Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Monday that Thailand will purchase 8 million doses of Sinovac CoronaVac vaccine from China.

The country kicked off a long-awaited mass vaccination campaign on Monday as it battles its third and worst wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The government will ensure that everyone is vaccinated," Prayuth said in televised comments after he visited an inoculation center in Bangkok.

The government plans to vaccinate 70 percent of Thailand's population of more than 66 million people by the end of the year.