Royal Academy chief sorry for branding front-line medics selfish over Pfizer demand
Chulabhorn Royal Academy (CRA) head Nithi Mahanonda has apologised for branding medics who demanded Pfizer booster shots “selfish”.
On Tuesday, Nithi acknowledged front-line medics’ concern about exposure to Covid-19 but said those demanding Pfizer shots after receiving two Sinovac jabs were being selfish given many people had not even had their first jab.
His remarks triggered a backlash from social media users and medics, as the health system struggles with surging Covid-19 cases.
On Wednesday, Nithi apologised on Facebook, explaining he had not intended to slam the medics. He said his core message was “we need to prioritise the people’s benefits over our own”.
Nithi ended his post by mentioning that the vaccine demanded by medics will arrive in the next few months. “During this time, we should protect ourselves as well as possible and do not be careless.”
The government has ordered 20 million jabs from Pfizer, while the US has donated another 1.5 million Pfizer jabs to Thailand.
CRA has taken bookings from over 17,000 organisations for Sinopharm jabs the academy has procured from China.