1 million doses of Sinovac vaccine arrive
The Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) on Saturday morning received 1 million doses of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine from China.
The consignment arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport via Air China flight CA603 departing from Beijing.
“This vaccine is the third lot from a total of 2 million doses that the GPO has purchased from Sinovac Life Sciences Co Ltd from the People’s Republic of China,” said Dr Withoon Danwiboon, GPO director.
“The first lot of 200,000 doses had arrived on February 24, and the second lot of 800,000 doses on March 22.
“All vaccines have arrived in passive cold cartons, which can keep them viable for up to 96 hours,” he added.
“After they pass the inspection, the vaccines will be transported to a vaccine warehouse of DKSH (Thailand) Ltd, which will store them at a temperature of 2-8 degrees Celsius. Then, the Department of Medical Sciences will test their quality before distributing to hospitals and vaccination units.”
Sinovac vaccine is meant for people aged 18-59 years at two doses each, at an interval of two to four weeks.
“At the end of April another lot of 500,000 doses of Sinovac vaccine will arrive. They are a part of the additional vaccines that the GPO has ordered to complement the Ministry of Public Health’s plan to inoculate target groups who are at high risk of contracting Covid-19,” he added.
As of April 2, more than 200 million doses of Sinovac vaccine have been injected globally including in China, Singapore, Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Brunei and Thailand.