BANGKOK — The governor on Tuesday said 6,000 doses of vaccines will be administered to vulnerable populations in western Bangkok, where a new cluster of coronavirus infections were reported in recent days.
Gov. Aswin Kwanmuang said a vaccination center will open Wednesday at Bang Khae Market, where at least 224 cases were traced back to the wet market complex there. The City Hall said a total of 4,991 people were already tested, of which 1,681 people are still waiting for their results.
“We plan to inoculate 500 to 600 people on the first day,” Aswin said. “We will continue giving out vaccines until every vulnerable population is immunitized. A total of 6,000 doses have been reserved for Bang Khae cluster.”
Only residents of six districts of Bang Khae, Bang Khun Thian, Bang Bon, Nong Khaem, Chom Thong, and Phasi Charoen who have underlying diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, liver disease, and cancer are eligible to receive the shots, according to the City Hall.
It was not immediately clear what type of vaccine will be used. Thailand currently has vaccines manufactured by Sinovac and AstraZeneca approved for emergency use in its arsenal.
The government’s pandemic response center said the new infections in Bangkok were linked to a 21-year-old vendor at Wonder Market – one of the six markets inside the complex – who tested positive for infection on Mar. 5. The markets have since been closed for three days starting Tuesday for disinfection.
A total of 149 new cases were reported on Tuesday, according to the government’s pandemic response center. The majority, or 100, are local transmissions found in Bangkok, while the rest 44 cases were found in other provinces and five cases imported from abroad.
The country’s cumulative number of cases now stands at 27,154.
