Govt to buy 30 million doses of Pfizer vaccine as booster shots
The government has signed a contract to buy 30 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine from Pfizer to be delivered from the first quarter of 2022 onward, said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday.
The contract signing ceremony was held earlier this week between Department of Disease Control (DDC) director-general Dr Opas Karnkawinpong and Deborah Seifert, country manager of Pfizer Thailand and Indochina.
Anutin added that Pfizer has offered a special condition to the government, in which Thailand can buy additional 20 million doses of vaccine with no deposit required.
“We planned to use the 30 million doses as booster shots to increase the immunity of those who have been fully vaccinated earlier,” said Anutin. “Thailand will have enough vaccine in stock for 2022, as we have already purchased 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and will have about 20 million doses of domestically manufactured protein subunit vaccine once it is approved by the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA).”
“Next year, Thailand will have all kinds of Covid-19 vaccines available,” he added. “We are also planning to register Pfizer vaccine with the FDA for use in children aged 5-11 years, which are estimated at around 5 million children nationwide.”