A health professional holds a box of AstraZeneneca vaccine at the Institute of Infectious Diseases in Bamrasnaradura, in the province of Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok.
Chaiwat Subprasom | SOPA images | LightRocket via Getty Images
The coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford will be Thailand’s “main vaccine” as the country seeks to revive its important tourism sector, the Thai public health minister told CNBC on Monday.
Renewed safety concerns surrounding the AstraZeneca-Oxford shot have prompted countries, including Germany and the Netherlands, to stop using the vaccine for people under 60.
Before these latest changes, several countries – including Thailand – suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine after reports of blood clots in some people who received the vaccine. But many lifted their suspensions after the World Health Organization said its review of the available data showed that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh any risks.
In Thailand, more than 150,000 people have been vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine and the percentage of people who have developed side effects “is considered to be very low,” said Anutin Charnvirakul, the country’s deputy prime minister and public health minister.
Anutin told CNBC’s “Street Signs Asia” that Thailand is awaiting further deliveries of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which are expected in June. In addition to the AstraZeneca vaccine, Thailand also uses one developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, the minister said.
Since the end of February, nearly 250,000 people in Thailand have received vaccines from Covid, said Anutin.
Attract foreign visitors
Compared to many countries globally, Thailand reported relatively few cases and deaths from Covid. Official data showed that as of Sunday, the country had confirmed more than 29,000 infections and 95 deaths.
But its tourism-dependent economy has been hit hard, shrinking 6.1% in 2020 compared to a year ago, when countries restricted travel to reduce the spread of Covid-19, according to data from the National Development Council Office Economic and Social.
Thailand is stepping up efforts to restart its tourism industry, including launching vaccines in “significant” numbers in popular tourist destinations like Phuket and Koh Samui, Anutin said.
“We want to make sure that our people are safe, that is our first priority. Therefore, once our people are safe, we believe that our guests, namely tourists or any businessman, will definitely come to visit our country ”, said the minister. .
To attract visitors, Thailand has shortened the quarantine period for foreigners arriving in the country starting this month. The country also intends to dispense with quarantine requirements for foreign visitors vaccinated on its largest holiday island, Phuket.