The first batch of a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine arrived in Thailand on Wednesday morning ahead of a vaccination rollout next week.
The 200,000 of a total of 2 million doses the Thai government has ordered from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd. were flown to Bangkok.
Later Wednesday, 117,000 doses of the vaccine developed by Britain's AstraZeneca Plc and the University of Oxford arrived in Thailand.
The Sinovac batch will be given to front-line medical staff and people in need aged 18-59 in Bangkok and 17 other provinces, including neighboring Samut Sakhon which has had a relatively large number of cases.
"I am delighted that the first lot has arrived as scheduled, and more will come," Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said, adding that vaccines will also be manufactured locally to ensure access by every Thai.
The Thai government has ordered 61 million doses from AstraZeneca with a deal for the vaccine to be manufactured by local pharmaceutical company Siam Bioscience.
Thailand has reported about 25,700 virus cases so far with 83 fatalities.