Thailand gives biggest hint yet that ex-pats will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines
Thailand gives the biggest hint yet that ex-pats will be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines
On Monday, the health minister in Thailand hinted that ex-pats that living in Thailand will have the chance to be included in the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out
Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had said that foreigners would also be vaccinated free of charge.
Anutin said. “The 63 million doses of the vaccination are enough to cover the public, and it’s within our capacity to provide free vaccinations,”
“Our policy is to not leave anyone behind and we must inoculate anyone at risk of spreading the virus, not only Thais. So the vaccines will cover everyone that resides in Thailand.”
Anutin had made the comments in response to the criticism regarding the slow rollout of the vaccine in Thailand
And while the government has outlined the stages for which Thai nationals will receive the vaccination, information on if or when foreigners will be included in the rollout had not been forthcoming, until now.
Anutin said that 200,000 doses of the Chinese CoronaVac will arrive in Thailand later this month, followed by a supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Bangkok Biz News reported.
Thailand will then begin domestic production of 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine. Officials have indicated that production of the vaccine will begin around May or June.
By the end of April, a further 2 million doses of the Sinovac will arrive in Thailand, which will be given to those deemed most in need, such as front line health care workers and those with underlying health conditions.
