Thai COVID-19 vaccine rollout will go ahead on time - minister

[snoop1130]

FILE PHOTO: Thai health minister Anutin Charnvirakul attends a meeting to address the measures against coronavirus in Bangkok, Thailand February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Chalinee Thirasupa/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand's health minister on Tuesday sought to reassure the public that a mass-immunisation programme would start as planned next week, amid anxiety over vaccine supplies and no relent in its deadliest COVID-19 outbreak yet.

 

Thailand is struggling to contain its current, most severe outbreak and authorities have been scrambling to secure vaccines from more manufacturers, accompanied by mixed messages about how the mass vaccinations will be carried out.

 

"On June 7 there will be vaccine for everyone, those that already have appointments for the vaccine will get it as scheduled," Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.

 

Thailand has 6 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine available, among 61 million doses ordered, which are to be manufactured locally by Siam Bioscience, a company owned by Thailand's king.

 

A Philippine presidential adviser on Tuesday said he had been informed by AstraZenca that its first batches of a promised 17 million doses has been held up by several weeks due to delays in Thai production.

 

Thailand's government has made no mention of delays and AstraZeneca and Siam Bioscience did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

 

Anutin did not specify the source of the 6 million AstraZeneca doses. The government had earlier said there would be 3 million doses of Sinovac vaccines available for the public in June.

 

So far, only 2.5 million of the more than 66 million population have received at least one dose of a vaccine, mostly Sinovac's.

 

Thailand's mass-vaccination strategy had been widely criticused for relying heavily on AstraZeneca and for a chaotic lead-up to the rollout.

 

Authorities recently said they would extend gaps between doses to expedite vaccinations and prioritise the capital Bangkok and surrounding provinces, raising concern about wider availability.

 

The government has previously said it would order 20 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

 

Anutin on Tuesday said he was talking to Pfizer and Thailand could also order five million doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine for the fourth quarter of this year.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-06-01

 

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[rott]

Vaccine for everyone, well that is a big relief, very good to know. 

[Caldera]

I want to believe that, but I'm having a really hard time!

[richard_smith237]

On time...  Thai time...

 

... vaccines are already very late if using the same time the rest of us use.

[colinneil]

Pants on fire Anutin.????

[RotBenz8888]

11 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's mass-vaccination strategy had been widely criticused for relying heavily on AstraZeneca and for a chaotic lead-up to the rollout.

Add to that their reluctance to let private hospitals administer vaccines ex Moderna. 

[Snig27]

Let's be real, being wrong about literally everything is a trademark for this fool. What exactly has he done? 

[Susco]

 

[Shuya]

18 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

On June 7 there will be vaccine for everyone

Good to hear, location and time please - I will be there on the 7th. 

[riclag]

It is what it is !

Don't take a vacc or

wait for the vacc of your choice

or take their vacc !

 

simple

[fishtank]

Great news.

I will be first in the queue.

Where exactly is this queue?

[Lingba]

This is such <deleted>...why don't they give people a choice?...because they are making billions by force feeding everyone the other <deleted>...and perposely letting the virus get out of control to scare people into getting what they want to give them

[Boomer6969]

No worries mate, we all know that this is a government made of generals, all well used to the generous backhanders of the international arms deals. We humble subjects can only sympathise for the efforts involved to transpose the culture of the military hardware marketplace into the negotiation to secure our vaccines. 

[tomazbodner]

On time? Which time? Maybe should borrow some watches from Prawit.

[clivebaxter]

43 minutes ago, rott said:

Vaccine for everyone, well that is a big relief, very good to know. 

 

We wont know anything until we turn up, then it could well be not for foreigner no matter what clown world announces to the media.

[Antonymous]

22 hours ago, Lingba said:

This is such <deleted>...why don't they give people a choice?...because they are making billions by force feeding everyone the other <deleted>...and perposely letting the virus get out of control to scare people into getting what they want to give them

 

Some of us are not at all scared and are happy to wait until the experimental phase is over.

[bkk6060]

Mahidol University's dean, Bangjong Mahaisavariya, said 460 volunteers would be accepted for the human trials, 210 of whom would be used in the first phase. Phase two is expected to begin in July, with results by year-end.

 

The vaccination drive is targeting the inoculation of half the adult population by the end of the year using 61 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine, which will be locally produced from June.

 

Maybe just me but I certainly am very confused about this.  They apparently have not even started phase 2 trials of the locally produced Astrazeneca.  Yet, are promising 

it will be available for all next month?  

All seems very odd.

[fangless]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

a mass-immunisation programme would start as planned

Which/whose plan and when/where/for who/with what will that plan be?

 

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

1 hour ago, rott said:

Vaccine for everyone, well that is a big relief, very good to know. 

The best of all possible vaccine rollouts.

[Justgrazing]

5 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

and for a chaotic lead-up to the rollout.

 

Just as well have a load of otters in charge at least then when it goes t*ts up they could say it's otter chaos .. 

[faraday]

8 hours ago, fishtank said:

Great news.

I will be first in the queue.

Where exactly is this queue?

A map will be sent to you in due time. If there's a delay, it won't be my fault, it'll be somebody else's.

 

But you will get one, I promise: Maybe.

 

????

[RichardColeman]

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

So far, only 2.5 million of the more than 66 million population have received at least one dose of a vaccine, mostly Sinovac's.

So, Thailand has managed to do in 5 months what the UK does in less than 5 days. Pathetic

[Daithi85]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

So, Thailand has managed to do in 5 months what the UK does in less than 5 days. Pathetic

You just  jump from one page to another complaining ????????  pathetic. 

[mtls2005]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"On June 7 there will be vaccine for everyone, those that already have appointments for the vaccine will get it as scheduled," Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.

 

There, in a single sentence, is the problem.

 

"everyone" "appointments" will get it" "as scheduled".

 

He starts off with everyone, then whittles it down to "you two, in the back".

 

 

 

 

 

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand has 6 million doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine available

 

 

Is this the opinion of the writer? Weird to throw this in?

 

 

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Anutin did not specify the source of the 6 million AstraZeneca doses.

 

Why wouldn't he?

 

This is a monumental piece of POSITIVE news.

 

All government officials should be applauding the efforts to procure or produce 6 MM doses.

 

 

 

 

[mtls2005]

10 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Maybe just me but I certainly am very confused about this.  They apparently have not even started phase 2 trials of the locally produced Astrazeneca. 

 

This refers to a local effort to develop a vaccine at Mahidol.

Thailand will begin the first stage of human trials in March of a new COVID-19 vaccine, which has been developed jointly by the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University and the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO), Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the media on Wednesday.

 

https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailand-to-start-human-trials-of-locally-developed-covid-19-vaccine-in-march/

 

 

There is also an mRNA effort at Chula with help from some Unis in the U.S.?

 

https://www.chula.ac.th/en/clipping/47302/

 

 

The CCSA spokeperson mentioned one of these yesterday, not sure which one though.

 

 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

"On June 7 there will be vaccine for everyone, those that already have appointments for the vaccine will get it as scheduled," Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said.

 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A Philippine presidential adviser on Tuesday said he had been informed by AstraZenca that its first batches of a promised 17 million doses has been held up by several weeks due to delays in Thai production.

 

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand's government has made no mention of delays and AstraZeneca and Siam Bioscience did not immediately respond to requests for comment

Mixed messages again.

 

[Bkk Brian]

1 hour ago, Daithi85 said:

You just  jump from one page to another complaining ????????  pathetic. 

What do you contribute apart from moaning at others, mate chill out, there is a function on here called the ignore button if you don't like certain posters contributions but looking at your post count it seems your kick is just to complain about other posters.

[Daithi85]

25 minutes ago, Bkk Brian said:

What do you contribute apart from moaning at others, mate chill out, there is a function on here called the ignore button if you don't like certain posters contributions but looking at your post count it seems your kick is just to complain about other posters.

????????????????

[Bkk Brian]

3 minutes ago, Daithi85 said:

????????????????

thanks for the great input, be proud of yourself

[Havenstreet1940]

13 hours ago, rott said:

Vaccine for everyone, well that is a big relief, very good to know. 

You cannot be serious!  or do I detecta hint of sarcasm?