Moderna shipment ‘delayed by just 10 days’
In a bid to allay public fears, the Private Hospital Association said on Tuesday that the delivery of the first batch of Moderna vaccines had only been delayed by 10 days.
On Friday, importer Zuellig Pharma said the delivery of the first batch of 1.9 million Moderna doses had been pushed back by a month.
The association’s president Chalerm Harnpanich said all pressure is being placed on Zuellig Pharma to deliver 2 million doses of the vaccine within the fourth quarter of this year.
Of this batch, 40 per cent has been earmarked for people who have booked a shot.
He also said people who want a booster right away can opt for another brand this month and hold off on getting their Moderna booster by another three months. He said this batch can be stored for seven months.
The Moderna vaccine, developed using mRNA technology, is believed to be effective against the Delta variant of Covid-19. However, Chalerm warned that no vaccines available can protect recipients from the virus 100 per cent. Hence, he said, people should not be careless and practice all protection measures.