Locally-produced AstraZeneca vaccine will be available by June

AstraZeneca Thailand has released a statement to confirm that doses of its locally-produced vaccine will be available by June. Siam Bioscience has been given the sole rights to manufacture the vaccine within Thailand, with an AstraZeneca representative saying the manufacturing process has progressed significantly. The Bangkok Post reports that the Food and Drug Administration has worked with the government to ensure the vaccine could go into production swiftly. James Teague from AstraZeneca Thailand says the vaccine is being produced locally in accordance with the same standards of quality and safety that apply elsewhere.

“AstraZeneca and our global manufacturing partners, including Siam Bioscience, are committed to maintaining the highest safety and quality standards of our products. Numerous safety tests and quality control measures are carried out at each step. We are working as quickly as possible to supply the vaccine to the Thai government to overcome the ongoing pandemic. Thailand will play a central role to support our neighbours in Southeast Asia to combat Covid-19. Together we can join hands to fight this pandemic.”

According to the Bangkok Post, the Public Health Ministry says the first doses will be administered to 16 million people on June 7. At least 70% of the population in high-risk areas like Bangkok, Chon Buri, and Chiang Mai need to be vaccinated as a priority, in order to slow the spread of the virus across the rest of the country. The first 16 million to receive the locally-produced doses have already had their names registered on the Mor Prom app, due to launch on May 1.

Included in that group are around 11.7 million people over the age of 60 and a further 4.3 million with health conditions that put them at greater risk, including respiratory disease, heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, and obesity. From July, a second group of 31 million people between the ages of 18 and 59 can register online to be vaccinated. They can expect to receive their first dose from August.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post