By THE NATION
BANGKOK — Monks of central Bangkok’s famed Wat Traimit Withayaram Worawihan (Traimit Temple) and temples nearby were vaccinated against Covid-19 by a Public Health Ministry mobile vaccination unit on Wednesday.
The first jab was received by the temple’s abbot, Thongchai Thammachayo, who is also a member of the Sangha Supreme Council of Thailand.
A total of 151 monks from Traimit Temple in Samphanthawong district and temples nearby were inoculated on Wednesday. Monks aged over 60 years old will receive the AstraZeneca jab while those aged 18 to 59 years will get the Sinovac jab.
After vaccination, they had to rest for 30 minutes to check for side effects from the vaccine. So far, no monks have reported side effects.
Deputy Public Health Minister Satit Pituthecha said that after being vaccinated monks must still maintain social distancing while conducting religious rites, and also continue to wear facemasks and wash their hands regularly.
Traimit Temple is home to Phra Phuttha Maha Suwanna Patimakon, a 3-metre-tall gold Buddha image commonly known as Phra Sukhothai Traimit. The seated Sukhothai-era-style statue weighs 5.5 tonnes (5,500 kilograms) and was covered with stucco for two centuries to conceal its true value before being “rediscovered” in the 1950s.