Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is scheduled to be given his first shot of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, tentatively on Thursday, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today (Monday).
He said the vaccine was delivered to the Disease Control Department at about 4pm today and it will take 2-3 days for it to be examined and approved before it is to be used.
The vaccine is suitable for people over 60, said Anutin, adding that the prime minister will be the first to be inoculated with it and, if the prime minister agrees, the vaccination can take place on Thursday at the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute.
The health minister reiterated that the Public Health Ministry has no objection to the private sector procuring vaccines for their own use, which will ease some of the load on the government, but they must comply strictly with the set safety regulations.
Meanwhile, Disease Control Department Director-General Opas Karnkawinpong clarified that any side effects, post inoculation, are divided into two types, mild effects, such as fever, itchiness or pain at the injection site, and severe side effects, such as sudden heart failure or passing out, which require emergency treatment, adding that, so far, there has only been a 3% incidence of mild side effects among those vaccinated.
