Thailand says COVID-19 vaccinations to start next month

[chilly07]

17 hours ago, Jingthing said:

As much as I like to hear positive things said about Israel for a change, they really aren't a typical country to make a fair comparison. It's a very SMALL country both in geography and population and has an excellent health care delivery system. 

And they seem to have forgotten the Palestinian population!

[Barry343]

A friend of mine in Texas sent this message today, he had his covid shot on the first day of its release. "We’re doing okay mate, survived the COVID. Everyone is back on deck, The 2nd shot made me very tired, the day after I couldn’t stay awake. Went home & to bed at 1.30, didn’t get up until 6.00 the next morning. I did hear of some not quite nice stories about it. Our ER doctor is in a hospital in Plano "city in Texas" with COVID after getting the first shot, He’s not travelling to well, some good days, some bad, he has a tracheotomy fitted, has real issues with his breathing."

[Jingthing]

15 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

And they seem to have forgotten the Palestinian population!

You need to be more specific. Are you talking about Israeli citizens that are Palestinian as well as non citizens in Gaza and the west bank? I would be surprised if they "forgot" about Israeli citizens. It is true that non Israeli citizens outside the borders of Israel are under a different and slower vaccine program. That is obviously not good. But you can say the same thing about most of the world.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, Barry343 said:

A friend of mine in Texas sent this message today, he had his covid shot on the first day of its release. "We’re doing okay mate, survived the COVID. Everyone is back on deck, The 2nd shot made me very tired, the day after I couldn’t stay awake. Went home & to bed at 1.30, didn’t get up until 6.00 the next morning. I did hear of some not quite nice stories about it. Our ER doctor is in a hospital in Plano "city in Texas" with COVID after getting the first shot, He’s not travelling to well, some good days, some bad, he has a tracheotomy fitted, has real issues with his breathing."

Are you implying that he got infected from the vaccine because if so that is not credible.

[connda]

Hear that sound?  That's the sound of foot dragging.

[connda]

1 minute ago, connda said:

Hear that sound?  That's the sound of foot dragging.

Knowing how Thailand works, my best guess is that the slow rollout is a direct function of elite Thais who are in positions of power trying to game a way to maximize their profits. 
Commoners?  They all are just Thai Baht in the revenue column of an balance sheet of companies who wish to find a way to turn pandemic fear into maximized profits for a select sub-strata of the privileged.  If they have to wait?  Too bad.  They're all just.....commoners.  They don't really matter other than for their ability to consume and make the rich richer.

[SupermarineS6B]

Interesting figures just off the BBC  25/1/21

 

The US and China have given the most doses overall - the US more than 20 million and China more than 15 million - while the UK has administered more than six million doses.

But when breaking the figures down by population, looking at doses administered per 100 people in the 10 countries giving the most vaccinations, Israel, the UAE and the UK top the list. They have administered about 41, 25 and 10 doses per 100 people respectively.

Most countries are prioritising the over-60s, health workers and people who are clinically vulnerable.

[SupermarineS6B]

32 minutes ago, connda said:

Knowing how Thailand works, my best guess is that the slow rollout is a direct function of elite Thais who are in positions of power trying to game a way to maximize their profits. 
Commoners?  They all are just Thai Baht in the revenue column of an balance sheet of companies who wish to find a way to turn pandemic fear into maximized profits for a select sub-strata of the privileged.  If they have to wait?  Too bad.  They're all just.....commoners.  They don't really matter other than for their ability to consume and make the rich richer.

Yep, as i once witnessed a Thai-Chinese individual tell an Isaan person..... " You're a peasant, and always will be"... Charming.........  And let's not kid ourselves who's in charge, they're not Somchai from Isaan.......

[VBF]

8 hours ago, Lickey said:

And those of us who have allergies, we don't get a travel passport? If we don't have Injection? 

It would appear that not all the vaccines cause allergic reactions:

I think these are credible sources which presumably are updated regularly....

 

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/

 

https://www.anaphylaxis.org.uk/covid-19-advice/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-and-allergies/#:~:text='Following close surveillance of the,(excipient) of the vaccine.

 

https://www.allergyuk.org/about/latest-news/1374-allergy-and-the-coronavirus-covid19-vaccine

[Bkk Brian]

2 hours ago, connda said:

Hear that sound?  That's the sound of foot dragging.

You nailed it!!

 

"Anutin explained that both the Public Health Ministry and the National Vaccine Institute have been dragging their feet over the procurement COVID-19 vaccines for Thai people"

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/public-health-ministers-clarification-of-thailands-covid-19-vaccine-deal/

[sambum]

5 hours ago, Xonax said:

When will high-risk expat individuals be offered vaccinations?

 

Probably when they've decided how much to charge without being accused of profiteering. Oh, cancel that, they have never bothered about expats before, suffice to say -  "Back of the queue please"

[MarkyM3]

13 hours ago, rheinwiese said:

This morning in the German press:

 

Setback with corona vaccine: Astra-Zeneca vaccine hardly works for seniors

 

The German vaccination strategy is threatened with a fiasco:

The British-Swedish group's agent is said to be only 8% effective in older people.

 

Berlin, Düsseldorf, Brussels After the controversial vaccination start in Germany , the federal government placed high hopes in the approval of the vaccine from Astra-Zeneca: The preparation of the British-Swedish group is to complement the RNA vaccine from Biontech and Moderna and pave the way for the second vaccination phase level in which people can also get vaccinations from their general practitioners.

 

But the vaccine from Astra-Zeneca , which, unlike the RNA agents, does not require extreme freezing temperatures for storage, could be unsuitable for seniors at risk of corona, of all things:

 

According to information from the Handelsblatt from coalition circles, the federal government only expects an effectiveness of eight percent among the over 65s. It was feared that this vaccine, for which the EU could approve this week, would not come close to the 90 percent effectiveness of the RNA vaccine. The extremely low effectiveness in seniors is a setback for the Berlin vaccination strategy.

 

https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/deutschland/pandemie-bekaempfung-rueckschlag-bei-corona-impfstoff-astra-zeneca-vakzin-wirkt-bei-senioren-wohl-kaum/26849788.html

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-eu-astrazeneca/update-1-germany-fears-eu-will-not-approve-astrazeneca-vaccine-for-seniors-bild-says-idUSL1N2K024E

From BBC website, FWIW..

 

"Germany's health ministry on Tuesday firmly denied reports in German media of a lower efficacy rate for AstraZeneca among the elderly.

The reports, including in the Handelsblatt economic daily, cited sources saying the efficacy was as low as 8% in the over 65s.

But the ministry said its review of the data in the reports "did not allow this assumption" and that it "appears that two things have been mixed up in the reports".

AstraZeneca issued a statement saying the reports were "completely incorrect", adding: "In November, we published data in The Lancet demonstrating that older adults showed strong immune responses to the vaccine, with 100% of older adults generating spike-specific antibodies after the second dose."

UK opposition lawmaker Lisa Nandy said the reports had created "confusion and concern" and risked "adding to the spread of disinformation".

[trainman34014]

Waht they really mean is '' Vaccinations for the 'Important' people will start next month'' !

[dapperdan]

Astrogenica list price is $3,oo a shot.  Needs 2.

[rabang]

1 hour ago, MarkyM3 said:

From BBC website, FWIW..

 

"Germany's health ministry on Tuesday firmly denied reports in German media of a lower efficacy rate for AstraZeneca among the elderly.

The reports, including in the Handelsblatt economic daily, cited sources saying the efficacy was as low as 8% in the over 65s.

But the ministry said its review of the data in the reports "did not allow this assumption" and that it "appears that two things have been mixed up in the reports".

AstraZeneca issued a statement saying the reports were "completely incorrect", adding: "In November, we published data in The Lancet demonstrating that older adults showed strong immune responses to the vaccine, with 100% of older adults generating spike-specific antibodies after the second dose."

UK opposition lawmaker Lisa Nandy said the reports had created "confusion and concern" and risked "adding to the spread of disinformation".

In fact 8% of the participants in the trials were over 65. The original news was fake due to a big misunderstanding.

[shdmn]

26 minutes ago, rabang said:

In fact 8% of the participants in the trials were over 65. The original news was fake due to a big misunderstanding.

There is a big US phase 3 trial of the AZ vaccine done properly with 2 full shots to about 34,000 people covering all the age groups that is due to report soon.  It will clear up all the questions from the botched phase 3 trials done elsewhere.  That is what the US and some other countries are waiting for before they approve it.  

 

The J&J single shot vaccine will probably be the next one approved in the US.  I think emergency authorization could be within the next couple weeks.

Edited January 26, 2021 by shdmn

[Dogmatix]

13 hours ago, mjakob007 said:

Apparently last week, Myanmar received 2mill doses of astra zeneca free from india.

where are we! 

 

What's more Thailand was offered 2m doses of AZ by India at $3 a dose at the same time and refused them according to media sources.  This has apparently been confirmed by the Indian ambassador to Thailand who offered to do all he could to get the doses for Thailand, if the government changed its mind.

 

In fact, Thailand could probably get all its vaccine requirement from India much quicker than going into local production and for about half the price.  The price estimate for the locally produced AZ is $6 a dose.  India makes around 60% of the world's vaccines already and has massive economies of scale and experience, so with cheaper labour too it is not surprising they can manufacture much cheaper than Thailand.  They also have their own locally developed vaccine that will be approved soon.  The 63 million doses the Thai government wants would hardly make local production viable  and the project capacity of 200m doses a year is based on exporting to other SE Asian countries.  However, it is hard to see why they would want to wait for a long time for Thai product and pay double the Indian price, if they could order from India. 

 

AZ is doing the vaccine roll out as a 'non profit' hoping to hugely enhance its reputation.  The last thing they want is to be dragged into the politics of a third world country with people facing decades in prison for question a deal which looks like a very minor link in their global production plan and that they probably did as an afterthought because it was offered.  I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the plug on it and arranged supply to Thailand from elsewhere.  

[Dogmatix]

"The minister also explained why Thailand did not join World Health Organization’s COVAX vaccine program, explaining that the program is intended to procure vaccines for poor countries and Thailand is not classified as such."

 

This is not how COVAX is described on the WHO website. It is available free to the poorest countries like Afghanistan but is also available to middle income countries who would pay. Even countries that have a bilateral deal with a manufacturer, like Thailand, can be in COVAX as an insurance policy to get additional quantities of vaccine to fill in gaps and improve their domestic roll outs.  Thailand, being very behind the curve on local production seems fully qualified for this and the AZ vaccine is available from COVAX for $3 a dose to countries that can pay. 

[Dogmatix]

13 hours ago, mjakob007 said:

Myanmar started vaccincations...

Maldives almost completed, yes small population.

 

 

 

Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan have also received Indian AZ vaccine free.

 

I am not sure about Pakistan though.  They might have to wait. Anyway there is a lot of resistance to vaccines in the tribal areas of Pakistan where health officials are regularly murdered trying to carry out vaccinations. 

[Patong2021]

On 1/25/2021 at 7:32 AM, spiekerjozef said:

Plenty of time as most European countries are soooooo slooooow it takes them till September-October to vaccinate everybody. (Why??).

While Israel is done and dusted vaccinating it's entire population by the end of March. (that's the way to do it !).

 

European countries are not doing as bad as people say. They are being extra careful to avoid the crazy talk. This means explaining vaccine to every patient, and supervising after vaccine. Also vaccine cannot be given like annual flu. Vaccine giving is spread out to prevent crowds and lineup. This means less people can be given. Also, only a small number of plants to manufacture and they can only make so many doses in a week. 

[mbenson]

This is an interesting resources for keeping track of things. Looks well done and credible.

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/covid-vaccine-tracker-global-distribution/?sref=SCKvL4TY&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=content&utm_content=trackingvaccine&fbclid=IwAR0i4H7XZJdeRl8i20xvl6dxm75AVaY_y6IQWOcby_AthzhYh1NGpi7IXzM

[mjakob007]

9 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

 

What's more Thailand was offered 2m doses of AZ by India at $3 a dose at the same time and refused them according to media sources.  This has apparently been confirmed by the Indian ambassador to Thailand who offered to do all he could to get the doses for Thailand, if the government changed its mind.

 

In fact, Thailand could probably get all its vaccine requirement from India much quicker than going into local production and for about half the price.  The price estimate for the locally produced AZ is $6 a dose.  India makes around 60% of the world's vaccines already and has massive economies of scale and experience, so with cheaper labour too it is not surprising they can manufacture much cheaper than Thailand.  They also have their own locally developed vaccine that will be approved soon.  The 63 million doses the Thai government wants would hardly make local production viable  and the project capacity of 200m doses a year is based on exporting to other SE Asian countries.  However, it is hard to see why they would want to wait for a long time for Thai product and pay double the Indian price, if they could order from India. 

 

AZ is doing the vaccine roll out as a 'non profit' hoping to hugely enhance its reputation.  The last thing they want is to be dragged into the politics of a third world country with people facing decades in prison for question a deal which looks like a very minor link in their global production plan and that they probably did as an afterthought because it was offered.  I wouldn't be surprised if they pulled the plug on it and arranged supply to Thailand from elsewhere.  

Italy is threatening to sue AZ as they have not been supplied the promised quantity.

 

and Thailand is expected to receive its first batch of 50k AZ from Italy..

????

[mjakob007]

19 hours ago, rabas said:

Seems to be a competition with China. China was planning to 'give' free batches to some of the same small countries. India is the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines, much bigger than China. China's vaccine also barely works.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-myanmar-vaccine/myanmar-receives-first-batch-of-covid-19-vaccines-from-india-idUKKBN29R0ZS

AZ vaccine fits that bill for the countries with leas advanced logistical facilities.

 

and if sinovac’s efficacy is around 50%!!!

[mtls2005]

Hopefully "government" leaders like prayut, prawit and anutin will be first up to take the sinovac vaccine, to instill faith in the masses.

 

 

#justkidding

 

 

[internationalism]

todays court orders removal of all thanathorn questions about siam biosciance, leading to suspicion, that corruption has taken place, indeed, and bioscience can't wash itself clean

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30402065

Edited January 31, 2021 by internationalism

[ThailandRyan]

11 minutes ago, internationalism said:

todays court orders removal of all thanathorn questions about siam biosciance, leading to suspicion, that corruption has taken place, indeed, and bioscience can't wash itself clean

https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30402065

Nothing like whitewashing the tarnish off of the FACE of Thailand to keeps it image squeaky clean.  One has to wonder if they have requested the worldwide media to scrub the story from all servers, and all who may have downloaded the information on their own personal computers.  The world is watching.