Information is being shared online about patients who were administered the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine at a clinic in Sa Kaeo province, leading to questions of whether the vaccine doses were legal, as the J&J vaccine has yet to be officially distributed in Thailand.
Department of Health Service Support Director-General Tares Krassanairawiwong said doctors who worked at clinics and parties who facilitate vaccinations need to check if the vaccines are correctly imported and registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He said vaccines that were not inspected by the competent authority could be fake, contaminated, or deteriorated.
Dr. Tares urged every doctor who worked at private establishments to inspect drugs or vaccines brought in by the patient and avoid administering them if the items in question were unregistered. He added that a doctor might be carrying out offenses under laws pertaining to the standards of the profession and medical ethics when administering Covid vaccines that were not properly imported.
The Food and Drug Administration indicated it was investigating the case, but suspected that the patient had brought the Johnson & Johnson vaccine from Cambodia. Although the vaccine is registered with the FDA, doses must be brought into Thailand by a registered importer and must be stored under the appropriate temperature. The FDA noted it was illegal to administer a J&J vaccine that had been brought in through unauthorized channels.
The FDA urged people who wanted to receive the vaccination to only do so through healthcare facilities that were directly certified by authorities. (NNT)
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