On Tuesday, the Thai government approved a request by the Disease Control Department to acquire an additional 30 million doses of Pfizer’s mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.
Government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the cabinet had also authorized the department to sign the third amendment to the Manufacturing and Supply Agreement with Pfizer to acquire more Covid-19 shots.
The deal will allow the Disease Control Department to receive a new generation of Pfizer vaccines for children, the spokesman said.
The 30 million Pfizer vaccines are expected to arrive in Thailand in batches during next year’s first, second and third quarters. With such doses, the country would have acquired 60 million Pfizer shots in total, Mr. Thanakorn added.
Also, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha recently received a one-million-dose batch of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine donated by the United States.
On Monday, US Chargé d’Affaires Michael Heath met at the Government House with the Prime Minister, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and other senior Thai officials to celebrate the Moderna vaccines’ arrival.
According to Mr. Heath, the latest shipment reaffirms the United States’ support for Thailand and the determination from both countries to work together in order to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.
The million-dose batch of Moderna vaccine was the second mRNA jab lot to be delivered to Thailand, as health authorities administered 1.5 million Pfizer doses in July.
Mr. Heath stated that the US government had provided tens of millions of dollars in Covid-19-related assistance to the kingdom since the pandemic broke out early last year.
