Thailand to use Chinese COVID-19 vaccine to start inoculation drive: media

BANGKOK - Thailand will use China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine to kick off its national vaccination program, which aims to inoculate some two thirds of the country's eligible people, media reports have said.

Thailand is expected to approve the Chinese vaccine for emergency use "parallel to the arrival of the first shipment" later this month, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.

The report cited Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul saying at a press conference on Monday that a batch of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine will be delivered to Thailand between February and April.

Thai Disease Control Department Director General Opas Kankawinphong said that medical personnel, elderly people, those with chronic illnesses and migrant workers will be the first groups of people to be vaccinated.

A batch of AstraZeneca vaccine from Europe will be delivered to Thailand for use later this year, according to the director general.