Thailand uses AstraZeneca vaccine as mainstay in COVID-19 inoculation drive
The AstraZeneca vaccine will be the mainstay for the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Thailand, according to Thai Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul.
A woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 7, 2021 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) – The AstraZeneca vaccine will be themainstay for the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Thailand, according to Thai Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul.
Local mediacited the official as saying on April 15 that Thailand has the expertise to closely monitorvaccine information, and the decision is made basing on scientific knowledge.
Thailandkicked off its COVID-19 inoculationcampaign on February 28, with people of high-risk groups like medicalprofessionals and those with close contact with patients among the first in thequeue to receive vaccinations.
Thailand plans to use the AstraZeneca vaccine and the CoronaVac developed byChina-based Sinovac Biotech to inoculate about 35 million people or 50 percentof the population – the target it aims to achieve by the end of this year.
Since April1, the third wave of coronavirus infections has spread to 75 of the 77provinces in Thailand, and only the southern provinces of Ranong and Satun haveyet to record any cases in this latest outbreak.
Speaking after a meeting of the national committee on communicable diseases onApril 15, Minister Charnvirakul saidThailand can overcome the current COVID-19 crisis without imposing anationwide lockdown.
Henoted the cycle of disease has only been two weeks, and the government has hadgood cooperation from all stakeholders.
The committee decided to suggest the government ban thedrinking of alcohol in restaurants nationwide and forbid mass gatherings,including asking schools and universities nationwide to conduct all theircourses online. It also concluded that Bangkok capital and 17 otherprovinces should be classified as ultimate control (red zone) areas.
On April 16,the country reported 1,582 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily number sincethe pandemic began. That brought the total so far to 39,038, with 97 fatalities./.
Immediately after Thailand’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign began at the end of last month, Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered officials to look into the future use of vaccine passports, reported the Bangkok Post.
Thailand’s famous resort island Phuket is set to be the first province to waive the quarantine requirement for foreign visitors who have been vaccinated from July 1.
Thailand will shorten its quarantine period for foreign travellers with COVID-19 vaccination certificates from 14 to 10 days from April 1, to foster tourism.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has decided to cancel all activities celebrating the traditional New Year festival, Songkran, in all districts of the province in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.
In his article, Oscar Sanchez Serra highlighted President Ho Chi Minh’s founding of the Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper on June 21, 1925, which marked the birth of Vietnam's revolutionary press rooted in a bold and far-sighted vision.
Several ASEAN meetings are scheduled to take place in Port Dickson this September, including the Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) for ASEAN Plus Three (APT), the East Asia Summit (EAS), the 15th ASEAN Maritime Forum, and the 13th Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum.
Thailand's Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has ordered the urgent implementation of a national policy to crack down on all forms of call centre scams, online fraud, and illegal gambling, which are now considered threats to national security.
Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto and EAEU Trade Minister Andrey Slepnev jointly declared the conclusion of FTA talks on the sidelines of the 28th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF 2025), according to the statement.
The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
A woman gets vaccinated against COVID-19 in Bangkok, Thailand, on April 7, 2021 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
