“Our previous experience shows that intradermal injections uses 25% of a muscular injection, but triggers the same level of immunity,” head of the medical science department, Supakit Sirilak told reporters.

Thailand has been reporting record deaths in recent weeks among nearly 1 million cases overall.

It has inoculated 8.3% of its population of over 66 million in a mass vaccination campaign that started in June in the midst of a battle against virulent Alpha and Delta COVID-19 variants.

People wearing protective masks queue outside the Central Vaccination Center as Thailand opens walk-in first dose of the AstraZeneca coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination scheme for elders, people with a minimum weight of 100 kilograms and pregnant women amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Bangkok, Thailand.

But despite manufacturing vaccines for AstraZeneca and ordering enough doses of different brands to cover its population, Thailand is struggling to get supplies fast enough.

It has even sought to borrow vaccines from the Himalayan kingdom Bhutan and last month became the first country in the world to mix a Chinese coronavirus vaccine and a Western shot. 

It has been using the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine as a booster for its medical personnel.

If its research confirms intradermal injections are effective, regardless of brand, Thailand could vaccinate four to five times the number of people with the same amount of vaccine, Supakit said.

According to Reuters