Don’t worry, says PM, we’ll have enough vaccines

The Thai PM says he’s confident there will be no shortage of Covid-19 vaccines and that expected deliveries will arrive as scheduled. Prayut Chan-o-cha was speaking yesterday during a House of Representatives address, ahead of a debate on the budget for the 2022 financial year. According to a Bangkok Post report, the PM says the distribution of vaccines to areas of the country dealing with large clusters will be accelerated.

“The government continues to procure Covid-19 vaccines and has primary, secondary and emergency plans. I expect the delivery of the supplies to be made on schedule. The government has procured vaccines from Sinovac and AstraZeneca while an alternative vaccine is being procured by Chulabhorn Royal Academy.”

Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the Public Health Ministry says the national vaccine rollout will begin on June 7, as planned. He insists inoculation will be with AstraZeneca, echoing a recent statement from the Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, that the vaccine will arrive on time. According to Kiattiphum, 70% of the population will have received their first dose by the end of September, as per the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s target.

Meanwhile, Supakit Sirilak from the Department of Medical Sciences says 19 samples of the AstraZeneca vaccine, 5 of which were manufactured locally by Siam Bioscience, have passed all quality checks.

Today, the CCSA have reported 2,230 new infections and 38 deaths. This brings to 133,159 the number of Covid-19 cases recorded in the Kingdom since April 1. Bangkok is still the epicentre, having reported over 40,000 infections in the current wave. Of note, only 77 of today’s cases were reported in prisons, a huge drop compared to recent weeks.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post