Coronavirus Updates

March 12, 2021

Thailand delays AstraZeneca vaccine rollout

Uganda will import five million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines next month after the discovery of new COVID-19 variants in the country, President Yoweri Museveni has said. In a televised address to the nation late Friday, Museveni said the vaccines will be used to vaccinate at least 80 per cent of the 5.5 million elderly. People below 50 years, with underlying medical conditions that are at high risk of contracting the novel coronavirus, will also be vaccinated. Uganda targets to vaccinate more than 21.9 million people who face the highest risk of the infection, including the health workers, teachers, social workers and security personnel, elderly and those with underlying medical conditions. “The government is working hard to ensure we bring another five million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine before the end of May to complete the threshold vaccination and ensure that those vaccinated before getting the second booster dose,’’ said Museveni. “Vaccines are the most effective intervention we have against COVID-19. “The government and partners are working hard to bring vaccines to most adult Ugandans to protect them and to support us to reopen the economy and get back all our children to school.’’ Henry Mwebesa, Director-General of Health Services, last week said Uganda is scheduled to receive some two million more doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in May through the COVAX facility. Uganda has so far received 964,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX vaccine sharing programme and the Indian government. As of April 16, a total of 220,893 people had been inoculated with the first jab of AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, according to the Ministry of Health statistics. The country has reported the emergence of the highly transmissible COVID-19 variants which were first reported in Britain, South Africa and Nigeria. The ministry’s data showed that as of April 16, Uganda had registered a cumulative total of 41,340 confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 40,898 recoveries and 338 deaths.

Thailand abruptly delayed its rollout of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine on Friday, stopping Premier Prayut Chan-O-Cha from getting the first jab as several European nations suspended their programmes over blood clot fears.

The kingdom was scheduled to start administering the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Friday, with Prayut expected to be filmed receiving the first injection.

But by 8:30 am (0130 GMT) the gruff former general was nowhere to be seen, the event was abruptly cancelled, and a press conference with health officials was called.

“Vaccine injection for Thais must be safe, we do not have to be in a hurry,” Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, an adviser for the country’s Covid-19 vaccine committee, told a press conference.

“Though the quality of AstraZeneca is good, some countries have asked for a delay. We will delay (as well).”

Denmark, Norway and Iceland suspended the use of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab the day before.

Austria on Sunday stopped using doses from one batch, after a 49-year-old nurse died of “severe blood coagulation problems” days after receiving an anti-Covid shot.

ALSO READ: No reason to stop using AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine ― WHO

However, there is still no established link between the vaccine and blood clots, and Denmark stressed that its move was merely precautionary as it examined the risks more closely.

Thai virologist Yong Poovarawan said the kingdom was waiting for other European countries to “make a conclusion”.

“We are delaying to let others prove (the side effects) of whether or not it is because of the vaccine or if it is only on that specific batch,” he said, adding that the batch Thailand received was made in a factory in Asia.

Prayut said Friday afternoon that he had been prepared to be vaccinated but then was told to refrain from it.

“I have to listen to the doctors… I think the company itself will also have an explanation,” he told reporters who asked if he was afraid.

“I live until today — what do I have to be afraid of?” he scoffed.

Thailand already rolled out its vaccination campaign last month, with the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine, and health workers were the first to receive the injections on February 28.

The Sinovac shipment arrived with huge fanfare at Bangkok’s airport, with a Chinese embassy official vowing that the vaccine export showed the “strengthened relations between China and Thailand”.

Thailand, which imposed stringent restrictions on people entering its territory to tackle the virus, has managed to limit its impact, registering just 26,000 cases and 85 deaths.

[AFP]

Vanguard News Nigeria