The CRA said in a Facebook message the first 1 million doses of Sinopharm vaccines reached Thailand on two Thai Airways International flights from Beijing. They were transferred in 12 temperature-controlled trucks to the Medical Sciences Department for quality checks before being handed them over to the CRA.
The academy purchased the vaccines as an alternative to free jabs serviced by the government.
The academy said earlier that the vaccines would be distributed to hospitals and medical facilities nationwide on Wednesday and Thursday, where the shots will be administered on Friday.
Meanwhile, Thailand logged 20 more COVID-19 fatalities and 3,682 new cases yesterday.
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration reported 11 deaths in Bangkok, three in Nakhon Pathom, two in Samut Prakan and one each in Chanthaburi, Rayong, Saraburi and Ubon Ratchathani. Yesterday’s figures took the accumulated tally of fatalities to 1,629.
The country added 3,682 new cases, 3,104 of them in the general population and 578 among prison inmates, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 281,131 infections.
Bangkok registered 836 new cases and Samut Prakan came second with 501 new infections, according to the centre.
The country recorded 40 imported infections led by Thai returnees from Cambodia with 31 transmissions, 21 of them illegally crossing the border back to the country.
Others were three Thai nationals returning from Indonesia, two Thais from India and one Thai from Myanmar. Foreigners were one Japanese, one South Korean and one Afghan.