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By Chayut Setboonsarng
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Two private hospitals in Thailand have ordered millions of doses of coronavirus vaccine ahead of regulatory approval, adding to government orders for vaccines as the Southeast Asian country tackles a second virus wave.
“We have ordered one million doses of the Sinovac vaccine with an option to purchase nine million more,” Boon Vanasin, chairman of Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl, told Reuters.
Of the 1 million initial doses, it plans to use about half of it to inoculate staff in its network of 40 hospitals and workers at its other companies, once it receives approval from the Food and Drug Administration. (FDA) of Thailand.
The Thai government has separately ordered two million doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech and plans to deliver 200,000 doses with plans to vaccinate frontline workers and healthcare professionals in high-risk areas next month.
The government has also ordered 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which will be produced by local company Siam Bioscience for home use and for export.
“We can’t just wait for the government,” Boon said, adding that it was not clear how many doses of the government’s vaccine stock would reach workers in private hospitals.
For patients, Thonburi Medical Centers are planning to offer two shots of the vaccine for 3,200 baht ($ 106.28).
“We cannot make a profit here because it is a humanitarian issue for the country,” he said.
For most of last year, Thailand kept the number of coronavirus cases low, but a second outbreak in December brought confirmed infections to 12,423 with 70 deaths.
Another private hospital, Vibhavadi Medical Center Pcl, has ordered 10,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine, chief executive Chaisit Kupwiwat told Reuters.
So far, the Thai FDA has received registration applications for Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines.
Thailand is expected to approve one of the vaccines this week for emergency use, Opas Karnkawinpong, director general of the Department of Disease Control, said in a briefing without giving further details.
Last week, the FDA said it was processing AstraZeneca’s application, which it expected to approve soon.
(1 USD = 30.1100 baht)
(Additional reporting by Panarat Thepgumpanat, Orathai Sriring and Satawasin Staporncharnchai; editing by Ed Davies)
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