Thailand’s Prime Minister and Cabinet have decided to suspend AstraZeneca vaccinations.

BANGKOK: Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and members of his Cabinet canceled plans to obtain AstraZeneca vaccine shots on Friday (Mar 12) after the country postponed their use due to fears of blood clots in some European countries, according to a health official.

After a suspension of inoculations using the vaccine in Denmark, Norway, and Iceland, Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said the roll-out will be postponed at a health ministry news conference.

Denmark stopped the shots for two weeks after a 60-year-old woman died from a blood clot after taking an AstraZeneca shot from the same batch used in Austria, according to Danish health officials.

Other European countries’ warnings of “possible serious side effects” prompted their response.

The suspension was announced as a precaution by Norway and Iceland.

“Though the quality of AstraZeneca is good, some countries have asked for a delay,” said Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, an adviser for Thailand’s COVID-19 vaccine committee, in a press conference.

“We will delay (as well).”

Thailand was able to postpone the launch for safety concerns because a second wave of coronavirus cases had been brought under control, according to Kiattiphum Wongjit, the Public Health Ministry’s permanent secretary.

A virology specialist, Yong Poonvorawan, told a news conference that the investigation would look into whether any problems were connected to unique batches in Europe, and that the vaccines supplied to Thailand were manufactured in Asia.

In a population of 66.5 million people, Thailand has reported just over 26,500 coronavirus infections and 85 deaths. A second wave, which started in December, has now slowed to less than 100 new infections every day.

Thailand’s overall vaccine policy relies heavily on AstraZeneca, which will be manufactured locally by a company controlled by the country’s king, with 61 million doses set aside for the Thai people.

However, the locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine will not be available until at least June, and Thailand started selective inoculations with imported Sinovac vaccine doses last week.

According to Kiattiphum, Thailand has administered about 40,000 of the 200,000 Sinovac CoronaVac doses that were recently given out.

Last week, the country received 117,300 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which had been scheduled to be sent to the prime minister and his Cabinet on Friday.

Thailand’s imported doses, according to Kiattiphum, were not from the same batch that is being investigated in Europe.

“We got this from global supply and there is no report of this (problem) in Asia,” he said.

Katherine S

1/4 German, 3/4 Malaysian. I write, follow and monitor closely political news happening in Malaysia, and other happening news in the ASEAN region. Newswriter for the best ASEAN news website - The Asian Affairs.

Recent Posts

Box Office Battle: Singham Again and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 Set for Epic Diwali Clash

Two big banner movies of Bollywood are preparing for a festive season box office battle as ‘Singham Again’ starring Ajay…

November 1, 2024

Apple Launches MacBook Pro with Revolutionary M4 Chip Family, Starting at ₹1.69 Lakh in India

The new MacBook Pro series takes Apple’s premium laptop offering to the next level, thanks to the new M4 family…

October 31, 2024

North Korea’s New ICBM Launch: An Assertive Display of Strength Amid Global Tensions

With a record-setting intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test, North Korea boldly claimed it as the "world's most powerful strategic deterrent."…

October 31, 2024

Record Snow Delay Leaves Japan’s Mount Fuji Bare in October: Climate Change Alters Iconic Landscape

Late October's bare Mount Fuji, a symbol of resiliency and natural beauty, marks the first time in 130 years that…

October 31, 2024

Understanding Why Children Lie: A Guide for Parents

Children eventually learn to see that others cannot read their thoughts as they negotiate their developmental path. Research on an…

October 31, 2024

Netflix Releases ‘Moments’ Feature to Boost Clip Sharing as Part of New Brand Campaign

With a new tool dubbed "Moments," Netflix is improving users' experience and sharing of their preferred scenes. Although the behemoth…

October 31, 2024

This website uses cookies.

Read More