Five million doses of the US-made Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are to be ordered as another paid alternative for Thailand, with deliveries expected late this year and early next, according to the Thai Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) today (Friday).

The GPO’s draft purchase order was sent to the Attorney General for legal review today, after a meeting was held with the Private Hospital Association (PHA) and Zuellig Pharma (Thailand), the firm representing the US vaccine in the country, to finalise the details of the purchase.

A purchase contract is expected to be signed in early August, with deliveries of about 3.9 million doses expected to arrive by the end of 2021 and 1.1 million more doses to be delivered in the first quarter of 2022.

Bookings for the vaccine at private hospitals are reportedly fully subscribed for this year. The common price of the two-dose vaccine package has been agreed at 3,400 Baht, inclusive of service and insurance.

Thailand currently has one paid alternative vaccine, China’s Sinopharm, procured by the Chulabhorn Royal Academy and available mainly to members of registered organisations. The government vaccine campaign currently involves Sinovac, also from China, and the UK’s AstraZeneca, which is being locally produced by Siam Bioscience.