Thailand is still in two minds about joining the COVAX Programme to procure COVID-19 vaccines for its citizens. According to the country’s Public Health Ministry, the terms of COVAX are ‘too limiting’ to invest billions of bath as deposit to join. Fears are that the waiting period would be too long and vaccines too expensive if procured through the COVAX Programme. Then there is also the risk of losing the deposit if Thailand later decided to not sign contracts with the firms that COVAX allocates.
Nakron Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Institute says, “We are being asked to pay about 4 billion baht for the product when we don’t know for sure what we will get and when we are going to get it. We might get a very expensive vaccine that is not easy to transport or a vaccine of a quality that we are not satisfied with. “
COVAX has put a price of US$ 10.50 (310 baht) per dose of vaccine. Independently, Thailand stands to purchase a dose of COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca for US$ 5 (150 baht) said Anutin Charnvirakul, the country’s Public health Minister.
The information has been sourced from Bangkok Post. Click here to read the entire article and know more.
Image: File Photo of Anutin Chatnvirakul
Have something to say about the financing of COVID-19 Vaccines in Thailand? Please let us know in the comments section below.
