Vaccine Map is a real-time, map-based website designed for Thailand to provide time-critical updates on the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. During the initial rollout of Thailand’s walk-in inoculation program, fewer than 3% of the population (approximately 1.5 million people out of 66 million) received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In that process, a lack of clear information on vaccine availability emerged as a significant issue. Vaccination centers dealt with long lines and increased wait times as some centers got more concentrated attention than others. The Vaccine Map Platform used social media chatbots to let authenticated healthcare staff provide time-bound updates on the number of vaccines available and the approximate number of people waiting. The open public map displayed the data for everyone to learn about and act on accordingly. This approach enhanced transparency in an otherwise complicated process and provided a simple way for residents to plan their travel and wait times for the nearest vaccination sites. In addition, the data generated by the VaccineMap was accessible to central healthcare staff for further analytics that provided deeper insight into the efficacy of the mass vaccination effort, helping healthcare officials address bottlenecks in real-time.

MIT Urban Risk Lab: Miho Mazereeuw, Mayank Ojha, Aditya Barve, Eakapob Huangthanapan

Supported by: Bangkok Bank

Technology Partner: Mapbox