BANGKOK – Thailand has approved the Covid-19 vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm for emergency use, Paisarn Dunkum, a deputy secretary-general at the Thai Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said today, Sputnik reported.
“We approved and registered for emergency use in Thailand the coronavirus vaccine developed by China’s Sinopharm. This is a two-shot vaccine based on the inactivated Covid-19 virus by the Beijing Institute of Biological Products,” the official said at a briefing.
The Chinese shot brings the number of Covid-19 vaccines greenlighted by the Southeast Asian nation to five, including those developed by AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Johnson & Johnson, and Moderna. In addition, the country plans to use Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine at the third stage of Covid-19 immunisation starting August.
Thailand is yet to launch the mass vaccination campaign with a launch date scheduled for June-July 2021. Currently, the country inoculates medical workers, volunteers, other people who are in charge of combating the spread of Covid-19 and those who belong to high-risk health groups. – Bernama
