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BANGKOK – Thailand signed a $ 200 million deal on Friday to purchase 26 million doses of a test coronavirus vaccine developed by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in collaboration with the University of Oxford. It is expected to be delivered in mid-2021.
The doses would cover 13 million people in a population of approximately 69 million.
The National Vaccine Institute of Thailand signed a non-refundable 2.38 billion baht ($ 79 million) advance market commitment contract with AstraZeneca to reserve the supply of the candidate vaccine. Another deal for 3.67 billion baht ($ 121 million) for the purchase of the test vaccine, known as AZD1222, was signed by the Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Health.
“We have followed the vaccine manufacturers globally, but this group has made very high progress,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said at the signing. “They can probably produce the vaccine early next year. And most importantly, we have to prepare for the domestic process, including packaging and logistics. “
Government spokeswoman Anucha Burapachaisri said officials are still considering how to prioritize recipients of the vaccine. “Those who work closely with COVID-19 patients, for example doctors and nurses, should be among the first people. But this needs more discussion, ”he said.
Oxford and AstraZeneca reported Monday that their test vaccine appeared to be 62% effective in people who received two doses and 90% effective when volunteers received a half dose followed by a full dose.
They did not mention at the time, but later acknowledged, that a manufacturing problem had resulted in “half a dose of the vaccine being given as the first dose” to some participants, a development that led to criticism that the results of their tests were flawed.
AstraZeneca has said it plans to conduct a new global clinical trial to conduct a new evaluation of the vaccine’s efficacy.
The AstraZeneca trial vaccine is considered to have several advantages over rival vaccines that are being developed so far for less developed countries, including lower cost and the ability to store at temperatures not as cold as the others.
Under a separate agreement in October, the Health Ministry, Siam Bioscience Co., and business conglomerate SCG signed a letter of intent with AstraZeneca regarding the manufacture and supply of the AZD1222 vaccine candidate. It would allow Siam Bioscience to produce the vaccine in its own plant, with a planned start date for the middle of next year.
Siam Bioscience said that if plans go smoothly, Thailand would become the first country in Southeast Asia to produce the vaccine.
Thailand has had 3,961 confirmed coronavirus cases since January, including 60 deaths. While it has coped well with the health aspects of the crisis, the measures it has taken to combat the disease, in particular the interruption of tourist flights to the country, have seriously damaged its economy.
In the Philippines, more than 30 companies signed an agreement on Friday to purchase at least 2.6 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines in the country’s first deal to secure coronavirus vaccines. They plan to donate a large portion of the doses to the government for their planned vaccination program and use the remainder to vaccinate their employees, trade officials said.
Business leader José Concepción III said the vaccine is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of next year and will cover around 1 million people, but did not reveal other details.
The purchase would be crucial to restoring business confidence that has been shattered by months of pandemic and shutdowns, he said.
“We want to end this nightmare and this is the best alternative we have,” Concepción said in an online press conference after the signing, describing it as an opportunity to reopen the economy.
The Philippine government says it is aiming for some 60 million Filipinos to get vaccinated against coronavirus for about two years starting next year. The action, at a cost of more than P73 billion ($ 1.4 billion), aims to build immunity in the majority of the population. The Philippines has recorded 425,918 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 8,255 deaths.
