Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was inoculated yesterday morning (March 16th), the first AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine dose administered in Thailand, after postponement from last Friday.

The government broadcasted the inoculation via Facebook Live, narrated by a medical personnel, hoping to build confidence in the vaccine among the Thai public, the administration of which had been suspended in many countries due to reports of adverse side effects.

Professor Dr. Yong Poovorawan, chief of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology of the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, was on hand at the Government House this morning to inoculate the prime minister.

After inoculation, the prime minister told the media that he took the vaccination today to assure the Thai public that the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe and that everyone in Thailand will have access to the vaccine.