The Thai government is expected to buy 25 million doses of Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer vaccines this month, while 50 million more doses are to be procured next year for the third dose, said Director-General of the Disease Control Department Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong today (Friday).
Johnson & Johnson was approved for emergency use in Thailand by the country’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) in late March, while Pfizer is yet to be approved.
According to Dr. Opart, a total of 100 million doses are to be procured this year with 50 million more next year.
In May, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said Pfizer had agreed to reserve 10-20 million doses of its vaccine for import into Thailand in the second half of this year.
Almost 4 million doses of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines have been administered in Thailand to date, mostly Sinovac. Over 1 million doses have been administered in Bangkok, while more than 1.2 million people nationwide have received both doses.
So far, six million doses of the Sinovac vaccine have been delivered from China, with millions more expected this month.
