Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health has unveiled its plan for first phase of inoculations, using two million doses of the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine, targeting specific types of recipient in 10 provinces in February and May.

Vice Minister of Public Health, Sophon Mekthon, in his capacity as chairman of the COVID-19 Vaccine Management Committee, said Thursday that the first groups to be vaccinated include both public and private healthcare personnel, people who are 60 or older, the morbidly obese and people with congenital diseases.

The two million doses will be distributed as follows:

• Samut Sakhon, 820,000 doses
• Bangkok, 800,000 doses
• Nonthaburi, 26,000 doses
• Pathum Thani, 26,000 doses
• Samut Prakan, 28,000 doses
• Rayong, 18,000 doses
• Chon Buri, 28,000 doses
• Chanthaburi 16,000 doses
• Trat, 12,000 doses
• Tak, 160,000 doses

Dr. Sophon said that the vaccination plan in Thailand is based on the principle of safety, efficacy, speed and fairness, adding that the two vaccines procured by Thailand, from Sinovac and the UK’s AstraZeneca, have been proven to be effective in reducing infection, produce milder side effects and reduce loss of life by as much as 60%.

For the second phase, from June to December, 61 million doses of the vaccines will be distributed to about 1,000 hospitals across the country, with ten million to be administered each month to broader groups of people, such as those engaged in the tourism and aviation businesses.

An opinion survey, taken among medical personnel in Samut Sakhon province, indicates that 90% want to be vaccinated, compared to 85% in Bangkok.

Another survey of the general public indicates that most want to be vaccinated.