Thailand defends decision never to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine alliance
15 February, 2021
The Thai government on Sunday (Feb 14) defended its decision never to join the World Overall health Organization-sponsored coronavirus vaccine programme COVAX, saying that to take action would risk the united states paying more for the shots and facing uncertainty about delivery times.
The federal government has been criticised by opposition politicians and protesters for lacking transparency and being too slow in procuring vaccines. As the country of 66 million persons has had low amounts of situations and deaths, it is dealing with another wave of infections.
Frontline health staff are to begin receiving 2 million imported Chinese Sinovac shots within per month, but mass vaccinations for the overall population are not due to get started until locally produced AstraZeneca dosages are prepared in June.
Authorities spokesman Anucha Buraphachaisri, giving an answer to media information that Thailand is the only Southeast Asian region to miss the WHO's COVAX scheme, said that as a good middle-income country Thailand is not eligible for free or perhaps cheap vaccines beneath the programme.
"Investing in vaccines directly from the makers is an appropriate decision ... as it's more adaptable," Anucha said.
"If Thailand really wants to join the COVAX method, it will have to cover vaccines itself with a higher budget and gleam risk," he explained, adding the united states had to create an advance repayment without knowing the foundation of vaccines and delivery dates. He did not specify the costs.
In every, 190 countries have joined up with COVAX, which aims to make sure equitable access to vaccines through the pandemic. The scheme is definitely jointly manage by the GAVI alliance, the WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Improvements and UNICEF.
Thailand so far has not received or produced any vaccines, even while a lot of its neighbours have started inoculations.
Thailand reported 166 new COVID-19 conditions on Sunday, acquiring its final number of infections to 24,571, with a death toll of 80.
Source: