THE Thai Private Hospital Association will today (June 2) ask Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman during a meeting with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House to help speed up delivery of Moderna coronavirus vaccine, TV Channel 7 said.
Dr. Boon Wanasin, chairman of Thonburi Healthcare Group, said he will take representatives from the association to meet Mrs Sherman to ask her to help open the way for the delivery of 500,000 doses of Moderna vaccine this month out of 5 million scheduled to arrive in October and steadily send the rest.
“This is very possible because the US is starting to have some left over. Moreover, the US has to complete vaccinating 100% of its population within this month.
“The US is going to release 20 million doses for immediate shipment because the vaccines cannot be kept for a long time, not more than six months with four months having already passed.
“Moreover, they have raw materials to produce 2.5 billion doses which is more than enough for second or third jabs, they could immediately produce it.
“As we see it, the US is using politics and trade as tools to bargain with the world,” he told TV Channel 7.
Dr Boon added that it is correct for negotiations on vaccines to be held at state-to-state level.Thailand will definitely be getting Moderna vaccine but where Pfizer is concerned, the association directly contacted for delivery of 20 million doses and if it comes the association is keeping half the amount with the rest being for the government.
He also mentioned that right now the government does not have a way out because AstraZeneca is not able to deliver to Thailand as promised as they are being heavily fined by the EU for late delivery, with the shortfall being 71%, having to deliver within the UK and one factory also being shut down.
He estimated that out of 20 million doses produced here, instead of Thailand getting 6 million doses the country is getting 1.5 million doses with the rest going to the EU.
Meanwhile the Public Health Ministry said this morning that there were 3,440 new coronavirus cases over the last 24 hours with 2,353 being among the general public and 1,087 in prisons and detention centres, Amarin TV said.
There were 38 more fatalities raising the toll to 1,107.
With the addition of today’s cases the cumulative confirmed total since the start of the pandemic has reached 165,462 and in the current wave that started last month 136,599.
Another 2,843 patients were cured taking total recoveries since the start of the pandemic to 114,578 and in the current wave 87,152.
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Top: US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman speaks during a press briefing with Indonesian Deputy Foreign Minister Mahendra Siregar following their meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 31, 2021. Photo: Courtesy of Okta/Indonesia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via Reuters and published by Channel NewsAsia
Home Page: Moderna vaccine. Photo: Getty Images and published by BBC
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