Officials announced that private hospitals will offer the two shots of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine for a maximum of 3000 baht total. The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation expect to order Moderna first in the process of importing vaccines for paid usage, according to the Private Hospital Association. The GPO will act as the middleman because manufacturers generally only work with governments.
But a timeline has not been announced. Yesterday the Public Health Minister estimated the Moderna vaccine will arrive in Thailand in the last 2 quarters of this year.
All the medical facilities in the association agreed to price match, placing the vaccine on the Commerce Ministry’s price control list, and expect that the price including all taxes fees and insurance will be no more than 3,000 baht. The vaccine itself cost about 1,200 baht per dose, and hospitals are putting together an insurance package in case of any side effects for allergic reactions with The General Insurance Association and the Office of the Insurance Commission. The coverage would be around 90-100 days from the first injection for about 50 to 100 baht.
The first step is to estimate how many jabs will be needed, and surveying has begun now to determine demand before ordering. Officials are urging people to register on the Mor Prom Line account to help in estimation, though there is no apparent option for getting a private vaccine in the app yet.
People are advised to try to get the free government shots first, as private vaccination is not currently available and may take a while. The Food and Drug Administration fined a hospital last year for registering people to get a vaccination when there are no alternate vaccines in Thailand yet.
Importing vaccines is complicated as licensing is needed to bring in biological products, but the GPO helping should simplify the process. The plan is for private hospitals to offer a paid vaccine in the Mor Prom account as a supplement to the government vaccination program. But they’re not allowed to use the same vaccine brands as it’s considered a conflict of interest.
Moderna is a likely vaccine choice for importation, but the Chinese Sinopharm jab is another option having gained World Health Organization approval Friday. The government so far intends to use vaccines from Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Russia’s Sputnik V.
When the government opened free vaccine registration one week ago, they expected 11.7 million people over 60 and 4.3 million people with conditions like diabetes, cancer, stroke, kidney failure, heart disease, and respiratory disease to register quickly. But according to data yesterday from the Public Health Ministry, only 1.25 million people used the official Line account of Mor Prom and just under 300,000 people registered in person at hospitals or with local volunteers.
In June they plan to use locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines from Siam Bioscience for all the vaccine appointments, with no details yet for the private vaccine appointments. Sinovac jabs can also be used and it was recently approved for people above 60 years old, after a new study since the clinical trials didn’t originally include elderly people.
Sinovac however has not been approved by the WHO for emergency use, who is only given its seal of approval to Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
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The Government P O will act as middle men.
Of course they will, they want their cut, and some of the cut will not go to the government.
This is what all the delay has been for, to sell the denied vaccination for B3000, two shots.
Thais are the scum of the earth.
i highly doubt of the efficiency of this vaccine since it have to stay at -15’c minimum and it been send from usa, or it lose it potency, also Thawed vaccine cannot be refrozen, better chance with a locally produced vaccine
Another self-annointed scientist. Uninformed comments are useless.
Interesting article. Potentially good news.
I have tried for the Mor prom on line. Either cannot find it or all in Thai (maybe I am doing something wrong!?)
I have called the Bangkok International hospital on Phuket. No registration, no vaccine (well we know that) no help in getting on any kind of waiting list. Yet I have spent 100s of thousands of baht there and want to at least be on a list somewhere to get a vaccine of choose. But all we see/read/hear is as changeable as the weather. I know this is a mammoth sized task but surely the hospitals could have a list and registration form their OWN EXISTING patients? To be notified when things start to happen. Capone get it free. Cannot pay for it. And all I read is about Phuket opening again….! This is certainly not what I consider the correct line of priorities.
THAIGER : the little tiny text window to type in, and also the return button acting as a POST button on an iPhone is REALLY annoying. Hard to spell check and many accidental posts when I type things but haven’t finished. 1) bigger text windows please is I can easily read what I have typed so far and 2) return is RETURN. Not post. You already have the little arrow for “post”. Can you please adjust your app on the next update. Thanks.
You could always just stop posting since your posts are rather useless and just the typical expat rants. If you don’t like it here you could just go home. Maybe easier on us all?
You need to chill pal. I wasn’t ranting. I was informing. You can scroll on by if you don’t like it.
It’s called “feedback”. Armchair trolls like you are the bane of the internet. “Ooh boo hoo. Don’t like it leave”. Wow you are SO original. ?
The good news is that we have a whole new forum for comments being launched this week. We’ll keep everyone informed.
Agreed Macman. Driving me crazy also on an iPhone. What I always struggle to understand, is that someone built the app and you’d think they would at least pick up an Android phone and iPhone and see what it was like. 1 use would show you the problem ffs! THAIGER, good to know it’s a new platform. Can you get Steve, Wan or Ek in the office to try it on their phone first before launching. Happy to test it for you free of charge first if you wish…
Sinovac is approved by WHO now, you should update the last paragraph of this article.
Sinopharm is approved. Not Sinovac.
We don’t believe that to be the case.
Cheaper to get vaccinated than to get tested.
Still too expensive for a mass produced vaccine.
Last week the WHO gave the approval also to the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine. Not the sinovac vaccine which is still not approved by the WHO and much less effective then the Sinopharm vaccine.
They can’t give Sinovac away now – 1.6 million registered out of 16 million expected, so 10%.
90% are happy to wait for free AZ, or Moderna at 3k baht – I’m one of them.
@Thaiger – My buttocks are clenching in excitement.
lol.
I liked the forum when it was possible the answer to a post was the next post.
@Amonwan – Why don’t you keep your stupid comments to your stupid self. Two comments on this stream and two nasty puerile critics of valid posts.
YOU put something into the forum so others can answer YOUR posts in the same manner.
@Amonwan – i just google it so tell me where i’m wrong
3000 Baht is too too much. Where is my government help?
@Gosport – you can wait for the free vaccine. I think 3000 baht is quite reasonable and will be happy to pay for it.
Agreed
@Amonwan – Fact, Thailands cold-chain is dog shit
@Thaiger – smart move
@Svcoquette – absolutely. 3,000 baht for two jabs of Moderna is very reasonable, since the cost per dose not including transportation, storage and administration is 1,200 baht.
Some people are simply never satisfied.
@Sm – A WHO approval says nothing. It remains Chinese junk that the Chinese themselves do not dare to use. Don’t forget: Everything that comes from China breaks, usually already when you open the package.
@ynwaps – $15 for a vaccine. $15 becomes 3000 Baht only when it arrives in Thailand.
“@ynwaps – $15 for a vaccine. $15 becomes 3000 Baht only when it arrives in Thailand.”
Moderna have priced their vaccine at $32 – $37 per dose since late last year, not including delivery costs (two doses required, so $64 – $74).
Widely reported, but apparently not on your planet, @Michael.
How do they come to the price of no more than 3000 bht for the complete coarse of vaccine. I have just seen the the price in Northern Thailand lanna hospital charging 2000 bht per dose plus insurance plus hospital fee bringing the total for both jabs to around 5000.00 bht abit more than the supposedly maximum of 3000.