Thailand’s vaccine director apologises for ‘slow, inadequate’ vaccine rollout, promises to join COVAX

[allyoops]

This is a surprising admission and a shocking one. His plans now are to rely on the WHO and charity to supply vaccine because he and his mates have failed. How can this man remain in his job.

[Boedog]

National vaccine Institute takes the blame for slow roll out, l bet the PM is glad to hear that for a minute he thought he was to blame WOW that was lucky, now l can concentrate on my 120 day re-opening plan and more Sandboxes to stick my head into

[PeeJayEm]

What a complete and utter w*****r. He blames the virus for not behaving as he wanted it to.

 

So one year too late, at last Thailand gets over it's ridiculous fake nationalistic price and joins at the back of another queue.

[jacko45k]

7 minutes ago, Boedog said:

l bet the PM is glad to hear that for a minute he thought he was to blame

Self appointed Czar.... with space to step back.

[allyoops]

1 hour ago, grantbkk said:

I may not be the only one who read this article on the front page of the Post and after just a few paragraphs realized the only word to sum it up is, “scapegoat”.  The picture of Dr. Nakorn Premsri, picked by the Post or the government was a perfect scapegoat photograph too.  Poor Dr. Premsri gave a lengthy apology as the National Vaccine Institute Director for not only his part in the debacle but the government itself.

 

What is missing from the mea culpa were the actual culprits of the worst vaccine rollout since the pandemic of 1918. No mention of our Prime Minister of 7 years who singlehandedly took on the job of leading us out of this pandemic and took 100% of the credit for Thailand’s early success. Also conspicuously absent was the name of out esteemed Public Health Minister (not a doctor) who has said all is under control for the last year and a half.  I think everyone now realizes who is primarily responsible for the thousands of covid-19 infections and hundreds of deaths for their decision to forgo the immediate acquisition of proper vaccine for Thailand.

 

I want to let Dr. Premsri know that most of us understand what is happening and that he is mostly blame free for sinking the economy, tripling the suicide rate and causing the country to be locked down.  Your work is appreciated.

 

 

Having read your post I realise my earlier comment was probably a bit naive. I agree, scapegoat is the word.

 

[terryofcrete]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

To supplement current supplies, “we are looking to bring in second-generation vaccines that are effective against the mutation and we are expecting them to arrive by the first quarter of next year,” he said.

OMG ! What a pathetic mess they have made of it ! 

[Magenta408]

RESIGN in shame and apologize to those you have killed.

[Bkk Brian]

3 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

 But some of the epidemiological dilettante postings on here are indeed a bore.

This is one of my favourites :- "The mutations (of the virus) were something that could not be predicted,"

[brucegoniners]

Incompetence!

[gejohesch]

10 hours ago, lujanit said:

So the covid Czar cannot apologise yet he gets an underling to do it.  Must have been a lot of blow back from the announcement by the Czar blaming ordinary citizens for the current situation.  Pathetic.

"unforeseen situation" --- "rapid virus circulation due to variants that could not be predicted". How incredibly weak and pathetic! These people are incompetent beyond belief! Planning ahead, thinking of contingencies, backup plans???? Not in your dreams!!!!

[Ned Ludd]

11 hours ago, smedly said:

apart from the chinese vaccines you did buy - 1st generation vaccines are effective against delta you just didn't buy them AZ being the exception but 3m a month you may as well not have bothered - now you are going to have revaccinate all those that have already recieved the chinese vaccine putting the whole program back months ................................well done

You may want to qualify whether you are saying AZ is not effective or that Thailand ordered AZ which is extremely effective against the Delta (Indian) variant. Your post can be read several ways.

[Ned Ludd]

1 hour ago, allyoops said:

This is a surprising admission and a shocking one. His plans now are to rely on the WHO and charity to supply vaccine because he and his mates have failed. How can this man remain in his job.

Not to forget that the WHO praised Thailand for the way it had the covid infection under control.

[from the home of CC]

11 hours ago, wasabi said:

He deflected blame but otherwise a surprisingly frank acknowledgement. However they are about a year short and the price to pay in money and lives will be high.

yes, a huge loss of face and now having to admit they'll need help from donations doubles that loss..

[sambum]

"promising that the country will join the COVAX program to receive donated vaccines next year."

 

Here we go again, waiting for freebies rather than getting their fingers out and spending a few baht, and possibly get thevaccine this year.

 

And the article is a bit ambiguous - does it mean that Thailand will receive free vaccines next year, or that Thaland will join the COVAX programme next year? The latter woud not surprise me the way that things have been handled up to now!

[RobU]

Frank and honest admission by a politician. I am impressed perhaps others could take a leaf out of his book

[Spock]

9 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

All these people in the government involved with the vaccine rollout should be ashamed they lied they cheated and they stalled it’s been over a year and the rollout is a total disgrace to this government TIT

Now as a reasonably well off developing country they are going with their begging bowl to Covax expecting a handout to compensate the deficiencies of their planning. Pathetic.

[jwbrit]

"The mutations (of the virus) were something that could not be predicted"

 

Unfortunately, many people will believe that. Virus mutations have been expected and monitored around the world by other countries for months. With approx 50 mill adults requiring 2 doses they need to get on with ordering and administering the full requirement of 100 mill doses. Who knows what the future holds with this stunted scientific thinking and lack of awareness.

[Phoenix Rising]

11 minutes ago, RobU said:

Frank and honest admission by a politician. I am impressed perhaps others could take a leaf out of his book

Correct me if I'm wrong but he's not really a politician, is he. He's a civil servant working for the politicians (and I'm using that term in lieu of more appropriate terms that would be against the forum rules and indeed the defamation laws of Thailand) in charge of this manure show; Anutin and Prayut.

[riclag]

The guy should resign asap!

All vaccine developers are well aware of the possibility that in the  future the poison that they are trying to make vaccine's for could possible mutate !

 As the director I'm guessing he has knowledge of this through a extensive educational background !

Edited July 22, 2021 by riclag

[nightbird]

5 hours ago, Phoenix Rising said:

That's literally shooting the messenger and letting the real culprits/decision makers go free.

I'm talking about the decision maker(s) not the poster! lol

[VBF]

5 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Absolutely my experience too. Every single person my wife knows despises every single thing about this government. They also know that their chance of changing anything is slim to none after the constitution was changed to ensure that the military will always have the upper hand in Parliament, no matter what the result of any elections.

Well their chance of changing anything is ZERO unless they get off their backsides and DO something!

However many soldiers the Govt has at its disposal, there are millions more ordinary people out there.

It wouldn't be nice or pretty and it would be bloody but eventually something has to give.

[DogNo1]

Dr. Nakorn said that the Institute was speeding up negotiations with vaccine manufacturers but it has not been decided how many doses will be procured and when.   So it's all talk and no action at this point.

[Jimbo2014]

Didnt the PM take charge of all vaccine procurement and rollout some months back?

[Soikhaonoiken]

A bit late in the day to join the Covax program,  no doubt its because the vaccine will be free and donated by other Countries around the world who have vacciated all there citizens..... But what about all the billions and Billions of Baht the Government borrowed to fight this pandemic, I'm sure most of us know where this money will end up.... 

... 

[MrJ2U]

16 hours ago, jerrymahoney said:

So whatever the gent may have done wrong or insufficient in the past, why not just sit back and let him do his job as best he can now. Because it is HIS job, not yours.

He should be fired and replaced.

 

[cncltd1973]

14 hours ago, pegman said:

The fall guy. This whole situation is about mandating the manufacture of vaccines for use in Thailand be done in country so the bulk of profits  will go to you know who. If multitudes of lives are lost so be it.

Thank you, I was feeling sorry for the Dr/scapegoat they brought out for everyone to take pot shots at. There's no chance this medical gentleman was the reason Thailand failed, especially when the money trail is laid out for all to see

[Captor]

17 hours ago, smedly said:

apart from the chinese vaccines you did buy - 1st generation vaccines are effective against delta you just didn't buy them AZ being the exception but 3m a month you may as well not have bothered - now you are going to have revaccinate all those that have already recieved the chinese vaccine putting the whole program back months ................................well done

Mutations and the situation are unforeseen??

[jerrymahoney]

6 hours ago, Captor said:

Mutations and the situation are unforeseen??

In a Race Against an Ever-Changing Virus, Are We Losing Ground?
Laird Harrison

July 21, 2021

 

A year ago, scientists looking at the future of the COVID-19 pandemic felt optimistic. Vaccine development was zooming toward unprecedented achievement. And unlike the viruses that cause influenza or AIDS, they thought, this virus — SARS-CoV-2 — couldn't mutate to evade the fully primed human immune system.

 

"Thankfully, SARS-CoV-2 does not seem to have evolved any such tricks yet — suggesting that we still have an opportunity to stem its spread and the pandemic by pursuing a relatively straightforward vaccine approach," wrote two Yale University immunologists in a July 31, 2020, essay for The New York Times.

 

Those were the days.

 

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/955176

[jerrymahoney]

On 7/22/2021 at 9:22 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

Dear Thai Apologist

As best he can isn't good enough. People are dying. People are falling sick. People are losing their income. People are struggling to find enough to eat. People are dying of Covid in the street. Businesses are being bankrupted. People are desperate.

Doing his best means that Thailand is a year behind in trying to procure vaccines that long ago were promised to other countries who were doing better than his best and making sure they would have enough vaccines to safeguard their citizens. His best means that Thailand is 118 out of 120 in dealing with vaccinating its citizens.

Signed

A Realist

Yes -- I am an American. :These two are from an American university: Dr. Akiko Iwasaki and Dr. Ruslan Medzhitov are professors of immunobiology at Yale.

 

July 31, 2020  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/31/opinion/coronavirus-antibodies-immunity.html

 

"Among the viruses that have become endemic in humans, some have also figured out ways to dodge the adaptive immune system: H.I.V.-1 mutates rapidly; herpes viruses deploy proteins that can trap and incapacitate antibodies."

 

"Thankfully, SARS-CoV-2 does not seem to have evolved any such tricks yet — suggesting that we still have an opportunity to stem its spread and the pandemic by pursuing a relatively straightforward vaccine approach."

 

So the statement in the OP "The mutations (of the virus) were something that could not be predicted, which have caused a more rapid spread than last year" was one that was shared at least by some in the academic community.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2021 by jerrymahoney

[metisdead]

Some post using trolling images have been removed.

 

An off topic about the events in 2010 has been removed.