The National Vaccine Institute has initially ordered Covid-19 vaccines for 50% of the Thai population and the reservation would cost the government 2.93 billion baht this month.
Dr Panprapa Yongtrakul, spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health, said the National Vaccine Committee approved the early reservation of Covid-19 vaccines for half the Thai population. Vaccine reservation for 20% of the population would be done through COVAX and that for 30% of the population would be directly sealed with manufacturers. Each person would need two doses of a vaccine, Dr Panprapa said.
Dr Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute, said the institute’s management verbally ordered vaccines from 10 manufacturers that entered the Phase 3 of their vaccine testing but had yet to place money for the reservation.
Deputy Prime Minister/Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul who heads the National Vaccine Committee can exercise Section 18 of the National Vaccine Security Act to approve the reservation sum worth 2.93 billion baht. The money must be placed within this month.
The first group of people to be vaccinated will be medical personnel and next recipients will be chosen based on the interest of public health, Dr Nakorn said.
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