Health minister defends Sinovac vaccine, as MPs question its efficacy, price
COVID-19 Sinovac vaccine, developed by UC and the Chinese laboratory Sinovac Biotech Ltd. Photo: Karina Fuenzalida / Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile / flickr.CC BY-SA 2.0.
The government’s alleged COVID-19 vaccine mismanagement, from the procurement initially relying on just the Chinese-made Sinovac and the UK’s AstraZeneca to their distribution and use, were contentious issues in a heated censure debate in parliament on Tuesday.
Seri Ruam Thai MP Rewat Wisarutvech questioned the government’s dependence on just two vaccines and then only trying to procure alternatives when infections had already increased, which was too late. He also doubted the government’s reasoning for not joining the COVAX program, claiming that Thailand is not a poor country but, at the same time, could not afford funding for vaccine procurement, but could pay the 6.2-billion-baht down payment to procure AstraZeneca vaccine.
Full story: thaipbsworld.com
By Thai PBS World
