AstraZeneca has secured an order from Thailand for the sale of 61 million of their COVID-19 vaccine doses this year, a spokesperson for the Thai government. This comes as the Southeast Asian country looks to combat a recent uptick in coronavirus cases that have affected the nation.
Despite being AstraZeneca’s manufacturing hub in the Southeast Asian region, Thailand has been slow to carry out its vaccination rollout efforts. To date, only 9% of Thailand’s population of 66 million have been fully inoculated.
Government spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri had the following to say regarding the latest order from AstraZeneca “This is good news, it will help create herd immunity faster. This will take pressure off the health care system, help people return to their normal lives, and speed up economic recovery.”
Last month, the Thai government announced that the delivery of the 61 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine was delayed until May 2022. The order’s arrival date was brought forward following a meeting between Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and AstraZeneca’s chief executive Pascal Soriot.
In addition to the AstraZeneca shipment, Thailand is also planning to purchase 50 million vaccine doses from Pfizer-BioNTech.
