Chulabhorn Royal Academy receives no vaccines from government, postpones first doses

Bangkok’s Chulabhorn Royal Academy says it has to postpone its planned administration of first doses as the Thai government has not allocated it any supplies of the AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccines. The academy, which is sponsored by Princess Chulabhorn, sister of His Majesty, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, says the administration of first doses will be stopped from June 14. However, those with appointments for a follow-up dose will receive the second as planned.

The academy says anyone considered at high risk of serious illness from Covid-19 should register at a central vaccination centre as soon as possible. The development comes as a number of Thai provinces are also forced to postpone their vaccine rollouts after receiving fewer doses than expected from the Public Health Ministry. Several provinces with low infection rates have had their allocation cut in favour of provinces facing serious outbreaks and those participating in tourism pilot projects, like Phuket.

Last week, the CRA announced that it would import “alternative vaccines” to supplement the government’s rollout. The decree authorising the academy to import doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine was signed by Princess Chulabhorn, and allegedly came as a surprise to the government, with the Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul saying he knew nothing about it.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand