Amid both stinging criticism and defence of the government from a range of top officials and business leaders over the current crisis facing the kingdom with record levels of infection, hospitalisations and deaths, some top business people and economic analysts are urging the government to focus on the vaccination drive even ahead of supporting the economy, at this point, as the most cost-effective solution to bringing the country out of the morass it now finds itself in. These include the Vice Chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, Kriengkrai Thiennukul (centre right) and Thai Air Asia boss Tassapon Bijleveld (centre left).

 

by Joseph O' Connor

 

Government’s handling of the vaccination campaign is being openly criticised for being too short-sighted and lacking ambition. One analyst has said the government can have ‘no excuses’ for failing to deliver the required vaccine doses to reopen on time as other countries in Southeast Asia have managed to do.

 

Top Thai business leaders are urging the government’s economic team to prioritise the procurement of vaccines no matter how high the cost may be to deal with the current escalating Covid-19 virus wave in the kingdom even where this means putting that goal ahead of priming the economy. It comes as a senior researcher with a leading think tank is warning that it could be 4 to 6 months before this current virus wave is brought under control while a top security analyst says the government’s plan to vaccinate the main segment of the adult population from August is simply too slow.

 

Leading Thai business figures are urging the government to adopt a decisive approach to the third and most dangerous wave of the Covid-19 virus which threatens Thailand with a potentially deeper economic crisis than it faced last year.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2021/05/05/government-must-buy-vaccines-at-any-cost/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2021-05-05

 

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Vaccination roll out will depend on the incentivisation programme and kick backs the people at the top can orgnanise for themselves. As soon as bank account details have been exchanged we can expect to see some action.
 

You're not going to have any tourism that will have any meaning if the population doesn't have vaccine.

I don't care what lame excuse everyone has, this is the way that it is, pure and simple, end of discussion.  I don't care what the death rate is in Bolivia.  

Totally true the Government doesn't take care of its people. With an emergency decree for months, they can't even decide in 1 week to buy a vaccine. It has to approved by many departments, who all have to be paid and delay it.  Pfizer offered in January vaccines now it is May and still they don't know if they can buy it??? Moderna maybe somewhere this month???? Sputnik V don't hear anything about it anymore.. No the vaccines Thailand will use is only to enrich the one who must not be named, and some of his companions but the people can rot and die... Bad bad bad poilicy

18 minutes ago, dcsw53 said:

Vaccination roll out will depend on the incentivisation programme and kick backs the people at the top can orgnanise for themselves. As soon as bank account details have been exchanged we can expect to see some action.
 

Not easy to setup Of shore bank accounts these days

Edited May 5, 20215 yr by ChipButty

A dangerous post has been removed

C.P. will be happy to hear this, with a 15% stake in Sinovac I'm sure they can arrange as many shipments as required

6 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

C.P. will be happy to hear this, with a 15% stake in Sinovac I'm sure they can arrange as many shipments as required

It appears they have already got their Mitts on some Vaccines from somewhere to Vaccinate the communities of Klong Toey at a rate of 1000 per Day for the next 2 - 3 weeks.

good testing site then 

It appears they have already got their Mitts on some Vaccines from somewhere to Vaccinate the communities of Klong Toey at a rate of 1000 per Day for the next 2 - 3 weeks.   A good testing site then on the poor that live there just to see if the new cheap vaccine works or not

Edited May 5, 20215 yr by whiteman

A deliberate policy for the benefit of the few and to the detriment of many.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Leading Thai business figures are urging the government to adopt a decisive approach

there it is, decisiveness: Thai health ministry denies they are giving free jabs to expats - Thais come first

Thai government urged to buy more vaccine doses at any cost as the only way out of a growing crisis

Translated:
For the right price, the sole-source Thai manufacturer of the Covid vaccines will ramp up production to meet the demand if the government agrees to purchasing the product at "any cost." 
???? Hummmm....  Never saw this coming.  ????

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Government’s handling of the vaccination campaign is being openly criticised for being too short-sighted and lacking ambition. One analyst has said the government can have ‘no excuses’ for failing to deliver the required vaccine doses to reopen on time as other countries in Southeast Asia have managed to do.

Time to get Prayut & Co out of office.

I have many Thai friends who are now openly saying they are tired of this government and want things done differently.

 

Prayut as the Covid Czar could simply issue an emergency proclamation and allow for the import of vaccinations currently in use globally.  A ready supply of different, competing brands will drive down the costs.

But?  I highly doubt it.

Forget tourism, it ain't going to happen until Thailand gets the COVID under control.  Concentrate on getting everyone vaccinated with QUALITY vaccines at any cost.  Let the hospitals import Moderna and others, most expats will gladly pay the cost of the higher quality vaccinations.  After all are vaccinated and after another 30-45 day wait begin trying to attract tourists and high dollar retirees.  In the meantime take care of the Thai population and expats already staying here.

8 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

A deliberate policy for the benefit of the few and to the detriment of many.

Of two CP and 

The biggest mistake is to consider vaccination as the only way to end this pandemic.

looks like Thailand will soon compete with India for handling the new wave,

12 minutes ago, zhounan said:

The biggest mistake is to consider vaccination as the only way to end this pandemic.

What are other ways?I really have no idea.

Some more potentially dangerous posts have been removed. 

it appears tp be wealth before health !!!! not the right way to bring the covid 19 under control!!

All part of the Thai protection racket.

Cannot say anymore or will end up in the funny farm, but with the intelligence of our members on here , work it out for yourself ???

It's no big deal - you don't need to worry about vaccines.  You can just stay locked down and have no tourism if you want to.  

44 minutes ago, zhounan said:

The biggest mistake is to consider vaccination as the only way to end this pandemic.

 

lol what?

25 minutes ago, jvs said:

What are other ways?I really have no idea.

"to reopen on time as other countries in Southeast Asia have managed to do."

 

Which countries would that be?

 

Other ways?

 

First, why are European countries opening opening with 20,000 cases and 200 deaths per day, while Thailand is closing with 10 times less?

 

It is not that the vaccine campaigns are progressing so well in Western Europe...

 

Then, there are the cases of Florida and Texas, who have shown that closing or not closing lead to the same results.

 

Then, there are multiple countries in Africa, such as Sénégal for example, which are doing quite well without vaccination, just by following protocols recommended by eminent specialists, such as French professor Raoult.

 

In other words, despite more than a hundred countries having not started vaccination yet, bodies are not piling up in the streets.

 

Looks to me like some very important & Influential people have had enough of the khaki clad dinosaurs. Good. ????

10 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

"to reopen on time as other countries in Southeast Asia have managed to do."

 

Which countries would that be?

 

Other ways?

 

First, why are European countries opening opening with 20,000 cases and 200 deaths per day, while Thailand is closing with 10 times less?

 

It is not that the vaccine campaigns are progressing so well in Western Europe...

 

Then, there are the cases of Florida and Texas, who have shown that closing or not closing lead to the same results.

 

Then, there are multiple countries in Africa, such as Sénégal for example, which are doing quite well without vaccination, just by following protocols recommended by eminent specialists, such as French professor Raoult.

 

In other words, despite more than a hundred countries having not started vaccination yet, bodies are not piling up in the streets.

 

European countries have been dealing with mass covid infections for over a year now,Thailand is just starting imo.

I have no idea about Florida and Texas,i need to look that up.

Multiple countries in Africa are doing well without vaccinations,so was Thailand but imo Thailand was dealing with a strain that Thai people handled well.

Thailand has been lucky,nothing to do with protocols and good handling imo.

In some countries it is really getting out of hand,it could happen here also.

Laos is vaccinating everybody, including expat, with Astrazenica, I have not been told if any other vaccines are being used.

Not many expats want SinoVac.  And as for AstraZeneca with a 76% efficacy, and 18 countries who haven’t recommended it (including the USA), it seems they need to open up the vaccine marketplace.  Several vaccines have a much better efficacy.  
Why don’t they spend down some of their huge USD reserves for this purpose?