Private hospitals will need to reassess after official admits only half of Moderna vax will be available

[webfact]

Picture: Daily News

 

Thailand's much criticized vaccine rollout was thrown into further confusion after an official at the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) admitted that only 5 million doses of ModernaCovid-19 vaccine would be available.

 

The Private Hospital Association were banking on TEN million doses being available and registrations for the rollout - to begin in October - were based on that figure. 

 

GPO director Withoon Danwiboon said that hospitals will need to reassess the numbers within this month for the rollout in the fourth quarter reported Daily News.

 

Even the price is still to be decided, he said. Earlier the PHA said it would be 3,800 baht for two doses.

 

The comments of the GPO chief came after one of Thailand's most famous TV presenters - Sorayuth Suthassanachinda - went on Facebook to slam the rollout of vaccines of choice at private hospitals. He thought there was an order of ten million doses. 

 

Dr Withoon said that negotiations with Zuellig Pharma were ongoing and a "Supply Agreement" would be ratified by attorneys in August.  

 

He stressed that the GPO were not in charge of the import but were acting as the official go between.

 

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[Surelynot]

Well if I had any doubts about getting Sinovac next week they have now evaporated.........

[Thaiwrath]

In any normal country, certain people would be held accountable for such a vaccine fiasco, and dismissals would be inevitable. 

But here, with his "whatever will be, will be" attitude, things will continue, and things will get progressively worse.

Nothing short of shambolic by this unelected regime.

Edited June 24, 2021 by Thaiwrath

[Forrests Father]

And in case you have already booked and paid 

[mtls2005]

I guess I'm not surprised there is confusion, when isn't there when it comes to anything vaccine-releated here?

 

I held out some hope for Moderna, but that's been dashed. Maybe a 10% chance at that this year.

 

Five million was always stated as the first tranche, with another 5 MM due at a later date.

 

The price, surely a mistake to estimate a price months before delivery, was always suspect.

 

 

Appears we're entering "auction" territory on this one.

 

 

from 7 June 2021

 

"An order for 10 million doses will be placed by the Government Pharmaceuticals Organization on their behalf

The vaccine will come in three lots — 4 million doses in October, 1 million early next year and 5 million more later."

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by mtls2005

[John Drake]

9 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Well if I had any doubts about getting Sinovac next week they have now evaporated.........

 

Get whatever you can whenever you can. You just knew this had to happen.

[John Drake]

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

Even the price is still to be decided, he said. Earlier the PHA said it would be 3,800 baht for two doses.

 

Do I hear 10,000?  Yes, you in the black Mercedes. What about 15,000? The gentleman with the diamond lapel pin, yes. How about 20,000?  30,000?  Going for 30,000 once, 30,000 twice, SOLD to the gentleman with six bodyguards and a armored car outside waiting to return to Thonglor.

Edited June 24, 2021 by John Drake

[bkk6060]

I have doubts any of these more efficient vaccines will be ready to deploy in 2021.

[DirtyHarry55]

Starting to kinda get the feeling they're not in a rush to get rid of the virus.

[mtls2005]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

He stressed that the GPO were not in charge of the import but were acting as the official go between.

 

"offical go between"? Seriously?

 

Yeah, this doesn't sound dodgy at all.

 

And runs counter to all we've ben told before; that everything must be imported via the GPO.

 

Gotta love Thailand, where when things go poorly "no one is in charge".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by mtls2005

[MRToMRT]

28 minutes ago, webfact said:

Even the price is still to be decided

 

Get ready for it! The sound of the capitalist ideal sucking you dry again. 

[scorecard]

16 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

Well if I had any doubts about getting Sinovac next week they have now evaporated.........

 

Thai son got a SMS 2 weeks giving him and his wife a booking for vaccine jab this morning. Yesterday he got an SMS reminder to come to the venue 8.30 am this morning, 22 Km drive. 

 

Meanwhile they made a plan with a friend to take son's 3 kids to school this morning.

 

On arrival at the venue many hundreds of folks waiting, some for many hours.

 

Suddenly most of the folks waiting, incl. son and his wife, got an SMS 'postponed'.

 

Eventually someone in the crowd got an official on his phone.

 

No information whatever on new date, no information/advice whatever whether those waiting should reregister or expect new date by SMS, nothing.

 

Son will now restart his research whether Thai folks can register and pay for a course at a 5 star hospital and what vaccines are available. 

 

Son's comments re pm and his brainless team would melt the concrete, he says the public are ready to lynch most of them. and lots of facebook etc., comments about mass protests etc. 

 

[djayz]

I've actually given up hope of getting any kind of a decent vaccination here anytime in the foreseeable future. 

Incompetence on display for the whole nation to see! 

[ThailandRyan]

The well has gotten deeper and is still dry.  What can one really expect from a government who for so long resisted other vaccines.

[mtls2005]

48 minutes ago, webfact said:

GPO director Withoon Danwiboon said

 

while not wearing a mask.

 

 

(I think thats Dr. Withoon in the photo.)

[phills2k1]

Seriously, how can people talk about "saving face" being a thing when everything that's said and every decision that's made by those in power is so spectacularly wrong and/or lied about

[Surelynot]

1 hour ago, scorecard said:

 

Thai son got a SMS 2 weeks giving him and his wife a booking for vaccine jab this morning. Yesterday he got an SMS reminder to come to the venue 8.30 am this morning, 22 Km drive. 

 

Meanwhile they made a plan with a friend to take son's 3 kids to school this morning.

 

On arrival at the venue many hundreds of folks waiting, some for many hours.

 

Suddenly most of the folks waiting, incl. son and his wife, got an SMS 'postponed'.

 

Eventually someone in the crowd got an official on his phone.

 

No information whatever on new date, no information/advice whatever whether those waiting should reregister or expect new date by SMS, nothing.

 

Son will now restart his research whether Thai folks can register and pay for a course at a 5 star hospital and what vaccines are available. 

 

Son's comments re pm and his brainless team would melt the concrete, he says the public are ready to lynch most of them. and lots of facebook etc., comments about mass protests etc. 

 

Wife turned up for her vaccination.......sorry no vaccines.......try again tomorrow.

[phills2k1]

I spent significant time in Thailand over the course of three straight years and loved it so much that I made ridiculous life changes and spent an insane amount of money to move here last December.

 

After spending even more money to escape the end of May to get vaccinated, if I'm being honest, it's getting harder and harder to envision a scenario where I return to a country that's run like this

[Dogmatix]

The missus just told me that staff at a university hospital are selling the rights to get their family members vaccinated for B300 a shot.  Family members have already been vaccinated under another scheme.

[Dogmatix]

From what I read the government has forced the private hospitals to donate 2m of the 5m shots of Moderna to the Thai Red Cross.  

 

I booked Moderna with THG but they have questionnaire asking if you have had a government shot now.  If you say yes, they say you shouldn't book this vaccine because you need to wait 6 months after the 2nd government shot. So it would have been better not to tell them but too late. 

[Buffy Frobisher]

"He stressed that the GPO were not in charge of the import but were acting as the official go between."

 

Of course they are! If ever there were snouts in a trough, it's at the GPO. I had medicine that I need and which used to come from the USA, via the GPO, suddenly changed to an unreliable generic from the Czech Republic. Same price of course - bigger margins for the snouts.

 

Clearly Moderna aren't offering big enough jollies.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Five million was always stated as the first tranche, with another 5 MM due at a later date.

 

Yes, you're right on the above point. The OP article seems a bit misleading on that point.

 

However, I was more alarmed/concerned to see them both 1.) muddling more about the potential price for the future shots after supposedly settling the price two different times before, and 2.) again admitting that they still don't as yet have a legal contract agreement for the Moderna vaccines in question.

 

Talk is cheap, and often meaningless, in Thailand, as the Moderna and broader vaccines debacle is again proving. And after all this time, what do we hear today:

 

"Dr Withoon said that negotiations with Zuellig Pharma were ongoing and a "Supply Agreement" would be ratified by attorneys in August."

 

They've been talking about and to Moderna now for MANY months... Just how long should it take to actually execute a real supply agreement that allows for the setting of real, concrete prices and delivery dates?

 

Edited June 24, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[mtls2005]

8 minutes ago, Dogmatix said:

From what I read the government has forced the private hospitals to donate 2m of the 5m shots of Moderna to the Thai Red Cross.  

 

 

"And if you mention extortion one more time I'll have your legs broken."

 

Mayor Carmine De Pasto

 

 

 

I haven't heard this, can you share a source?

[mtls2005]

6 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

muddling more about the potential price

 

Honestly, I could care less about the price of something I can't buy.

 

7 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

"Dr Withoon said that negotiations with Zuellig Pharma were ongoing and a "Supply Agreement" would be ratified by attorneys in August."

 

 

 

My guess: contract signed, price/discount based on volume targets over the term, addendum covers estimated ship dates. GPO has injected their attorneys into the mix for legalization of graft.

 

 

[pmarlin]

Odd story because back in may it was reported in the news that  4 million for Oct and another 1 million a month later and an additional 5 million early next year. 10 million was never for Oct.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

17 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

muddling more about the potential price

 

Honestly, I could care less about the price of something I can't buy.

 

My main point broaching the issue about the now up-in-the-air Moderna pricing was... basically, you can't believe in or rely upon almost anything they say.  Their credibility on such vaccine matters is below zero at this point.

 

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

In any normal country, certain people would be held accountable for such a vaccine fiasco, and dismissals would be inevitable. 

But here, with his "whatever will be, will be" attitude, things will continue, and things will get progressively worse.

Nothing short of shambolic by this unelected regime.

some time ago, there was a "Blond or Orange" man that said " it is what it is"..... Prayut copy pasted, just wonder for how long Thai people can take his and his cronies incompetence, sooner or later it has to burst/blow like a volcano

[Surelynot]

Just now, Mavideol said:

some time ago, there was a "Blond or Orange" man that said " it is what it is"..... Prayut copy pasted, just wonder for how long Thai people can take his and his cronies incompetence, sooner or later it has to burst/blow like a volcano

They are marching today............let's see how many pitch up!!!

[Caldera]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Withoon said that negotiations with Zuellig Pharma were ongoing and a "Supply Agreement" would be ratified by attorneys in August.  

 

So they haven't even actually ordered it yet. Terrible news, considering that there's a considerable backlog. Makes me wonder if it will still arrive this year. 

[Golden Triangle]

Well, this is a right buggars muddle ain't it.