Singapore delivers AZ doses; Anutin says US not ready to ship Pfizer donation
Singapore on Monday delivered 122,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine pledged to Thailand in a loan deal.
The shipment, which also included 200,000 antigen rapid test kits (ATKs) and 500,000 sets of nasopharyngeal swabs, was handed over to Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul by Singapore Ambassador Kevin Cheok.
The Singapore government has also been giving Thailand information and guidance on how to control Covid-19 since the second wave of outbreaks among workers in Samut Sakhon.
Anutin added that the US Embassy was currently preparing documents for the US government’s donation of another 1 million doses of Pfizer vaccine. Controversy flared last week when Sudarat Keyuraphan, founder of the new Thai Sang Thai Party, claimed US Senator Tammy Duckworth told her that delivery of the US donation was delayed because the Thai government had not completed the paperwork. Anutin denied the accusation.
On Monday, he suggested it was the US rather than Thailand that was not ready to process the donation.
“We will receive the donated vaccine when the United States is ready, which is the right of the country of origin,” he said. “We can't make any demands,” he added, insisting there would be no delay once Thailand had received the donation documents.
