Yesterday, health officials reported that Thailand had surpassed 50 million Covid-19 vaccinations after a record 1.44 million shots were administered on Friday.
With the high vaccination rates recently recorded, the country is progressively approaching the 50-million target of fully vaccinated people expected by December, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana explained that those vaccines given on Friday included 947,290 first doses and 320,864 second doses. The rest were booster shots.
Previously, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul had set the 1-million mark for doses to be administered on Friday, during Mahidol Day.
On Saturday, he thanked all health workers and Thais for their cooperation during Thailand’s vaccination campaign development.
The first jabs covered 57.44% of the target groups, to reach 44.45% of the country’s 70 –million population, Mr. Anutin stated, adding that 16.6 million people (23.9%) had received two Covid-19 shots.
“The prime minister believes the target of 100 million doses or 50 million people, or 70% of targeted groups, will be achieved by the end of this year as planned,” Government spokesperson Mr. Thanakorn also said on Saturday.
It was also revealed that the Public Health Ministry had purchased 125 million doses to continue vaccinations the rest of the year, including another 30 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine expected to be delivered in late September to inoculate young people aged 12 to 18.
Meanwhile, the Disease Control Department’s director-general Opas Karnkawinpong said the 15.7 million doses the government procured this month helped speed up inoculations.
Thailand expects to receive another 24 million doses in October –or 30 million doses if alternative Sinopharm vaccines are included– and 23 to 24 million shots from November to December.
“We believe the vaccination rate would leapfrog from now on,” Dr. Opas added.
The department has estimated that 58%, 71% and 85% of the country’s residents would get their first Covid-19 shot in October, November and December, respectively. As for the second dose, vaccination rates would be 45%, 60%, and 74%.
