Exclusive-Thailand's elderly lag behind in COVID vaccination drive, data show

People line up to get vaccinated for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Central Vaccination Center as Thailand opens walk-in for first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccination scheme for elders, people with a minimum weight of 100 kilograms and pregnant women amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand, July 23, 2021. Picture taken on July 23, 2021. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa

BANGKOK (Reuters) -Just two weeks before her long-awaited vaccine appointment in Bangkok, Anyamanee Puttaraksa's 62-year-old mother became feverish. Three days later, her mother tested positive for COVID-19. Four hours afterward, she died.

Alongside Anyamanee's grief is anger at a vaccine rollout that has left the elderly among Thailand's least-vaccinated groups - a contrast to much of the rest of the world, where vulnerable older people have been a priority.