Thai private sector ‘can import Covid-19 vaccines'

Traisuree Taisaranakul

BANGKOK (The Nation/ANN): The government is not monopolising the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines and is not blocking the private sector from importing them, government deputy spokesperson Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Thursday (April 8).

In a bid to clarify “inaccurate” information that is confusing the public, she said the demand for vaccines is far higher than the production capacity.

“According to the Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Ministry, as of April 5, countries had placed orders for up to 9.6 billion doses, and only 658 million doses have been administered so far, ” she said.

"Apart from AstraZeneca and Sinovac, the government is also trying to procure vaccines from other manufacturers to meet the demand.”

She said many countries have approved specific Covid-19 vaccines for emergency use, while many manufacturers have offered to sell directly to government agencies.

“The government is willing to allow private sectors to import vaccines, and the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] is ready to issue a licence for private companies to import them, ” she said.

She added that the FDA has, so far, approved the AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“India’s Bharat Biotech has submitted its application to the FDA, while Moderna from the US, China’s Sinopharm and Russia’s Sputnik V are being reviewed by the FDA, ” she added. - The Nation/Asia News Network