Thailand to inoculate senior citizens with Chinese COVID-19 vaccines

A resident takes nucleic acid test for COVID-19 in Bang Khae district in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 15, 2021. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

Thailand will start to inoculate seniors aged 60 and above with China's Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines as the Southeast Asian country grappled with its most severe coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began.

BANGKOK, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Thailand will start to inoculate seniors aged 60 and above with COVID-19 vaccines developed by China's Sinovac biopharmaceutical company, Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Friday.

Anutin made the announcement at a press conference after the National Communicable Disease Committee approved the use of the Chinese vaccine with people aged 60 years or above in the country.

A man receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac in Bangkok, Thailand, April 7, 2021. (Xinhua/Rachen Sageamsak)

He said the government planned to administer 2.5 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine within this month, and has prepared 82 venues in the capital Bangkok and around 300 venues in other provinces for the vaccination.

The announcement came as the country grappled with its most severe coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, which more than doubled its caseload in the past month to 78,855 on Friday.

The Southeast Asian country launched its national vaccination program in February, and aims to inoculate 70 percent of its nearly 70 million population before the end of the year.