Thailand to spend 1 bln USD on COVID-19 vaccines in 2022

Illustrative image (Photo: AFP)

Bangkok (VNA) – The Thai government will spend a budget worth 35 billion baht (1 billion USD) on purchasing 90 million doses of Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines in 2022, according deputy government spokeswoman Rachada Dhnadirek.

The budget will form part of the 35.9 billion baht fund approved by the cabinet at its meeting on December 21, Rachada said.

The remaining portions of the 35.9 billion baht fund will be used for providing financial relief for social security subscribers who work in the entertainment business and for organising sporting events.

Of the planned vaccine orders, 30 million doses will be bought from Pfizer and 60 million doses from AstraZeneca, she added.

Thailand has officially surpassed its goal of administering 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines this year.

The Southeast Asian nation reported additional 2,532 COVID-19 cases and 31 more deaths in the last 24 hours, lifting its total infections and fatalities to 2,199,061 and 21,471, respectively.

According to Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Thailand has detected over 60 COVID-19 cases related to the Omicron variant, while another 97 cases are waiting for confirmation./.

VNA