BANGKOK, Thailand – A hospital in Thailand that was taking reservations for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine this week was completely sold out in minutes: After selling shots on the Shopee e-commerce portal. With the outbreak spreading and concerns about the efficiency of locally available vaccines, Thailand’s interest for mRNA vaccines, which won’t be accessible until the end of the year, has grown swiftly.
“It was sold out in minutes,” a Shopee representative said on Friday (Jul 9), adding that the vaccine sale drew 2.6 million visitors to the Phyathai Hospital’s page.
It offered 1,800 spots for doses of the Moderna vaccination on Shopee, a Singapore-based Sea subsidiary, for 1,650 baht (US$50) each.
“They were sold out in record time,” Att Thongtang, the hospital’s CEO, told Reuters. “I pity those who were unable to attend.” “It’s gone in 15 seconds and I’m so blessed to obtain one,” commented one buyer, lovesujuforever. “It’s a vaccine struggle,” remarked another, labellelabel.
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According to Reuters, hospital operator Thonburi Healthcare Group Pcl sold all 800,000 Moderna medicines it ordered in two days.
The demand for the Moderna vaccine has risen after a leaked health ministry email revealed that the Thai government was considering offering medical professionals who had already received two doses of Sinovac’s vaccine a booster shot of mRNA vaccine.
In Thailand and its neighbors, such as Indonesia, breakthrough infections have been observed among medical and frontline workers who were injected with Sinovac’s inactivated viral vaccine.
Thailand is also adopting AstraZeneca’s viral vector vaccine, but health experts have urged the government to incorporate other mRNA vaccines, such as those from Pfizer and BioNTech, in its program.
Between this year and 2022, Thailand’s private hospitals will receive five million doses of the Moderna vaccine thanks to a government purchase. Thailand has also placed a 20-million-dose order for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which will be delivered in October. ADD THIS TO YOUR BOOKMARKS: Our in-depth coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its progression For the most up-to-date information on the coronavirus outbreak, download our app or follow us on Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram/n
