‘No side effects’: Prayut urges 10m AstraZeneca jabs per month
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants the Public Health Ministry to speed up the country’s vaccination drive, after he suffered no side effects from his AstraZeneca jab.
He added that he and the 15 ministers who received the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at Government House on Tuesday were all fine.
Thailand followed European countries by suspending use of the AstraZeneca vaccine last week over reports of blood clots in some recipients. The reports are being investigated but no link between the vaccine and the blood clots has been found.
"It has been verified that there is no bad reaction from the AstraZeneca vaccine,” said Prayut after getting his jab this morning.
The PM also said private hospitals should be allowed to procure their own vaccines to meet the country’s ambitious monthly target for vaccinations.
"Meanwhile, we urge the Public Health Ministry to allow hospitals to import Covid-19 vaccine without waiting for the government's approval, as we aim to vaccinate 10 million people per month," he said.
He added the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) will consider easing Covid-19 preventive measures on Friday (March 19).
"However, this will depend on everyone's cooperation in obeying measures to contain the spread, such as using the tracking application and wearing face masks, especially in places with high risk of Covid-19 infection," he added.