Mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign is set to start in Chon Buri this week. Local health officials will administer 45,000 doses of the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine to residents in the province .
Vaccines will first be administered to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those at high risk of a severe infection. Those in the tourism industry will also be included in this round of inoculations. Many healthcare workers and government officials in Chon Buri have already been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Out of the 45,000 doses of the vaccine, 20,000 will be for the Banglamung district, which includes Pattaya. Local officials are aiming to vaccinate 70% of the population in Pattaya to reach herd immunity and reopen the city to foreign tourists in October.
The Thai government aims to vaccinate 50 million people by the end of the year. A mass vaccination campaign is now being rolled out in Bangkok, the epicentre of the latest wave of infections, and officials have set a goal to vaccinate 5 million people in the capital by the end of July.