3.54 million doses of COVID-19 are now available for the national vaccine rollout during the first two weeks of June, with more vaccines to be available from both AstraZeneca and Sinovac. The government is also expected to close procurement deals soon with Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson soon.
The national vaccination drive finally got underway at full capacity today, with 3,540,000 doses of vaccine secured for the first two weeks of June, mostly locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine.
The government had earlier received 240,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from South Korea’s SK Bioscience, then another 1.8 million doses locally produced by Siam Bioscience.
Of the 2,040,000 AstraZeneca doses received, 1,658,800 doses have been distributed to vaccination centers across the country. Combined with the 1.5 million Sinovac doses available, the vaccine supply is now sufficient for all appointments in the first two weeks of June.
The government is expected to receive at least 840,000 more doses for the 3rd week of June, and at least another 2.58 million for the 4th week of June. With some 4 million doses administered before today, the government is expected to vaccinate 6 million more people in June, resulting in 10 million jabs given by the end of this month.
According to the National Vaccine Institute, the Thai government has already received 6 million doses of Sinovac vaccine, plus 1 million doses donated by the Chinese government. With deals now in place for 61 million AstraZeneca jabs, and 10-15 mulling deals, the government will need to secure an additional supply of 33 million doses to achieve its 100 million dose target by the end of this year.
The government is now negotiating with US drug makers to procure 20 million doses from Pfizer, and 5 million doses from Johnson & Johnson, with deliveries expected later this year.
The government has also enabled an alternative vaccine program for authorized agencies to procure COVID-19 doses from other manufacturers in addition to the national inoculation plan. The Private Hospital Association is now in the process of purchasing 10 million doses from Moderna via the Government Pharmaceutical Organization, while Chulabhorn Royal Academy is expected to receive 1 million doses from Sinopharm this month. (NNT)
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