Thailand’s slow procurement of jabs and revival of ‘vaccine diplomacy’

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

The government’s slow vaccine procurement has left Thailand lagging behind many countries – including its own neighbors – in the global race for COVID-19 jabs, say critics.

 

The economic think tank Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) recently showed that six countries with economies comparable in size to Thailand’s managed to acquire vaccines at a faster rate and in larger quantities than the Kingdom.

 

According to the TDRI, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Israel and Brazil all achieved their procurement targets by using a variety of channels, and not relying on a single government-appointed vaccine committee as in Thailand’s case.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailands-slow-procurement-of-jabs-and-revival-of-vaccine-diplomacy/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-08-15

 

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[pegman]

Follow the ฿฿฿฿฿฿฿.

[Thailand]

Hence stacks of Sino vaxes and bulging wallets.

[Scrotobike]

This is true

Who wants to argue against this?

 

[mfd101]

Yes, different countries, different effectiveness ...

 

Oz has just announced that 1 million Pfizer shots are arriving tonight from ... you guessed it (ha ha) Poland!

 

Not sure how long ago they were ordered but Poland would not have been on top of the list for Oz, so they've clearly been working their way down.

 

This is on top of the 40 million Oz already has in-country.  The new arrivals are planned to go to 20-39-year-olds.

 

Where there's a will ... but not in Thailand. At least, not where it's needed.

[ikke1959]

Thailand as center of the world and universe can solve all problems by themselves..There is the real truth and the Thai truth, which normally is far from the real one

[Geoffggi]

It is not surprising that the likes of Anutin are wanting immunity from prosecution ............ 

[4MyEgo]

30 minutes ago, mfd101 said:

This is on top of the 40 million Oz already has in-country.  The new arrivals are planned to go to 20-39-year-olds.

Wonder what they did with the original order of 80 million AZ doses, they could sell the balance off to Thailand and other countries.....lol

[b17]

Last night, just before I completed watching the 322nd sheep jump over the fence, my Thai wife tapped me on the shoulder and asked me a question about this forum. 

"If the US government has earmarked a certain percentage of the 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, why hasn't anyone started a petition to get the benefactors to pressure the recipients to come clean on their commitment to sharing the vaccine with the foreign residents of Thailand?"

 

I had no answer. Do any of you?

[mfd101]

9 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Wonder what they did with the original order of 80 million AZ doses, they could sell the balance off to Thailand and other countries.....lol

Some (not sure how many) went as gifts to Indonesia, PNG & the small Sth Pacific countries ...

[Thailand]

3 minutes ago, b17 said:

Last night, just before I completed watching the 322nd sheep jump over the fence, my Thai wife tapped me on the shoulder and asked me a question about this forum. 

"If the US government has earmarked a certain percentage of the 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, why hasn't anyone started a petition to get the benefactors to pressure the recipients to come clean on their commitment to sharing the vaccine with the foreign residents of Thailand?"

 

I had no answer. Do any of you?

There is already a related thread.

[mfd101]

3 minutes ago, b17 said:

I had no answer. Do any of you?

It wasn't a commitment, just a nudge, a nod and a wink.

[b17]

2 minutes ago, Thailand said:

There is already a related thread.

I did not know. Can you possibly direct me there?

 

[bkk6060]

29 minutes ago, b17 said:

Last night, just before I completed watching the 322nd sheep jump over the fence, my Thai wife tapped me on the shoulder and asked me a question about this forum. 

"If the US government has earmarked a certain percentage of the 1.5 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine, why hasn't anyone started a petition to get the benefactors to pressure the recipients to come clean on their commitment to sharing the vaccine with the foreign residents of Thailand?"

 

I had no answer. Do any of you?

I think most get it,  but I have never met and I doubt any Thai women would word a question like that.

[HaoleBoy]

Is Brazil, a country of 211 million people, an economy of comparable size to Thailand?

[b17]

10 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

I think most get it,  but I have never met and I doubt any Thai women would word a question like that.

I paraphrased what she said, which was "why don't farangs write a petition to the US embassy about not receiving the promised doses of Pfizer?". Can you assist me in answering that question, assuming that it is of greater importance than my wife's grammatical abilities?

[HaoleBoy]

According to the TDRI, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Israel and Brazil all achieved their procurement targets by using a variety of channels, and not relying on a single government-appointed vaccine committee as in Thailand’s case.

 

How many of these countries manufacture a vaccine too?

 

[HaoleBoy]

4 minutes ago, b17 said:

I paraphrased what she said, which was "why don't farangs write a petition to the US embassy about not receiving the promised doses of Pfizer?". Can you assist me in answering that question, assuming that it is of greater importance than my wife's grammatical abilities?

Why not write directly to US Senator Tammy Duckworth since she touted the US giving Thailand the free Pfizer vaccines?

     https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/connect/

[b17]

3 minutes ago, HaoleBoy said:

Why not write directly to US Senator Tammy Duckworth since she touted the US giving Thailand the free Pfizer vaccines?

     https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/connect/

That is an excellent idea. Hope that a few million other foreigners living here do the same thing

 

[Eric Loh]

Glaringly obvious that it’s all about leadership and Thailand has none in this government. Full stop. 

[b17]

8 minutes ago, b17 said:

That is an excellent idea. Hope that a few million other foreigners living here do the same thing. I've written to Ms. Duckworth, and suggest that everyone on this forum do the same thing    Thanks to Haoleboy for the suggestion:   https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/connect/

 

[club]

Also relying on China Vaccines while AZ production was getting set up and their unwillingness to buy better western vaccines was Thailand's downfall. Who ever made the desertions needs to be replaced 

[Misty]

42 minutes ago, b17 said:

I paraphrased what she said, which was "why don't farangs write a petition to the US embassy about not receiving the promised doses of Pfizer?". Can you assist me in answering that question, assuming that it is of greater importance than my wife's grammatical abilities?

The only people saying some vaccines were set aside for foreigners were Thai officials.  The official US position has always been that the US vaccine donations have no strings attached.  I've not seen any statement from the US embassy here or elsewhere suggesting anything different.

 

Whether or not there was some "winking and nodding" at high levels that suggested differently, I wouldn't know.

[Neeranam]

2 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Yes, different countries, different effectiveness ...

 

Oz has just announced that 1 million Pfizer shots are arriving tonight from ... you guessed it (ha ha) Poland!

 

Not sure how long ago they were ordered but Poland would not have been on top of the list for Oz, so they've clearly been working their way down.

 

This is on top of the 40 million Oz already has in-country.  The new arrivals are planned to go to 20-39-year-olds.

 

Where there's a will ... but not in Thailand. At least, not where it's needed.

That country is a joke, and makes Thailand look wonderful. 

 

My sister lives in Melbourne but is currently stranded in the UK, despite being an Oz citizen, they won't let her back as in lockdown. Amazingly, no one has died of Covid this year!!! 

[Misty]

34 minutes ago, b17 said:

That is an excellent idea. Hope that a few million other foreigners living here do the same thing

 

Especially if any are voting US citizens from Senator Duckworth's state of Illinois. 

[mfd101]

2 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

That country is a joke, and makes Thailand look wonderful. 

 

My sister lives in Melbourne but is currently stranded in the UK, despite being an Oz citizen, they won't let her back as in lockdown. Amazingly, no one has died of Covid this year!!! 

Um, there's plenty to criticize in Oz (as in any country) including on matters covid, but to suggest that effective (mostly) lockdowns and no covid deaths this year in Oz makes Thailand look wonderful is a strange perception.

[Neeranam]

27 minutes ago, Eric Loh said:

Glaringly obvious that it’s all about leadership and Thailand has none in this government. Full stop. 

There's a symbol for 'full stop' ???? 

[Eric Loh]

45 minutes ago, HaoleBoy said:

Why not write directly to US Senator Tammy Duckworth since she touted the US giving Thailand the free Pfizer vaccines?

     https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/connect/

Blessed her heart, she has been working to get vaccines to Thailand and other SEA countries. The 1.5 m Pfizer to Thailand can be attributed to her effort NOT Anutin nor Prayut.

https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/news/press-releases/duckworth-announces-us-commitment-of-15-million-american-vaccine-doses-to-thailand-as-part-of-biden-administrations-global-vaccination-efforts

[John Drake]

44 minutes ago, HaoleBoy said:

Why not write directly to US Senator Tammy Duckworth since she touted the US giving Thailand the free Pfizer vaccines?

     https://www.duckworth.senate.gov/connect/

Have you tried that link yourself? It requires a US telephone number and address in order to send an email. Most congressvermin use the same sifter to keep out expats, even if your last US address was from their district and/or state.

[john thom]

13 minutes ago, Misty said:

The only people saying some vaccines were set aside for foreigners were Thai officials.  The official US position has always been that the US vaccine donations have no strings attached.  I've not seen any statement from the US embassy here or elsewhere suggesting anything different.

 

Whether or not there was some "winking and nodding" at high levels that suggested differently, I wouldn't know.

yup