About-face on allowing private imports of Covid-19 vaccines

[JTXR]

A few weeks ago, government said it would allow private hospitals to import Covid-19 vaccines.  Many expats were heartened by this news because they thought the public-sector vaccine campaign would likely make foreigners low priority regardless of age or underlying conditions.

 

Now, government seems to be saying only government can import the vaccines, at least in what it calls "Phase 1."  Apparently the Thai business community is not happy with the about-face.

https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-thailand/update-1-thai-businesses-protest-move-to-stop-private-vaccine-imports-idUSL1N2KG0P3

[mtls2005]

Relax.

 

Flip

Flop

Flip

Flop

 

 

 

The higher classes will pressure the "government" to allow private hospitals to import and administer vaccines.

 

The question is: will they allow the "service staff" from Myanmar or Isaan get the good vaccine too? 

 

 

[sirineou]

IMO , allowing private importation , would be vaccinating for the rich,  the poor will get their vaccine end of year when the pandemic is over. 

Edited February 11, 2021 by sirineou

[Moncul]

Thailand doesn't seem to be doing a very good job of planning its vaccination programme, and it's certainly doing a s**t job of communicating it (probably because there isn't one).

[internationalism]

it's minister of health, anutin, who said, that private import is forbidden. He contradicted the PM, who just a few days earlier gave his nod.

so it's looks like posturing by anutin, that he is the upper hand in health matters.

He will be delaying private import, because he wants to show, how efficient his ministry is.

somebody mentioned on forum, that there is consensus that private vax will come from september.

I am guessing it might be earlier.

Sinovac is already registered and coming this month for the state health workers, just a small quantity.

So the first available private probably will also be sinovac - private hospitals need it for their staff.

Some private hospital network wanted to import 1mln doses of sinovac, with a prospect for another 9mln doses. They are planning to sell for 1600b per dose, so affordable even to the average thai patients. That's the latest info from private sector.

Some earlier plans were for pfizer and moderna, but  in small quantities 50-60k per hospital network, so really for their personel and own patients.