Hospital banned from advertising Covid-19 vaccine

A private Thai hospital was ordered to stop advertising Covid-19 vaccinations for sale in advance on the grounds that no vaccine is yet approved in Thailand.

Vibhavadi Hospital said its online offer for 1,000 initial reservations for the two-dose Moderna vaccine had been the result of a misunderstanding.

With reservations priced at 4,000 baht (RM540), the total cost of getting vaccinated would have been 10,000 baht (RM1,350).

As the first governments begin vaccine rollouts around the world, questions have been raised over how the limited supplies are prioritised and whether people will be able to pay to jump the queue.

The Ministry of Health said in a statement yesterday that no Covid-19 vaccine had been approved for use in Thailand yet and that advertising one violated hospital regulations.

“The removal of the advertisement was ordered, ” it said.

Chaisit Kupwiwat, a director at Vibhavadi Hospital, said: “There was a misunderstanding and we’ve stopped the programme.”

The hospital had sought reservations by Jan 31 for vaccinations later in 2021.

Thailand has signed an advance deal for AstraZeneca’s potential Covid-19 vaccine, but has not set rollout plans for any vaccine yet.

Moderna’s vaccine this month became the second to get emergency use authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration after the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine. — Reuters