Second lot of 500,000 Sinovac Vaccine doses Arrive in Thailand

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - Thailand has taken delivery of another half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinovac Biotech on Saturday.

 

The Chinese Embassy Bangkok said the delivery was the second batch of 500,000 shots, each donated by China.

 

The embassy said Sinovac is a widely used vaccine in mainland China. From mid-December last year to the end of May, China administered 639 million doses and 316 million were Sinovac.

 

Thailand aims to secure 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to cover 50 million, or 70%, of its population by the end of this year. For Sinovac, 6.5 million doses, both paid for by the Thai government and donated by China, have been delivered and around 2-3 million doses will be shipped each month until the end of this year.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-06-06

 

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[mtls2005]

Compare the procurement budget for Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

 • Sinovac 8.1 million doses, 5,059 million baht
 • AZ 26 million doses, 5,287 million baht

 

 

Pricey.

 

But expect there are "handling" and "expediting" "fees".

 

 

[ezzra]

I'm sure that as i live and breath that someone/s  here in Thailand are making a mint on the back of these procuremets after all this IS Thailand isn't it?...

[Cake Monster]

1 hour ago, mtls2005 said:

Compare the procurement budget for Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

 • Sinovac 8.1 million doses, 5,059 million baht
 • AZ 26 million doses, 5,287 million baht

 

 

Pricey.

 

But expect there are "handling" and "expediting" "fees".

 

 

At almost four times the price of AZ, there really should be a good reason for this expenditure.

With the new SB Plant coming on line, there should be no need for these Sinovac Doses at all. Unless of course there are major issues at the SB Facility, and they are unable to supply the required doses.

 

[friendofthai]

1 hour ago, ikke1959 said:

Sinovac according to the WHO the worst vaccine is preventing infections. 

According to the recent Hungarian experience, vaccines from China and Russia (that are widely used in this country) are defeating COVID very quickly. People would prefer a vaccine that defeat COVID instead of a well-advertised vaccine from a known brand. Thats why Thailand is using Sinovac while selling AstraZeneca to Philippines

[Cake Monster]

3 minutes ago, friendofthai said:

According to the recent Hungarian experience, vaccines from China and Russia (that are widely used in this country) are defeating COVID very quickly. People would prefer a vaccine that defeat COVID instead of a well-advertised vaccine from a known brand. Thats why Thailand is using Sinovac while selling AstraZeneca to Philippines

AZ / SB are obligated to supply to other Countries in SE Asia. As far as selling to the Philippines goes, AZ / SB have reneged on their first delivery, and are not expected to deliver until several; weeks after the due date.

[Rimmer]

An unattributed post has been removed

[pentagara]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Compare the procurement budget for Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

 • Sinovac 8.1 million doses, 5,059 million baht
 • AZ 26 million doses, 5,287 million baht

Pricey.

 

But expect there are "handling" and "expediting" "fees".

 

You're really comparing apples to oranges here for multiple reasons, irrespective of any brown envelopes you're alluding to.

 

1. Production cost
Sinovac and AZ are two completely different types of vaccines with vastly different production costs, even though both help to immunize against Covid. The Sinovac vaccine is an inactivated virus, replicating the full virus. The production process for this is quite expensive, even though it's the traditional approach to produce vaccines.  The Oxford vaccine (AZ) on the other hand replicates a small portion of the virus (spike protein) and builds it into a different, harmless virus for humans (adenovirus). The production cost for an adenovirus vaccine like AZ is substantially cheaper. Basically you're complaining that a car and a subway train (or a passenger plane, or...) have different production costs and thus prices, even though both can transport you from A to B. What you could maybe compare are the production costs of two cars, i.e. for example Sputnik, J&J and AstraZeneca. All these three use the same technology, all three are vector/adeno-vaccines. You also could compare production prices of Moderna and BionTech (Pfizer), i.e mRNA vaccines or Sinovac and Sinopharm, i.e. inactivated virus vaccines. Comparing AZ and Sinovac production prices doesn't make sense.

 

2. Availability and pricing mechanism
The Sinovac vaccine is available, produced by a private company. The Oxford AZ vaccine is currently unavailable and currently has to be produced non-profit while the pandemic lasts (that's what the contract between Oxford university and AstraZeneca and its partners stipluates, Oxford university holds the intelectual property and enforces not-for-profit sales prices). As a result the market prices also are completely different. Basically right now you (or rather a government) has the choice of either buying a vaccine that is available (but logically more expensive then), or a less expensive vaccine that is out of stock (i.e. that you can pay, but that you only will get delivered sometime in the future). What's better, a cheap vaccine that's unavailable or a more expensive vaccine that you actually can get? Side note: Against all odds, once production of the Oxford (AZ) vaccine starts here in Thailand, in hindsight Thailand actually has done a pretty good job in vaccine procurement/production from an availability perspective, since at least they have their own production plant. Australia for example doesn't and will get their hands on any vaccine, including the AstraZeneca vaccine much, much later than Thailand as a result. Theoretically one would assume that the Australian government would have had more resources to get their hands on a vaccine. So that's somewhat of a surprise, at least to me.

 

3. Approval status & travel restrictions

Sinovac (as well as Moderna/Pfizer, Sinopharm and other vaccines) are still relevant for Thai citizens even once the AZ vaccine is available at volume levels in Thailand when local production starts. If you want to travel for business (or less relevant: for leisure), then you need to consider which vaccine is approved in the country you want to travel to. Travel restrictions will differ depending on vaccine and destination country for the foreseeable future, at least for the next 12 months. There are different countries with different laws on this globe, after all, and it might be possible to complain about that, but won't change how the world works. This means it's beneficial for any country to have access to multiple vaccines for its citizens, even if the prices for the vaccines differ. Also the EU had to learn the hard way that focusing on the vaccine price only in vaccine prodcurement might not be the best strategy.

 

4. Diversity as safety measure

As mentioned in 1. (production cost), Sinovac and the Oxford vaccine (AstraZeneca) are completely different vaccines from the perspective how they work. As a result, vulnerability of the two vaccines to specific virus mutations also differs substantially between the two vaccines. They are very, very different vaccines after all. If you put all your eggs in one basket (i.e. only procure the AstraZeneca vaccine), you run a substantial risk right now, expecially since in many countries infection numbers are at a peak at this moment, so the probability for mutations has never been higher than right now, especially when looking at South and parts of South East Asia, i.e. in places that are very, very close. If you only have access to one single type of vaccine, you might end up in a situation like South Africa, where they had their hands on the AstraZeneca vaccine but had ot find out the hard way that not all Covid-19 viruses and Covid vaccines are the same.

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by pentagara

[Emdog]

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!” He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves. Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: All mimsy were the borogoves

The Jab... er.... talky

[Soikhaonoiken]

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Compare the procurement budget for Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

 • Sinovac 8.1 million doses, 5,059 million baht
 • AZ 26 million doses, 5,287 million baht

 

 

Pricey.

 

But expect there are "handling" and "expediting" "fees".

 

 

And I am sure there would be commission for securing the order... Which will come in brown envelopes.. 

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Thailand has taken delivery of another half a million doses of COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Sinovac Biotech on Saturday.

 

Just in time for the June 7th kick-off, I'll wait for July/August.

[John Drake]

Tired of all this talk. Waste of time. I am supposed to get my Covid shot on Tuesday afternoon at the Thai university I retired from. I'll go with whatever they have and then upgrade to Moderna or J&J whenever it arrives toward the end of the year or later. Just tired of all the monkeyshines surrounding this.

[mtls2005]

2 hours ago, pentagara said:

You're really comparing apples to oranges here for multiple reasons

 

I simply highlighted two line items.

 

FWIW, I didn't read the rest of your manifesto.

 

 

Edited June 6, 2021 by mtls2005

[Lemonltr]

2 hours ago, pentagara said:

 

You're really comparing apples to oranges here for multiple reasons, irrespective of any brown envelopes you're alluding to.

 

1. Production cost
Sinovac and AZ are two completely different types of vaccines with vastly different production costs, even though both help to immunize against Covid. The Sinovac vaccine is an inactivated virus, replicating the full virus. The production process for this is quite expensive, even though it's the traditional approach to produce vaccines.  The Oxford vaccine (AZ) on the other hand replicates a small portion of the virus (spike protein) and builds it into a different, harmless virus for humans (adenovirus). The production cost for an adenovirus vaccine like AZ is substantially cheaper. Basically you're complaining that a car and a subway train (or a passenger plane, or...) have different production costs and thus prices, even though both can transport you from A to B. What you could maybe compare are the production costs of two cars, i.e. for example Sputnik, J&J and AstraZeneca. All these three use the same technology, all three are vector/adeno-vaccines. You also could compare production prices of Moderna and BionTech (Pfizer), i.e mRNA vaccines or Sinovac and Sinopharm, i.e. inactivated virus vaccines. Comparing AZ and Sinovac production prices doesn't make sense.

 

2. Availability and pricing mechanism
The Sinovac vaccine is available, produced by a private company. The Oxford AZ vaccine is currently unavailable and currently has to be produced non-profit while the pandemic lasts (that's what the contract between Oxford university and AstraZeneca and its partners stipluates, Oxford university holds the intelectual property and enforces not-for-profit sales prices). As a result the market prices also are completely different. Basically right now you (or rather a government) has the choice of either buying a vaccine that is available (but logically more expensive then), or a less expensive vaccine that is out of stock (i.e. that you can pay, but that you only will get delivered sometime in the future). What's better, a cheap vaccine that's unavailable or a more expensive vaccine that you actually can get? Side note: Against all odds, once production of the Oxford (AZ) vaccine starts here in Thailand, in hindsight Thailand actually has done a pretty good job in vaccine procurement/production from an availability perspective, since at least they have their own production plant. Australia for example doesn't and will get their hands on any vaccine, including the AstraZeneca vaccine much, much later than Thailand as a result. Theoretically one would assume that the Australian government would have had more resources to get their hands on a vaccine. So that's somewhat of a surprise, at least to me.

 

3. Approval status & travel restrictions

Sinovac (as well as Moderna/Pfizer, Sinopharm and other vaccines) are still relevant for Thai citizens even once the AZ vaccine is available at volume levels in Thailand when local production starts. If you want to travel for business (or less relevant: for leisure), then you need to consider which vaccine is approved in the country you want to travel to. Travel restrictions will differ depending on vaccine and destination country for the foreseeable future, at least for the next 12 months. There are different countries with different laws on this globe, after all, and it might be possible to complain about that, but won't change how the world works. This means it's beneficial for any country to have access to multiple vaccines for its citizens, even if the prices for the vaccines differ. Also the EU had to learn the hard way that focusing on the vaccine price only in vaccine prodcurement might not be the best strategy.

 

4. Diversity as safety measure

As mentioned in 1. (production cost), Sinovac and the Oxford vaccine (AstraZeneca) are completely different vaccines from the perspective how they work. As a result, vulnerability of the two vaccines to specific virus mutations also differs substantially between the two vaccines. They are very, very different vaccines after all. If you put all your eggs in one basket (i.e. only procure the AstraZeneca vaccine), you run a substantial risk right now, expecially since in many countries infection numbers are at a peak at this moment, so the probability for mutations has never been higher than right now, especially when looking at South and parts of South East Asia, i.e. in places that are very, very close. If you only have access to one single type of vaccine, you might end up in a situation like South Africa, where they had their hands on the AstraZeneca vaccine but had ot find out the hard way that not all Covid-19 viruses and Covid vaccines are the same.

 

I have read often that Australia has a production plant for AZ. Am I misinformed? 

[rabas]

From ARS technica heath reporter Beth Mole, who also writes for Nature, Science, The Scientist, and Science News.

 

Early adopters of Chinese vaccines see case surges; China plows ahead anyway:

   --China is now giving 20 million doses a day despite low efficacy.

 

"Early adopters of China’s vaccines have seen dramatic surges in COVID-19 cases—despite high vaccination rates—and are now backing away from the country’s offerings."

[Rhacsyn]

54 minutes ago, rabas said:

From ARS technica heath reporter Beth Mole, who also writes for Nature, Science, The Scientist, and Science News.

 

Early adopters of Chinese vaccines see case surges; China plows ahead anyway:

   --China is now giving 20 million doses a day despite low efficacy.

 

"Early adopters of China’s vaccines have seen dramatic surges in COVID-19 cases—despite high vaccination rates—and are now backing away from the country’s offerings."

The UAE is mentioned in the report and actually offers a choice of four vaccines, the main two being administered to date being Pfizer and Sinopharm (AZ and Sputnik also available). In the report in the link below from the UAE it is mentioned that "a small number" may require a top up dose and also mentions that US and UK will look into this possibility too for their vaccinated people.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.thenationalnews.com/uae/health/uae-sinopharm-booster-why-will-some-people-require-a-third-dose-of-covid-19-vaccine-1.1225637

 

[placeholder]

22 hours ago, friendofthai said:

According to the recent Hungarian experience, vaccines from China and Russia (that are widely used in this country) are defeating COVID very quickly. People would prefer a vaccine that defeat COVID instead of a well-advertised vaccine from a known brand. Thats why Thailand is using Sinovac while selling AstraZeneca to Philippines

More falsehoods. First of Thailand is using both Sinovac and Astrazeneca. Once production at the plant is underway, far more Astrazeneca will be used in Thailand than Sinovac.

And Thailand is not selling AztraZeneca vaccine to the Philippines. AstraZeneca is selling its vaccine to the Philippines. Siam Bioscience has contracted to produce vaccine for AstraZeneca for all of SE Asia.

[realfunster]

On 6/6/2021 at 11:27 AM, mtls2005 said:

Compare the procurement budget for Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.

 • Sinovac 8.1 million doses, 5,059 million baht
 • AZ 26 million doses, 5,287 million baht

 

 

Pricey.

 

But expect there are "handling" and "expediting" "fees".

 

 

 

????️‍♀️

 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1384867/sinovac-jabs-varying-prices-raise-alarm

Edited June 7, 2021 by realfunster
Emoji malfunction

[Paul Kernell]

On 6/6/2021 at 11:39 AM, ezzra said:

I'm sure that as i live and breath that someone/s  here in Thailand are making a mint on the back of these procuremets after all this IS Thailand isn't it?...

All around the world they are.

[Jeffr2]

On 6/6/2021 at 1:05 PM, friendofthai said:

According to the recent Hungarian experience, vaccines from China and Russia (that are widely used in this country) are defeating COVID very quickly. People would prefer a vaccine that defeat COVID instead of a well-advertised vaccine from a known brand. Thats why Thailand is using Sinovac while selling AstraZeneca to Philippines

Still trolling with inaccurate information and pushing Russian and Chinese jabs?  Wow....

 

P.S. Thailand is done with Sinovac.  It's all AZ from here on out until Pfizer, J&J and Moderna arrive later this year.