Covid-19 vaccines Thailand
- Covid-19 News
Health Ministry asks vaccine importers to prepare procurement plans for next year
6 Covid-19 vaccine importers have been asked to prepare purchase plans for next year, which should factor in virus mutations. The Public Health Ministry made the request at a meeting with AstraZeneca Thailand, Pfizer Thailand, Zuellig Pharma, Janssen-Cilag, Biogenetech, and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation. According to a Nation Thailand report, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says an…
- Covid-19 News
Government does an about-face, will hold talks to join Covax
In a significant U-turn, the Thai government says it’s prepared to hold talks to join Covax, the global initiative that aims to ensure equal access to vaccines. Thailand famously became the only Southeast Asian nation not to join when it had the opportunity to do so last year. At the time, government spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri said Thailand preferred to sign…
- Covid-19 News
Healthcare workers to be prioritised for Pfizer vaccine from next month
The head of the Department of Disease Control says the country’s healthcare workers will be first in line for the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine from August. Opas Karnkawinpong says a donation of 1.5 million doses from the US government is expected to arrive at the end of this month. In a separate deal, the government has signed a procurement contract to…
- Covid-19 News
Private sector says lockdowns won’t work without vaccines, mass testing
Industry representatives in Thailand say Covid-19 lockdowns won’t work unless accompanied by mass screening and vaccination. Supant Mongkolsuthree from the Federation of Thai Industries has expressed scepticism that the proposed tightening of restrictions in 13 high-risk provinces will bring the virus under control. Instead, he says the proposal could cost the economy around 100 billion baht and will be ineffective…
- Covid-19 News
Thai industry representatives call on Health Minister to roll out vaccines in factories
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul will meet with the Federation of Thai Industries next week as the FTI calls for Covid-19 vaccines to be rolled out in factories. FTI chairman Supant Mongkolsuthree says the factory rollout is a priority as the surge in infections is causing some sites to close. To date, just 10% of around 10 million industrial workers…
- Covid-19 News
Government Pharmaceutical Organisation sues over Moderna profiteering allegations
The Government Pharmaceutical Organisation is suing the chairman of the Thonburi Healthcare Group and a mathematician, both of whom have criticised its procurement of the Moderna vaccine. The Bangkok Post reports that the GPO has filed police complaints against THG chairman Boon Vanasin and mathematician Loy Chunpongthong. Both men have alleged that the GPO profited from the purchase of Moderna…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to purchase another 120 million vaccine doses for next year
Thailand’s National Vaccine Committee has approved the purchase of an additional 120 million vaccine doses for 2022. However, it has yet to approve a draft announcement on the export of AstraZeneca doses manufactured in Thailand, due to concerns over insufficient doses for Thai citizens. Thai PBS World reports that Nakorn Premsri from the National Vaccine Institute says the extra 120…
- Covid-19 News
1 million additional vaccine doses being purchased for Bangkok residents
The Thai government has pledged to purchase an additional 1 million Covid-19 vaccine doses for Bangkok residents in the coming 2 weeks. Apisamai Srirangson from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration says the plan is to vaccinate 70% of the capital’s residents, but to date only 43.6% have been vaccinated. The Bangkok Post reports that the Disease Control Department will…
- Covid-19 News
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved for emergency use in Thailand
It’s been rolled out successfully around the world for several months now, with a seemingly high efficacy rate. And now, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has finally been approved in Thailand. The Food and Drug Administration has confirmed that the mRNA vaccine has been approved for emergency use in the Kingdom. mRNA vaccines work by instructing cells in the body to make…
- Covid-19 News
Leading Thai doctor calls on government to accelerate vaccine rollout
A prominent Thai doctor has called on the government to ramp up the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines, amid concerns at the low number of doses administered to date. The Bangkok Post quotes Dr Prasit Watanapa from Siriraj Hospital, who used a Facebook Live broadcast to urge officials to do more. He says Thailand must accelerate efforts to achieve herd immunity…
- Covid-19 News
Thonburi Healthcare Group to import 5 million doses of Moderna
A private healthcare group in Thailand says it’s planning to purchase 5 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. The Thonburi Healthcare Group says the vaccine will be purchased through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the only mechanism through which the private sector can import Covid-19 vaccines. The Bangkok Post reports that THG expects GPO approval within the coming month, with…
- Covid-19 News
Thai government signs contract for 20 million Pfizer doses
The government has approved the order of 20 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from US manufacturer, Pfizer. The Bangkok Post reports that the head of the Department of Disease Control signed the contract yesterday. Delivery will be some time this year, but when exactly is unclear, as the vaccine has yet to be approved by Thailand’s Food and Drug…
- Covid-19 News
Thailand to get 20 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, 5 million Johnson & Johnson doses
The Thai government is ordering 20 million doses of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, along with 5 million of the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine. Thai PBS World reports that deliveries are expected in the second half of the year. The Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, and Nattaphon Narkpanich, chair of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, says the Pfizer and…
- Covid-19 News
Thai PM apologises for delays in vaccination rollout
Sorry seems to be the hardest word… Or so the song goes. But the Thai PM has managed it (admittedly some would say it took a while). Prayut Chan-o-cha has apologised for the hiccups with the national vaccine rollout, admitting yesterday that there had been delays. The Bangkok Post reports that the PM insists the situation will improve with the…
- Covid-19 News
Government unsure if local administration budgets can be used to buy vaccines
In what could put yet another spanner in the works, the Thai government is questioning if local authorities can purchase vaccines and whether state-allocated budgets can be used for this purpose. The Bangkok Post reports that officials at the Interior Ministry fear a chaotic rollout, with several local administrative organisations racing to order supplies of Sinopharm, the latest vaccine to…
- Covid-19 News
Government adjusts timing of second dose as hospitals run low on AstraZeneca
The Thai government says the second dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine can be administered 16 weeks after the first, instead of the standard 10 weeks. Officials insist the delay won’t have any negative impact, as reports circulate that hospitals are running out of AstraZeneca doses. Both Chulabhorn and Vachira hospitals have confirmed they are suspending inoculation with AstraZeneca indefinitely…
