Thailand’s mass voluntary Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination campaign, for students aged 12 to 18, began today (Monday October 4th).

3.6 million students in this age group, or 71% of the 5 million nationwide, have received consent from their guardians for their inoculation with the US-German mRNA vaccine, following the arrival in Thailand of the first lot of 2 million doses last Wednesday. A further 28 million doses are on order and will follow. Six more million Pfizer doses are expected to arrive later this month.

Students in the 29 COVID-19 “dark red” provinces, from over 15,000 schools, will be the first to receive the jabs.

The health authorities are currently researching a proposal toadminister only one shot to boys, before the campaign for the second shots starts, said Dr. Chawetsan Namwat, director for emergency health hazards and diseases of the Disease Control Department, who assured the public that the incidence of serious side effects, such as inflammation of heart muscle and pericarditis, is very low.

About 30% of the entire population in Thailand have received two vaccine shots to date.