Health Ministry reassures Pfizer booster available to healthcare workers

[webfact]

 

By Tanakorn Sangiam

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Public Health has stressed 500,000 doses of Pfizer jabs from the 1.54 million donated by the U.S. government will be reserved for healthcare workers, while denying rumors some doses are reserved for VIPs.

 

The Ministry of Public Health’s Spokesman Dr Rungruang Kitpati today assured the community that at least 500,000 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the U.S. government are being reserved for healthcare professionals and frontline workers.

 

His remarks came after a rumor shared on social media, claimed the quota of donated Pfizer-BioNTech jabs for healthcare workers had been cut from 500,000 to 20,000 doses, an allegation which Dr Rungruang calls fake news.

 

Healthcare workers in Thailand are mostly inoculated with two doses of Sinovac vaccine, however concerns regarding efficacy against the now dominant Delta variant have prompted health authorities to launch a booster shot program for healthcare workers.

 

In this program, healthcare workers can choose between AstraZeneca or Pfizer-BioNTech as their third booster dose. Those who choose AstraZeneca can get their booster shot right away, while those choosing Pfizer will need to wait for its delivery.

 

The 1.54 million doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine donated by the Biden administration are expected to arrive in Thailand this Thursday. The first administration of this mRNA vaccine is expected in early August.

 

Another 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine ordered by the Department of Disease Control are then expected to arrive in batches from October to December.

 

The Ministry of Public Health’s spokesman stressed that all these 21.54 million doses of Pfizer vaccine will be provided through the government’s national inoculation campaign free of charge to eligible persons, mainly the vulnerable groups and residents of high-risk areas.

 

He said any offer of Pfizer jabs in Thailand at a charge are fraudulent, and the Ministry of Public Health will be taking legal action against those involved.

 

Meanwhile, the Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) has announced a list of 38 Provincial Administrative Organizations to receive a Moderna vaccine allotment from the TRCS, with deliveries expected in Q4 this year.

 

According to the Health Ministry’s spokesman the 38 local administrations successfully submitted their requests to the TRCS by the 12 p.m. deadline on 21st July, with distribution plans approved and payment already made.

 

The TRCS has made a deal with the Government Pharmaceutical Organization to secure 1 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The TRCS then provided some of these doses at a non-profit cost of 1,100 baht per dose to interested localities, which must not charge their residents for the jabs.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-07-27

 

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[Tropicalevo]

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

reserved for healthcare professionals and frontline workers.

Anutin has said that he will don PPE coverings and visit Thais in home quarantine.

Does that make him a frontline worker?

[Isaan sailor]

I heard the English version of what the Health Minister said.  That’s good news for those hard working people.  What’s not as clear, though, is what, who, when and where the remainder of the donated Pfizer doses will go.

[Deli]

And the question of the day is: WHY NOT a quality vaccine for everybody living here, as it is possible in the civilized world ? You failed big time, Mr. A.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The Ministry of Public Health has stressed 500,000 doses of Pfizer jabs from the 1.54 million donated by the U.S. government will be reserved for healthcare workers, while denying rumors some doses are reserved for VIPs.

Yet some doctors say 700,000 were promised with only 300,000 being delivered, so 400,000 doses seem to have gone astray?

A nice donation of the good stuff seems to have been hijacked along the way.

[hotchilli]

58 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

I heard the English version of what the Health Minister said.  That’s good news for those hard working people.  What’s not as clear, though, is what, who, when and where the remainder of the donated Pfizer doses will go.

That's the only thing that is crystal clear... 

[sammieuk1]

Good to know donated vaccines are free of charge just incase there is any confusion nurse's ????

[Scrotobike]

3 vaccines for some youngsters and still none for some at risk

Way to go Thailand!

[bradiston]

What about the original at risk groups - over 60, comorbidities - who thought they'd won the jackpot and received 2 Sinovac jabs poor sods. Will they get a booster?

[mtls2005]

At this point I don't think anyone in Thailand, still breathing, trusts the regime, especially when it comes to anything vaccine related.

 

And without trust, well, not gonna be a happy ending.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by mtls2005

[Pdib]

Hm, interesting.

 

Why then does Thailand refuse to issue COEs to cross vaccinated applicants abroad (AZ and Pfizer), and insist that they have to have two doses of the same type or brand of vaccine?

 

It happened in Denmark according to recent reliable media reports.

[MrJ2U]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Yet some doctors say 700,000 were promised with only 300,000 being delivered, so 400,000 doses seem to have gone astray?

A nice donation of the good stuff seems to have been hijacked along the way.

Hearing the same stories. 500,000 seemed low for Frontline workers.

 

What a mess.

From start to finish.

[cjinchiangrai]

2 hours ago, Pdib said:

Hm, interesting.

 

Why then does Thailand refuse to issue COEs to cross vaccinated applicants abroad (AZ and Pfizer), and insist that they have to have two doses of the same type or brand of vaccine?

 

It happened in Denmark according to recent reliable media reports.

They revised the sandbox rules to allow for this.