The Minister of Public Health declared in a parliamentary session that Thailand doesn’t have any budget restriction when it comes to vaccine procurement, stressing the country’s supply of 6 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from AstraZeneca are arriving this month.
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul yesterday elaborated on the government’s budget for vaccine procurement, saying that there are no constraints or limits on purchasing efficient vaccines.
He said vaccine procurement funding could come from different parts of the government’s budget, as well as emergency loans, insisting that vaccination is the government’s top priority in protecting the people from any type of communicable disease.
The Minister of Public Health’s remark was made during a parliamentary debate on the government’s proposed 2022 fiscal year budget bill.
Mr Anutin said the government is committed to ensuring access to treatment for every person in Thailand, including foreign nationals, should they contract COVID-19, without any patient left behind.
On the looming kick-off date of the national vaccination drive, the Minister of Public Health assured the community that the supply of 6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine will be delivered in time.
Siam Bioscience, a local contract manufacturer for AstraZeneca, today announced the delivery of the first 1.8 million doses of the viral vector COVID-19 vaccine to AstraZeneca. The company will then sort and deliver the vaccines to recipient countries.
The Minister of Public Health said AstraZeneca Thailand has assured him that they will supply the vaccines on order by the Thai government on time, with 6 million doses expected to be gradually delivered until the end of June.
Thailand’s national vaccination drive will start on 7th June, for people 60 years old or over, people with chronic diseases, and anyone 18 years old or older in certain areas, such as in Bangkok.
The Ministry of Public Health will be managing the supplies of AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines to vaccination centers across the country, according to the direction by the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration chaired by the Prime Minister.
Provinces are expected to deliver vaccinations as quickly as possible once they receive their supply, without storing the vaccine for later use, while the choice of vaccine brand will need to be considered by vaccination providers based on medical indications. (NNT)
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