It’s here: first Moderna delivery finally touches down in Thailand

The long-awaited Moderna mRNA vaccine has finally arrived in Thailand, with the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation receiving 560,200 doses yesterday. The doses, which make up the first batch of orders, arrived on a Lufthansa flight and will now undergo quality checks before being distributed.

The Bangkok Post reports that 77% of the doses will go to private hospitals, who’ve already taken bookings and deposit payments from eager recipients. Sunaiyana Kitkasetpaisan from ZP Therapeutics, a division of Zuellig Pharma, official distributor in Thailand, says she’s delighted the shipment arrived as scheduled. The company has already submitted paperwork to the Thai Food and Drug Administration in relation to further imports from a plant in the US. The delivery of the first batch was hampered by ongoing problems obtaining doses from a plant in Europe.

It’s understood the GPO has placed orders for over 8.6 million Moderna doses on behalf of private hospitals. 1.9 million doses will be delivered by the end of this year, with the rest expected during the first quarter of 2022. After 77% of yesterday’s shipment is distributed to private hospitals, the remainder will be allocated to state agencies. The Thai Red Cross has placed an order for 1 million doses and will receive 20% of yesterday’s delivery.

The president of the Thai Private Hospital Association, Chalerm Harnpanich, says those who’ve already registered and paid a deposit for Moderna should check with their hospital if they’re eligible to receive a dose from the first shipment. He adds that people who’ve already received 2 doses of Sinovac and an AstraZeneca booster can postpone their appointment or transfer their allocation to someone else. Meanwhile, Chulabhorn Hospital has urged people who’ve reserved and paid for Moderna as a booster not to miss their appointment as any unused doses will be discarded.

Trials of the Moderna mRNA vaccine show that it is over 94% effective at protecting recipients against serious illness, hospitalisation, or death from Covid-19.

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SOURCE: Bangkok Post