Thailand Considers Restricting Southeast Asia Exports of Domestically Produced AZ Vaccine

Southeast Asian Countries Expected to Oppose

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Thailand is considering imposing limits on the export volume of AstraZeneca (AZ) COVID-19 vaccines produced domestically, which is expected to spark controversy.

According to major foreign media on the 14th, Nakhon Premsri, chairman of the National Vaccine Committee, said in a meeting with the press that the committee has, in principle, agreed to issue an order setting a vaccine export quota.

Director Nakhon stated, "No order has been issued yet," adding, "We will now discuss with AstraZeneca to ensure they can deliver vaccines in a manner appropriate to Thailand's current COVID-19 situation."

Thailand's Siam Bioscience is producing AZ vaccines through technology transfer with AstraZeneca.

AstraZeneca announced at the end of last month that Siam Bioscience plans to produce 180 million doses of the vaccine this year, of which one-third will be supplied to Thailand and the remaining two-thirds to other Southeast Asian countries.

Last month, AstraZeneca delivered 6 million doses to Thailand as scheduled. However, it is reported that from this month, production capacity is insufficient to supply 10 million doses monthly as originally planned.

Meanwhile, as the third wave worsened with nearly 10,000 new cases this month, the Thai government appears to be considering regulating AZ vaccine exports.

If Thailand's vaccine export restrictions materialize, backlash is expected from Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, where the COVID-19 situation is deteriorating.

Earlier, India, home to the world's largest vaccine factory, also faced international criticism after halting AZ vaccine exports in mid-March due to a rising number of cases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.