BANGKOK (NNT) - Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has assured that 800,000 doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine would be delivered to provinces nationwide this month.

 

He said 300,000 doses would be used to contain the spread of Covid-19 in six provinces, another 300,000 doses would be used to help tourism recover and in border provinces, while 200,000 doses would be delivered to 55 provinces.

 

The prime minister said the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had so far approved three Covid-19 vaccines: AstraZeneca, Sinovac, and Johnson & Johnson. Many pharmaceutical companies are also preparing documents to request approval from Thai FDA, such as India’s Bharat Biotech, US Moderna and China’s Sinopharm.

 

He added that the government was ready to support the private sector in purchasing and importing Covid-19 vaccines once pharmaceutical companies allow them to do so.

 

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7 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

He said 300,000 doses would be used to contain the spread of Covid-19 in six provinces, another 300,000 doses would be used to help tourism recover and in border provinces, while 200,000 doses would be delivered to 55 provinces.

 

So that should cover just over 1.2%  of the country. (if my maths is correct)...well it’s a start I suppose. 

27 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

800,000 doses of Sinovac

 

for once i'm happy to wait

 

 

They are ahead of Australia. General population won't see anything untill June 

2 minutes ago, madmen said:

They are ahead of Australia. General population won't see anything untill June 

What's the reason Australia being in this position? Is it vaccine shortage, bureaucracy or something else?

Thailand will celebrate any and all vaccine milestones, regardless how insignificant they are...

 

800,000 doses is a rounding error of what's required and will vaccinate 400,000 people, or .5% of the Thai population.

 

Siam Bioscience is probably the only possible savior, supposedly producing AZ vaccines locally - and have promised 10million vaccines per month in June - so giving them some leeway until the end of June, is less than 3 months.

 

Where are the updates? Or are we not allowed to as questions? And what happens to the tourist resurgence if the country does not meet vaccination targets?

 

This is going to get interesting.

1 hour ago, madmen said:

They are ahead of Australia. General population won't see anything untill June 

 

Not quite accurate.

 

Australia are ahead of Thailand as a % of population vaccinated. Not that either of them have done a good job with the vaccine plans.

 

It appears that countries that did well managing the virus got complacent and lazy with vaccine management.

I will wait and pay for J&J.

I wonder why it's so easy to get the Sinovac vaccine? Just how long of a wait is there for the J&J vaccine? Have they ordered any yet? My sleeve is rolled up and my wallet is open.

3 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

I wonder why it's so easy to get the Sinovac vaccine? Just how long of a wait is there for the J&J vaccine? Have they ordered any yet? My sleeve is rolled up and my wallet is open.

I have heard that the Chinese manufacture of Sinovac mass produced it, but the real reason I heard is many of many of Chinese will not take it because they consider it not a traditional Chinese medicine towards their beleif. And thus you have and over abundance of Sinovac.

800,000 in a month is nothing. Even the UK, with a similar population to Thailand, feels it's moving too slowly in spite of managing to give over 800,000 jabs in a single day. The Thai government needs to get its collective finger out of the place where the sun don't shine and get serious about vaccination.

 

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/vaccine-uk-rollout-boris-johnson-b925400.html

2 hours ago, DLock said:

 

Siam Bioscience is probably the only possible savior, supposedly producing AZ vaccines locally - and have promised 10million vaccines per month in June - so giving them some leeway until the end of June, is less than 3 months.

 

Where are the updates? 

SB is allegedly on it 5th line production run of AZ, so where are the 1-4 runs being sent? Or just in cold storage?

It allegedly will not let Thai news media see any of its operations or stockpiles, unlike most of the other pharmaceuticals producing covid-19 vaccines.

if it's on the 5th run, why would release in Thailand be delayed until June? Unless AZ will be exported like India is doing?

Thailand has only vaccinated 180,000 people to date and is a long way behind most of it's Asian neighbors... Previously Pinocchio said that 70% of the Thai population would have to be vaccinated before there could be unrestricted entry to tourists. That would take years at their current rate of progress...  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/covid-vaccinations-tracker.html 

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I have heard that the Chinese manufacture of Sinovac mass produced it, but the real reason I heard is many of many of Chinese will not take it because they consider it not a traditional Chinese medicine towards their beleif. And thus you have and over abundance of Sinovac.

Just mix in some Pangolin scales, Tiger organ and Bear bile. Sorted

These charts are from worldometer.info on 4th April. 3 countries using the Chinese Coronavac. The indicators all point in the wrong direction. Not sure if the vaccine is not very effective or something else is happening like the countries are opening up too fast.

 

But we do know that the Chines have not released any data on the effectiveness of Coronavac in phase 3 trials. And we know that Coronavac uses old technology from 100 years ago...using inactivated viruses. Rather than modern genetic modification approaches used by western companies.

 

It is worth watching what happens in Coronavac countries to see if it works properly.

 

 

12 minutes ago, WHansen said:

Just mix in some Pangolin scales, Tiger organ and Bear bile. Sorted

Ya know, if they did mix in herbs and whatever masking it over as being a sort of also a tradition medicine then just maybe they would take it. You could even tell them the needle acts like acupuncture.

8 million may be news,

Putting it off until the local one is available

At this rate in 10 years everyone will be vaccinated. 

Meanwhile, little Bhutan - with some 800,000 population way up in the Himalayas - has just completed first-vac of 60% of its population in 1 week.

8 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

 

for once i'm happy to wait

 

 

Why? For now only, the western Astra is causing lots of problems.

Didnt hear form any other vaccine, yet.

One thing for sure , i will not have Astra.

9 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Many pharmaceutical companies are also preparing documents to request approval from Thai FDA, such as India’s Bharat Biotech, US Moderna and China’s Sinopharm.

 

<cue the sound of dragging feet> 

6 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I have heard that the Chinese manufacture of Sinovac mass produced it, but the real reason I heard is many of many of Chinese will not take it because they consider it not a traditional Chinese medicine towards their beleif. And thus you have and over abundance of Sinovac.

 

It's all a bit "Only Fools and Horses", isn't it?

7 hours ago, vandeventer said:

I wonder why it's so easy to get the Sinovac vaccine? Just how long of a wait is there for the J&J vaccine? Have they ordered any yet? My sleeve is rolled up and my wallet is open.

Could be because of Thailand's C.P. group owning 15% of the company.

8 hours ago, DLock said:

It appears that countries that did well managing the virus got complacent and lazy with vaccine management.

 

I think it's more that they had multiple factors that helped slow the spread, along with the political will to lock everything down and make stopping spread the top priority.  Asia was also used to breakouts like this.

 

Manufacturing/negotiating/ordering to secure enough vaccines, then facilitating the delivery of that vaccine is completely different.

59 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

 

It's all a bit "Only Fools and Horses", isn't it?

Yeah but who knows. Maybe the Chinese Gov secretly vaccinated the majority of them somehow so it doesn't matter either way. Just a theory I hold. Nothing factual. 

That's an embarrassingly low number.

 

8 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

I have heard that the Chinese manufacture of Sinovac mass produced it, but the real reason I heard is many of many of Chinese will not take it because they consider it not a traditional Chinese medicine towards their beleif. And thus you have and over abundance of Sinovac.

There is a deep distrust with the people and the government. There is a huge market importing foreign made medicines in.

 

10 hours ago, bluesofa said:

What's the reason Australia being in this position? Is it vaccine shortage, bureaucracy or something else?

They probably thought they could manage without vaccines due to the low cases. However, after seeing third and fourth waves around the world plus the success of vaccines, they had a change of heart. However, by then the top tier nations already snapped up available doses. Now they are looking at late 2021 delivery.

4 minutes ago, hioctane said:

 

There is a deep distrust with the people and the government. There is a huge market importing foreign made medicines in.

 

They probably thought they could manage without vaccines due to the low cases. However, after seeing third and fourth waves around the world plus the success of vaccines, they had a change of heart. However, by then the top tier nations already snapped up available doses. Now they are looking at late 2021 delivery.

They have a second vaccine now as well. Can't imagine the domestic folk distrust their Gov as I think their is a major disinformation and love your country campaign in place. Maybe for the few who have actually travelled. But also they want to travel again and the only way is to take the vaccine to get approved. All a big who knows. .

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

That's an embarrassingly low number.

Yep. But not on how few cases there are truly and how little transmission from them jumping on it containing it. For me and my family, it is waiting for the J&J vaccine or we will forever hold. Not going anywhere soon anyway. 

4 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Yep. But no ton how few cases there are and how little transmission from them jumping on it containing it. For me and my family, it is waiting for the J&J vaccine or we will forever hold. Not going anywhere soon anyway. 

Viruses don't know from borders.