AstraZeneca delays 61m doses

Thailand is Cambodia's neighbor to the West, and this forum is dedicated to Thai news, stories, reviews, blogs, videos, Thai people and anything else related to the country. A lot of expats have both lived and worked in Cambodia and Thailand, and this area is a place to discuss all aspects of life in Thailand and what's going on there. Most topics are about Bangkok and Pattaya because of their larger populations of expatriates and tourists in those cities, but this is for all things Thai.
User avatar
yong
Expatriate
Posts: 4267
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:03 pm
Reputation: 2769
Thailand

AstraZeneca delays 61m doses

Post by yong »

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/ge ... -61m-doses

AstraZeneca delays 61m doses
Govt vaccine rollout dealt further blow
published : 16 Jul 2021 at 04:00

Image
A health worker administers Covid-19 vaccine by AstraZeneca at the Bang Sue Grand Station in Bangkok last month. (Photo: Varuth Hirunyatheb)

AstraZeneca has asked Thailand to extend the timeline for the delivery of 61 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine until May next year, Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha said.

The move is expected to disrupt the country's already-slow vaccine rollout further.

In an interview with the Bangkok Post, Mr Sathit said the delivery timeline originally scheduled for the end of this year looks like it will be delayed until May next year, though the company has promised to try its best to stick to the original schedule.

"Normally, a vaccine manufacturer does not make such a commitment. It will do it if possible. But the company does not have enough production capacity to respond to rising global demand," Mr Sathit said.

But if any country that has placed orders for AstraZeneca vaccines is able to procure vaccines from other manufacturers first, the government will negotiate with the company to deliver the vaccines to Thailand instead, Mr Sathit said.

He added the company will deliver one-third of its output to Thailand, though Thailand has tried to negotiate for as many doses as possible, or 40% of the vaccines produced in the country.

"Currently, we have administered the doses that are available to us. This month, we have procured 10 million doses so it is still going according to plan," Mr Sathit said.

Under the original vaccine roadmap, the AstraZeneca vaccines, made by local licensed manufacturer Siam Bioscience, would provide the government with 10 million doses of the vaccine each month from July until the end of the year.

But the government recently admitted the company can supply Thailand only 5-6 million doses a month, or one third of its total supply, while the rest will be exported.

The government said on Wednesday it is considering regulations to limit its Covid-19 vaccine export quota from the country without specifying the vaccine name.

"We have to wait for AstraZeneca vaccines day by day. That's not easy because the vaccine market is dominated by big companies worth more than our annual budget," said Mr Sathit.

He said the government may have a timeline for the delivery of 100 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine this year, mainly from AstraZeneca and together with Sinovac and Pfizer vaccines.

"The Department of Disease Control (DDC) will sign a contract on July 16 with Pfizer to procure 20 million doses. The Government Pharmaceutical Organization will also sign a deal with Moderna for five million doses next week," Mr Sathit said.

All will be delivered in October. This will be the vaccine rollout planned for next year," he added.

Supant Mongkolsuthree, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), on Thursday said he will meet Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul next week to seek clarification on supplies of AstraZeneca vaccines.

The government previously promised that 10 million doses would arrive last month and 10 million more would be delivered this month. But as it happens, the number has fallen short, and only 10% of workers in the business sector have been vaccinated, Mr Supant said.

Government spokesman Anucha Burapachaisri said Prime Minister Prayut has assured the public that AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines, which are the country's main vaccines, and Sinopharm, which is an alternative vaccine, are effective against the worst effects of Covid-19.

The government also plans to import mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna, as well as viral vector vaccines from Johnson & Johnson, to ensure there is a wide range of safe and effective vaccines for Thais, the spokesman said.

"We are actively working with the government in Thailand and governments across Southeast Asia to continue to deliver equitable vaccine access to the region," AstraZeneca said.
User avatar
yong
Expatriate
Posts: 4267
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2018 12:03 pm
Reputation: 2769
Thailand

Re: AstraZeneca delays 61m doses

Post by yong »

Probably hundreds of thousands of Thais, if not millions who had partially paid and booked for their Moderna vaccine had today received message that it will be delayed by 1 month to November. This is rather disappointing as many had made payment since June or July.

Image

Google translate
Image
User avatar
Alex
Expatriate
Posts: 2593
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 2:09 am
Reputation: 2298
Location: Bangkok
United States of America

Re: AstraZeneca delays 61m doses

Post by Alex »

yong wrote: Mon Oct 04, 2021 3:08 pm Probably hundreds of thousands of Thais, if not millions who had partially paid and booked for their Moderna vaccine had today received message that it will be delayed by 1 month to November. This is rather disappointing as many had made payment since June or July.
Count me in. But I don't mind (at this point), as I plan to use it as a booster for my AstraZeneca, 6 months after the 2nd jab. Sucks for all those who got Sinovac or wanted to use it as an alternative though.
User avatar
xandreu
Expatriate
Posts: 1859
Joined: Mon Jun 05, 2017 11:37 am
Reputation: 1932
Great Britain

Re: AstraZeneca delays 61m doses

Post by xandreu »

Meanwhile the Cambodian rollout of AZ as a third booster seems to be going as well as could be expected. I personally don't know anyone who hasn't had their yet. In Phnom Penh at least.

Again, I don't know how they do it, (although we all know it's mostly through donations) but I continue to be majorly impressed with the Cambodian handling of the vaccine programme, especially when I read about the unfortunate problems the neighbours are having.
The difference between animals and humans is that animals would never allow the dumb ones to lead the pack.
User avatar
AndyKK
Expatriate
Posts: 6448
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:32 am
Reputation: 2248
Great Britain

Re: AstraZeneca delays 61m doses

Post by AndyKK »

AstraZeneca Seeks U.S. Emergency Approval for Covid Antibody

(Bloomberg) -- AstraZeneca Plc submitted its antibody cocktail for U.S. emergency approval to prevent Covid-19 infection as therapeutic options for the pandemic broaden beyond vaccination.
It’s the first regulatory filing for the medicine, which was 77% effective in preventing symptomatic Covid in a clinical trial that included patients with high-risk factors for severe infection.
The cocktail can supplement vaccines for people who haven’t mounted a strong response to the shots -- or to protect those who couldn’t be immunized. The news comes just days after Merck & Co. fueled optimism that it will soon have the first Covid pill. Both treatments could offer a simple way to treat many patients before they ever reach the hospital.

“We are one step closer to providing an additional option to help protect against Covid-19 alongside vaccines,” Mene Pangalos, Astra’s executive vice president for biopharmaceuticals research, said in a statement.

Discussions regarding supply agreements for the medicine, called AZD7442, are ongoing with the U.S. government and others around the world. Antibody drugs are more difficult to mass produce.

The U.S. ordered as many as 700,000 doses for delivery in 2021, with the value of the contract partly contingent on the results of a previous trial that failed to show it worked in people explicitly exposed to Covid.

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/money/markets ... d=msedgntp
Always "hope" but never "expect".
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: jaynewcastle and 225 guests