Thailand to get 2m doses of vaccine from Feb: Anutin
The first batch of 2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine will arrive in Thailand from February, said Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday.
The first group of Thais to be vaccinated will be community public health volunteers, as they are in the front line of the virus battle, said Anutin. He has instructed the Food and Drug Administration to prepare regulations for the vaccine's approval.
Anutin did not identify the manufacturer of Thailand's first batch but said the ministry had negotiated a purchase price of US$17 per dose. Next week it will ask the Cabinet to approve a Bt1.17 billion budget for procurement of the 2 million doses.
The ministry had also made efforts to procure vaccine from as many sources as possible, said Anutin.
The ministry is negotiating with AstraZeneca for an additional 26 million doses on top of the purchase agreement in November for the first batch of 26 million doses.
Thailand is currently struggling with a fresh outbreak of the virus.