Thailand to start COVID-19 vaccinations in 10 provinces with China's Sinovac vaccine
Xinhua
1613125782000

A girl disinfects her hands as she enters a school in Bangkok, Thailand, Feb. 1, 2021. (File photo: Xinhua)

BANGKOK, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- People in 10 provinces of Thailand will be vaccinated with Chinese-made Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine, a high-level government official has said.

Those who will receive the jabs from later this month until April include medical and public health personnel, those with some chronic illnesses and those aged above 60, according to Sophon Mekhathon, assistant to the public health minister and head of the government's subcommittee in charge of the anti-coronavirus vaccination.

A total of 2 million doses from Sinovac will be used for people in the 10 provinces where a large number of domestic infections have been reported since last December, Sophon said on Thursday.

Of the 10 provinces, severely hit Samut Sakhon will be provided with 820,000 doses, and capital Bangkok and Tak will be given 800,000 and 160,000 doses, respectively, he said.

Samut Sakhon has registered the largest number of local infections, mostly Myanmar migrant workers, followed by the neighboring Bangkok while Tak has also reported many cases of infected Myanmar migrants, given a shared border with their home country.

Another 61 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will be provided for use from June across the country, Sophon said.