Deputy Prime Minister and Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Tuesday insisted that Thailand has not failed in its procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and demanded that the media stop comparing Thailand with other countries.
His comments followed criticism that Thailand was slow to procure vaccines while several neighbouring countries have already started their rollouts.
The country has not failed in this regard as it has become a base for the production of vaccines with the same formula as the Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine.
This is better than waiting for vaccines produced by other countries, which may have an impact on the country's vaccination programme, Mr Anutin said.
He also said the first batch of Covid-19 vaccines is expected to arrive in the country this month and it will be administered to those who need it most, as planned.
Mr Anutin also hit back at critics of the government's vaccination programme, saying a lack of information will cause public confusion.
Public criticism of the vaccination programme is mounting as countries which are part of the Covax agreement are now preparing to roll out their inoculation drives.
At the start of the pandemic, Thailand decided against joining the programme to pursue its own deals with vaccine manufacturers.
Covax provides free or cheap vaccines to poor countries. However, Thailand is categorised as self-financing.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said on Tuesday Thailand will have 2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses by the end of April, beginning with 200,000 doses this month. He said 800,000 more would be delivered next month. A further 1 million doses will arrive in April.
