Thailand buys 5 million doses of Moderna coronavirus vaccine

[snoop1130]

Women receive the Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine as the Thai resort island of Phuket rushes to vaccinate its population amid the COVID-19 outbreak ahead of a July 1 end of strict quarantine for overseas visitors to bring back tourism revenue, in Phuket, Thailand, June 28, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand said on Wednesday it would import nearly four million doses of Moderna's mRNA coronavirus vaccine towards the end of this year and a further one million in early 2022, for use by private hospitals.

 

Thailand's vaccinations strategy so far has relied heavily on the viral vector vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca and Sinovac Biotech's inactivated COVID-19 vaccine.

 

The Government Pharmaceutical Organization in a statement said 3.9 million doses of the Moderna vaccine would be delivered in the fourth quarter and 1.1 million doses in the first quarter of 2022.

 

The announcement comes as the Infectious Disease Association of Thailand (IDAT) urged Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to secure more mRNA vaccines to better contain the outbreak.

 

"The vaccine procurement plan of 150 million doses has a high proportion of Sinovac," the association said in a letter to Prayuth, citing that mRNA vaccines had a higher efficacy rate than that of Sinovac.

 

Thailand has also ordered five million doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines and 20 million doses of the mRNA vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

 

Thailand on Wednesday reported a new daily record of 53 coronavirus deaths, and 4,786 new infections.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2021-06-30

 

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[3NUMBAS]

strictly for the yellow shirts the rest dont matter

[Nojohndoe]

Clever deceptive headline context ! Thailand has not actually  bought, only committed to purchase when it is made available "sometime near end of year " ! Along with how many other Nations in same queue for whatever is gratuitously made available possibly/probably conditional on expressing appropriate political leanings and/or significance ?

If the urgency of response to the declared threat of the Covid-19 is genuine why is the medical technological capacity of the world being suppressed in terms of vaccine production to answer the problem ?

There is something seriously wrong !

Why is it that those many who have reaped the financial benefit of the ramifications imposed on a global population directly or indirectly enhancing the viability of  corporate profits are in the majority absent in any significant effort to display genuine  humanitarian assistance?

Purportedly the "top of the heap" Amazonian profiteer has more interest in surviving  10 minutes in space than concern for the welfare of slave category employees who enable that indulgence !

Marginally lesser members of same gross wealth are also very absent with the exception of  those who have expressed "concern" and participated in various commercial ventures of protected potential profitability.

Is there a more vicious and selfish species of animal on this planet than humans?

 

[bwpage3]

Why have they been waiting so long when people have been dying every day?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 minutes ago, Nojohndoe said:

Clever deceptive headline context ! Thailand has not actually  bought, only committed to purchase when it is made available "sometime near end of year " !

 

Indeed, the headline says Thailand "buys" 5 million Moderna doses, but the article itself doesn't talk about any actual purchase at all.

 

Rather, it refers to a GPO statement saying Thailand will import now down to 3.9 million Moderna doses by the end of the year. Just the other day, the same GPO was in the news saying it likely would be until August that the two sides finalize their contractual terms. No mention of that in the above report.

 

And, no mention of the news from yesterday in which Moderna's SE Asia distributor said pretty much their entire available production for 2021 is already booked up. But that news report, also from Reuters, didn't make any specific mention of where Thailand stood in the process, and the Moderna distributor guy didn't discuss any specific deals.

 

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/moderna-se-asia-partner-says-regional-vaccine-supplies-booked-until-year-end-2021-06-29/

 

 

 

 

 

[ikke1959]

THey buy again?? how many times have they bought already and everytime the timeline changing. But from the 1st of July we are asked to register and pay in advance.... I don't think so.. Now October has changed again???

[foreverlomsak]

What I've been saying for a while they use the words "Bought" & "Procured" consistently both of which implies "Ordered & Received", while in fact they have only requested delivery of at some later date, with maybe a down payment to reserve.

It's all smoking mirrors, to put off the negative responses to their lack of action.

[Thaifish]

Do these vaccines cover the Y2K bug? It must be ready to hit Thailand also..

[Caldera]

This has been in the news so many times, but apparently even this relatively tiny deal still hasn't been finalized yet.

[fangless]

2 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

for use by private hospitals.

Why?

This should be for the benefit of the general public and supplied by the Government at no cost to the public

What the "$£$$%" has private hospitals got to do with this?

[rott]

2 hours ago, Nojohndoe said:

Clever deceptive headline context ! Thailand has not actually  bought, only committed to purchase when it is made available "sometime near end of year " ! Along with how many other Nations in same queue for whatever is gratuitously made available possibly/probably conditional on expressing appropriate political leanings and/or significance ?

If the urgency of response to the declared threat of the Covid-19 is genuine why is the medical technological capacity of the world being suppressed in terms of vaccine production to answer the problem ?

There is something seriously wrong !

Why is it that those many who have reaped the financial benefit of the ramifications imposed on a global population directly or indirectly enhancing the viability of  corporate profits are in the majority absent in any significant effort to display genuine  humanitarian assistance?

Purportedly the "top of the heap" Amazonian profiteer has more interest in surviving  10 minutes in space than concern for the welfare of slave category employees who enable that indulgence !

Marginally lesser members of same gross wealth are also very absent with the exception of  those who have expressed "concern" and participated in various commercial ventures of protected potential profitability.

Is there a more vicious and selfish species of animal on this planet than humans?

 

If true, disgraceful, hack journalism, 

[RichardColeman]

The problem with all this vaccine purchasing is that all payment and budgets are based on getting tourism money coming in again. I'd make sure I get the money first before sending if I was Moderna.

[sirineou]

9 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

The problem with all this vaccine purchasing is that all payment and budgets are based on getting tourism money coming in again. I'd make sure I get the money first before sending if I was Moderna.

That's not true , The Thai government has reserves  of about 251784.34 USD Million and the ability to borrow.

And tourism  , though  significant, comprises only  21% of GDP as of 2019

Edited June 30, 2021 by sirineou
typo :

[MasterBaker]

Let's see how they buy something not available for sale as all orders seems to be filled for this year. This headline is just an insult to anyone's intelligence

[herfiehandbag]

9 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Why have they been waiting so long when people have been dying every day?

They opted out of the international vaccine distribution system, in order to set up  a monopoly production facility which they anticipated would make a very large amount of money. That has failed to produce a fraction of the vaccines anticipated. Therefore they are dependent on deals with China, and purchases on the open market, which require cash, which is in short supply.

[herfiehandbag]

2 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

The problem with all this vaccine purchasing is that all payment and budgets are based on getting tourism money coming in again. I'd make sure I get the money first before sending if I was Moderna.

I rather imagine that is exactly what Modern are saying!

[wensiensheng]

Isn’t this the same 5 million that was originally part of 10 million and subsequently reduced to 5 million and reported on multiple times already?

 

or is Thailand now getting 15 million in total at some point in time?

[herfiehandbag]

2 hours ago, sirineou said:

That's not true , The Thai government has reserves  of about 251784.34 USD Million and the ability to borrow.

And tourism  , though  significant, comprises only  21% of GDP as of 2019

I don't think any of that is available to be spent on " the common herd".

 

One might say it is all rather spoken for.

Edited June 30, 2021 by herfiehandbag

[vandeventer]

8 hours ago, Caldera said:

This has been in the news so many times, but apparently even this relatively tiny deal still hasn't been finalized yet.

Why don't you let us buy our own vaccines, the USA has plenty of surplus vaccines.

[TheFishman1]

All this talk about Thailand and a vaccine yeah I have not heard one word back about when I can go what day what hospital more BSTIT

[casualbiker]

9 hours ago, fangless said:

Why?

This should be for the benefit of the general public and supplied by the Government at no cost to the public

What the "$£$$%" has private hospitals got to do with this?

Because they are the ones who pushed the government into buying it and are paying for it. At the time the government were happy to wait for Siam Biotech to try to get their Astrazenca ready! 5 months behind the Indians who signed contracts at the same time! 

Edited July 1, 2021 by casualbiker

[mtls2005]

Wouild like to hear Zuellig confirm the order, volume(s) and ship dates.

 

Personally, I don't think an order will be placed until the bake-sale (pre-payments - I will gladly pay you today for a vaccine tomorrow) comes up with enough cash.

 

 

[malibukid]

1 hour ago, herfiehandbag said:

They opted out of the international vaccine distribution system, in order to set up  a monopoly production facility which they anticipated would make a very large amount of money. That has failed to produce a fraction of the vaccines anticipated. Therefore they are dependent onn  deals with China, and purchases on the open market, which require cash, which is in short supply.

this country faces ruin now and will have to go hat in hand to big brother now.  

Edited July 1, 2021 by malibukid

[A Los for words]

If this was dated July 2020 then that would be about right.

[multatuli]

10 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Why have they been waiting so long when people have been dying every day?

Planning is an unknown word in Thai, and long-term not translateable

[hotchilli]

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand said on Wednesday it would import nearly four million doses of Moderna's mRNA coronavirus vaccine towards the end of this year and a further one million in early 2022, for use by private hospitals.

Great planning... PM should be proud of his handywork.

[hotchilli]

10 hours ago, bwpage3 said:

Why have they been waiting so long when people have been dying every day?

The PM thought he had it all sewn up.. until the 3rd wave came along to bite his rear-end.

[jacko45k]

3 minutes ago, multatuli said:

Planning is an unknown word in Thai, and long-term not translateable

I also suggest the planning only goes as far as the start of any job.... never carrying it through to completion and tidying up after. (As per the drain laying project near my place, which has left a  deadly unmarked and open deep ditch at the side of the road for weeks. )

[banglay]

Bangkok Hospital pattaya sent me a email 01/07/21 saying I can now book the moderna vaccine .went to there book and pay page and got   SOLD OUT

 

[spidermike007]

While this can be interpreted as a sign of progress, amongst the laggards, why was this not done last year? Or months ago? Why only now, and why such late delivery? Are they scared of the cost?