By Tanakorn Sangiam

   

BANGKOK (NNT) - The government’s decision not to join the COVAX vaccine sharing facility remains under scrutiny in the latest censure debate. The National Vaccine Institute chief today defended the situation once again, saying that Thailand is better off ordering vaccines directly from manufacturers rather than via COVAX.

 

The National Vaccine Institute (NVI) Director Dr Nakorn Premsri, today explained in parliament that the government’s decision not to join the COVAX facility for vaccine sharing, was because of the group’s lesser supply and higher prices than dealing directly with manufacturers.

 

The topic was brought up today in the parliament’s censure debate by opposition MPs Sompong Amornvivat and Prasert Chantararuangthong from Pheu Thai Party, who called the decision by the government a vaccine management failure.

 

Similar to previous explanations given on 10th June, the NVI director said the COVAX facility is mostly beneficial to low-income countries, which can get vaccines in this way at no cost to themselves, however that is not applicable to Thailand where the country must pay for the jabs, plus management fees.

 

Dr Nakorn said that most of the vaccines Thailand would have received through COVAX would be locally produced AstraZeneca at a price higher than that being asked by the drugmaker itself, thus joining the facility would not be beneficial.

 

He then pointed out that vaccine deliveries via COVAX have faced delays and supply constraints due to the earlier surge of cases in India, which is a major manufacturing country.

 

The NVI chief said the 139 countries that joined COVAX have so far received 224 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine, which is not a very large quantity. He said Thailand has secured more vaccine supplies directly from manufacturers than it would have with COVAX, and with greater reliability.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-09-01

 

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Damn! That borderlines on a sensible explanation.

Ah why not both

I think I am missing something here?

Maybe he could also explain why other countries paid less for Shinovax then Thailand did. Direct deals with manufacturers are of course easier to falsify and get kickbacks.

 

But his reasons are valid, just not the only reasons for Thailand not to join covax.

Not sure how he can justify not joining to be honest, joining Covax would not have stopped you from ordering directly with vaccine manufactures aswell. Covax was another opportunity missed simple as that.

1. The price argument may be something that favourably resonates with Thais, but it's not just about price (the point of the OP) ... it's also about speed of delivery, and quality of vaccines.

 

2. Indeed, the chosen alternative here in the early days, Sinovac (aka "kick-vac"), hasn't proven to be cheap, especially considering a double dose of it needs a "booster" ... so the second jab of it, given to so many here, was basically for naught.

 

3. It's easy in September to judge covax's efficiency, but when the non-joining decision was made in February, it was the best thing going.

Right, now tell us why the ideas for a Vaccine status lockdown will fail because less than 10% are vaccinated after 2 years - given that they've found great alternative methods for getting enough vaccines available in every 7-11 in the country...

 

Meanwhile in the UK and many other countries, the only unvaccinated people are the ones that won't get vaccinated.

 

Does he also explain why the money paid to get the rather weak option (Sinovac) was 2 billion baht more than the cost of the Sinovac?

 

Surely the original motivation was to protect the idea that the local production of AZ was going to eventually succeed and thus protect the Monarchy...

Edited September 1, 20214 yr by ben2talk

Define advantageous..

Wasn't there an article last week about Thailand joining COVAX and sending fees to the WHO?

They opt out, they opt in, they have an excuse each time.

 

Honestly the regime can defend any position, which they do often. Twice on Wednesdays.

 

The SS COVAX has sailed. DId the regime mess it up? Yes, of course. What haven't they messed up?

 

But time to move on and just buy vaccines, and allow private concerns to buy them as well.

 

 

 

 

5 hours ago, robblok said:

Maybe he could also explain why other countries paid less for Shinovax then Thailand did. Direct deals with manufacturers are of course easier to falsify and get kickbacks.

 

But his reasons are valid, just not the only reasons for Thailand not to join covax.

so how much money did they save? and when would they have had received the vaccins if joined Covax?

because they played with thai people's health over saving some baht!

This poor chap was pushed out to present some sort of story that is supposed to help the Covid Czar & the Sorcerer's Apprentice in their defence of government practices during the vote of no confidence debates. He is merely a fall guy. I hope they have adequately compensated him for allowing his credibility to be trashed.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Dr Nakorn said that most of the vaccines Thailand would have received through COVAX would be locally produced AstraZeneca at a price higher than that being asked by the drugmaker itself, thus joining the facility would not be beneficial.

Whining about the costs again.

Not a single consideration that the pooled Money also goes to helping Nations who are indeed very poor, and need some help from richer Nations.

Edited September 1, 20214 yr by Cake Monster

yes, it's all about money - corruption is being pointed yesterday and today at censure debate.

Already in January Thanathorn was pointing at it - charged with multiple counts lese majeste

6 hours ago, Will B Good said:

That borderlines on a sensible explanation.

He fails to explain that most of those vaccines they bought were the expensive and worthless Sinovac.

Look you damn idiot!  Why wasn't you grandstanding a month or so ago when you had zero vaccine except the water the leaders were buying from Chinese. With all the donations coming in to bail Thailand out and joining Covax if one forgot you couldn't buy because you had no money and when you figure it all out Thailand was too far in back of the line to get any! 

 

This idiot is why the country has the problems it has banking all their marbles on the AZ is the reason you got the problems with the outbreak. Looking back now why don't this guy get a shovel and shovel his <deleted> somewhere else.

And before their own Covid debacle, India offered Thailand vaccines & the generals said no thanks!

2 hours ago, ClaySmc said:

He fails to explain that most of those vaccines they bought were the expensive and worthless Sinovac.

More nonsense about Sinovac's vaccine being worthless.

2 hours ago, placeholder said:

More nonsense about Sinovac's vaccine being worthless.

but that's thai position, too - that's why booster for medics and why booster coming shortly for elderly and risk group.

With your argumentative attitude your social skills are poor. One short sentence reply is not good to put your case.

 

don't bother replying, won't read

2 minutes ago, internationalism said:

but that's thai position, too - that's why booster for medics and why booster coming shortly for elderly and risk group.

With your argumentative attitude your social skills are poor. One short sentence reply is not good to put your case.

 

don't bother replying, won't read

Well, I got tired of posting over and over and over and over and then some about why such posts are actually the worthless ones. And I am not exaggerating. So many times to so little avail

But here I go again. A popular factoid is the claim that Sinovac's vaccine has only 51% effectiveness. Yet that study from Brazil was the lowest of all the results from many studies. Other studies showed far more effectiveness. What's more, the effectiveness in question only referred to how well it stopped symptoms from developing. Not how well it prevented serious cases requiring hospitalization.. Or how well it reduced deaths. Both percentages were considerably higher. In fact, in Brazil a controlled study was done on virtually the entire population of Serrana in Brazil. When vaccinations with the Sinovac vaccination reached 75%, the disease almost disappeared from the city while all around it the disease was raging unabated.

So while the Sinovac vaccine is almost certainly less effective than most if not all of the others, it is extremely unlikely that it is anything close to worthless. What's really at play is the animosity of many posters towards the government of China. The animosity is understandable. But being so self-indulgent as to let it overrule any semblance of objectivity not so much.

35 minutes ago, internationalism said:

but that's thai position, too - that's why booster for medics and why booster coming shortly for elderly and risk group.

With your argumentative attitude your social skills are poor. One short sentence reply is not good to put your case.

 

don't bother replying, won't read

And to answer your point about the thai position...no..it isn't the Thai position that it's worthless. It's that Coronavac is less effective than mRNA vaccines and that frontline workers need the best protection available not just to protect themselves but to protect others. I agree. And if other vaccines were available in abundance for what it's worth I'd recommend going with them instead of going with Sinovac. But as of now, that isn't the case, is it?

Direct deals with vaccine Manufacturers more Advantages, what he really means is it comes with bigger brown envelopes.... 

18 hours ago, khunpeer said:

so how much money did they save? and when would they have had received the vaccins if joined Covax?

because they played with thai people's health over saving some baht!

I can't say that but WITHOUT kickbacks it would have been cheaper, of course we dont know if no kickbacks were paid.

 

Also we don't know when it would have gotten here.

 

I just stated that these reasons were valid but there were other reasons like kickbacks and stuff not to do it. 

I mean Covax would mean transparant deals.. and they hate that that can be checked.

 

I was just saying that these arguments were valid, however there were plenty of other arguments far stronger why not to do it. Less chance for kickbacks less shady deals ext. He just used reasons that were valid to shield the possible real reasons.