The Thai government will not receive Covid-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization-backed Covax program for now because the conditions are too harsh. The move could put the country at risk of delaying vaccinations at higher prices.
Under the program, Thailand would be charged extra for booking and there would be restrictions on the producers and delivery time. Covax also needs to buy at least 10% of the country’s population for a fast order with conditions and costs, Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccination Institute of Thailand, said in a statement late Saturday.
“It will be more flexible to get the vaccines directly from the producers because we can decide what to buy and negotiate prices, which could lead to a cheaper price for large orders,” Nakorn said. However, discussions are ongoing. Under appropriate conditions, Thailand may receive the vaccine through the Covax program in the future.
Thailand reported 490 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, raising the country’s total to 23,134. Of those, 18,897 diseases have been reported since mid-December.
LOCATION: Thailand to launch Covid-19 vaccination program from Feb. 14