(Zaobao News) Thailand’s epidemic is getting worse, and Thailand is considering limiting the export volume of locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines. This will directly affect the supply of vaccines in Asian countries.
Reuters reported that Nakorn Premsri, director of the National Vaccine Research Institute of Thailand, said that the Ministry of Health will negotiate with AstraZeneca to ensure that sufficient vaccine doses are obtained locally before issuing export orders.
Nakorn said: “Now we will have discussions with vaccine manufacturers so that they can deliver vaccines to Thailand in an appropriate way to match the country’s epidemic situation.”
Thailand is suffering from the worst coronavirus outbreak to date. The country has reported more than 8,000 new cases for more than a few days this month, putting pressure on the medical and testing capabilities of the densely populated capital Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to a request for comment that Thailand is considering restricting vaccine exports.
According to reports, Thailand has been producing AstraZeneca vaccines since June and exported them to several other countries in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. The Philippines and Malaysia are among the countries that have experienced delays in vaccine delivery recently.
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