The Thai government will not purchase Covid-19 vaccines through the Covax program supported by the World Health Organization for the time being because conditions are very strict. The move could put the country at risk of postponing vaccines at higher prices.
According to the program, Thailand would be charged extra for the reserve and would have limitations on producers and delivery times. Covax also requires a minimum purchase of 10% of a country’s population for a fast order with conditions and costs, said Nakorn Premsri, director of Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute, in a statement on Saturday.
“Purchasing vaccines directly from producers will be more flexible because we can decide how much to buy and also negotiate the price, which can result in a cheaper price for large orders,” said Nakorn. Even so, negotiations continue. With acceptable conditions, Thailand may purchase the vaccine through the Covax program in the future.
Thailand reported 490 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, increasing the country’s total to 23,134. Of these, 18,897 infections have been reported since mid-December.
READ: Thailand to start Covid-19 vaccination program from February 14