Thailand reluctant to join Covax program on strict conditions

Under the program, Thailand would be charged extra for booking and it would have limitations on the producers and delivery period.

The Thai government won’t procure Covid-19 vaccines through the World Health Organization-backed Covax program for now because the conditions are too strict. The move may put the country at risk of getting delayed vaccines at higher prices.

A pharmacist prepares a syringe of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Friday, (Representative image) (AP)

Under the program, Thailand would be charged extra for booking and it would have limitations on the producers and delivery period. Covax also requires a minimum purchase of 10% of a country’s population for a fast order with conditions and costs, Nakorn Premsri, director of Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute, said in a statement late Saturday.

“Acquiring the vaccines directly from the producers will be more flexible because we can decide how much we will buy and also negotiate pricing, which may lead to a cheaper price for large orders,” Nakorn said. Still, negotiations are continuing. With acceptable conditions, Thailand might procure the vaccine through the Covax program in the future.

Thailand reported 490 new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, increasing the nation’s total to 23,134. Of those, 18,897 infections have been reported since mid-December.