(teera.noisakran / Shutterstock.com)
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha wants to procure up to 200 million Covid-19 vaccine doses in preparation for unforeseen emergencies as the pandemic continues to rage unabated in several countries.
Speaking on Friday's weekly TV talk, General Prayut said the global pandemic showed no signs of going away any time soon, so the government must be prepared for any situation that could arise.
“The first priority will be to increase our vaccine supply to 150 million doses or more and to prepare for any risk,” General Prayut said. The government has set a target of buying 100 million doses to vaccinate 50 million Thais to create herd immunity, he said. “But I think it's not enough. If we listen to information from around the world, it is still not clear whether herd immunity against this virus can actually be achieved.”
He said Thailand has an adult population of about 60 million, so would need at least 120 million vaccine doses if everyone needed two injections. This also had to take into account, for example, labor migrants. “To prepare for potential risks and uncertainty, we may need 150-200 million doses of vaccine for future phases,” he said, “but we need to consider vaccine shelf life and next year's situation.”
The prime minister says government agencies have negotiated with seven manufacturers so far, but he instructed them to be even more proactive in procuring vaccines. Another priority is to administer as many first doses of the vaccine as soon as possible in July.
Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Friday that the purchase of Pfizer, Sputnik V and Johnson & Johnson vaccines is also being looked at.
The commission will also allow private hospitals to purchase their own vaccines. These may even be vaccines from manufacturers other than those with which the government has an agreement, Anucha said. He added that these alternative vaccines could be delivered to Thailand by the end of this year.
Lots of bleating but little wool. Every hour a different balloon is released. They apparently want a lot, but nothing changes or happens on the site. We have been here for almost half of the year now and a handful of Thai have been stung. No strategy, no rollout and probably hardly any vaccines purchased or available. I think it will mainly be about who will have to earn how much from what.
I have written before and the bottom line is that they are better off spending their money and time to buy some real vaccines, so the Western ones. Just read that the EU has bought 1,8 billion doses from Pfizer again, well you can vaccinate the entire EU 2 x x 2 vaccines per person, so there are plenty of good vaccines, no Russian or Chinese, vaccines available and in Thailand they shouldn't be so busy with their money, but just pull out the money pouch so that normal life returns as it is now in Europe.
If you had read carefully, you would have also read that they are for a third vaccination if necessary (due to all the mutations that arise) and a follow-up shot for 2022 and 2023.
What is and what is not necessary, we can only look into our crystal ball.
The EU does not want to be accused again of doing nothing or doing too late.
It's not about the EU or the countries in the EU being negligent; Western countries already purchased en masse at the end of last year so that they could theoretically fully vaccinate their population a few times this year, in the Netherlands even 3 x, Canada 9 x etc, and follow-up vaccinations are already being prepared as I indicate. But Thailand is a different story and that is what my response is about because they are lagging behind the bandwagon when it comes to their purchases.
But Ger .. The Netherlands has a major deficit, just like so many European countries. Only England has their affairs in order . Simply because they have disconnected themselves from Europe. Europe is rolling over each other, with the result that vaccinations are extremely slow. Nothing in the Netherlands can vaccinate the population 3 X. That's what my response is about.
There are probably no or few vaccines available on the world market at the moment.
So can order and call as much as they want.
The pandemic is far from over what they actually hoped for then they would not have had to purchase vaccines. But now they're just running after the facts.
For Covid vaccination of retired Dutch citizens and living in Thailand:
Then don't wait for the Thai government (and private hospitals) for a vaccination and return to the Netherlands asap for a vaccination (which is valid in Thailand).
And enjoy spring in NL.
Piet
Why return to the Netherlands for a vaccination? It is an expensive trip, you need accommodation here between vaccinations... and most importantly, we don't have enough vaccines at all!! So bad plan.
“… we don't have enough vaccines at all !! So bad plan”.
The Netherlands has plenty of vaccines in the coming months. Pfizer and Moderna deliver excellently and AstraZeneca delivers erratically.. but delivers iif. Janssen also supplies vaccines.
I agree with the ′′ expensive trip ′′ argument, I certainly wouldn't travel to NL to get a vaccine (exaggerated) but believe me that the Netherlands will be flooded with vaccines in the coming weeks and months.
Herbert,
That's right. The Thai government had assumed that the infections would be limited by their measures. So no vaccines were ordered.
What Prayut now promises may soon be contradicted by ministers.
Promising a lot and giving little makes xxx live in joy.