.

Meanwhile, Thailand on Sunday confirmed 166 new Covid-19 cases, mostly domestic, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)'s report.

Of Sunday's new cases, 138 were domestic infections while 28 others referred to imported cases, the CCSA report says.

The domestic cases included 67 that were confirmed via active testing in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, and 11 others in Samut Sakhon province, southwest of Bangkok, the CCSA report says.

Thailand has so far confirmed 24,571 cases of infection, 21,935 of which were domestic cases while 2,636 others were imported cases.

So far, 22,111 patients have fully recovered and been released from hospitals while 2,380 others are currently hospitalized and 80 fatalities have been reported. - The Nation Thailand/ANN