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On Friday (July 30), the first batch of Pfizer-BoNTec COVID-19 vaccines donated by the US government landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport to provide support for the kingdom to fight the worrying healthcare crisis.
Now that the situation in the US seems to be under control, the Biden-Harris administration has agreed to lend their helping hands in giving support to the international COVID fight by 'sharing' at least 80 million doses of its own Pfizer-BoNTec COVID-19 vaccine supply to countries in need—23 million of which will be provided to Asia. Thailand, being the US' "oldest ally in Asia," will receive a total of 2.5 million doses in two batches, with the first batch of 1,503,450 doses has arrived by a DHL fleet.
These donations are in addition to the United States’ $4 billion in commitments to COVAX, the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Initiative.
Recognized by its high efficacy examined through wide-ranging researches, the Pfizer-BoNTec COVID-19 vaccine has been one of the most widely accepted vaccines approved by many countries to provide to the general public.
According to an infographic released by the Prime Minister Operations Center (PMOC)m, these 1.5 million US-donated vaccine doses will be distributed to five groups of frontliners and high-risk individuals:
- 700,000 doses to medical frontliners across the country.
- 645,000 doses to Thai citizens highly prone to risks:
- Senior citizens (60+ years of age)
- Individuals with severe chronic diseases
- Pregnant women (with 12-week pregnancy)
- 150,000 doses to expatriates, especially those prone to risks:
- Senior citizens (60+ years of age)
- Individuals with severe chronic diseases
- Pregnant women (with 12-week pregnancy)
- Individuals planning to travel abroad, such as diplomats
- 5,000 doses to academic researchers.
- 40,000 doses will be kept as spare supplies in case of a new variant outbreak.
The US Embassy in Bangkok has reaffirmed through the press announcement that an additional one million vaccine doses will arrive soon.