Thailand on 25 January announced it will begin the national COVID-19 vaccination programme in February by administering 50,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine to high-risk groups.

Illustrative image (Source: Thai PBS)

Health workers in Samut Sakhon province, the epicentre of the latest outbreak, would be the first to be inoculated, then elderly and people with chronic diseases, said senior health official Sopon Mekton.

Thailand's Food and Drug Administration last week approved AstraZeneca's vaccine for emergency use. It has yet to grant authorisation for that of China’s Sinovac Biotech, of which the government has ordered two million doses.

Thailand has so far confirmed 13,687 COVID-19 cases with 75 deaths.

Source: VNA