BANGKOK – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha expects the country to start producing a Covid-19 vaccine in the middle of next year, Thai news agency (TNA) reported.
He said in a video clip posted on his Facebook page that a long-term solution to cope with the pandemic was the acquisition of a vaccine and Thailand wanted to be among the countries that would have it soon so that it could revive its economy.
He said that, in the past few months, the Thai government were searching for partners with vaccine production potential so that Thailand could become a produce of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Last month Thailand scored an agreement with Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc, which was officially signed in a ceremony in Bangkok earlier today.
Under the agreement, Thailand will receive their vaccine technology for local production, he said.
On Thursday, the Thai government will sign another agreement with both organisations to purchase their vaccine. A few days ago, both parties reported their vaccine had the efficacy rate of 70-90 per cent, “which is very good,” the prime minister said.
The vaccine can be stored at 2-8 degrees Celsius and can be easily distributed throughout Thailand, he said.
“We expect that this vaccine should receive approval for its use and production the middle of next year.
If we speed up procedures, we can soon welcome a lot of visitors to the country and the economy can be restored,” Prayut said. – Bernama, November 27, 2020
