US gift of 1.5 million Pfizer vaccines to land on Thai soil early Friday
The first lot of 1.5 million doses of Pfizer vaccines donated by the US will land on Thai soil at 4am on Friday.
As soon as the shipment arrives, it will be stored at the designated vaccine depot, Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said on Thursday.
The Pfizer vaccine must be stored in temperatures of -70 degrees Celsius and medics need to be taught how to mix the doses, he said.
Unlike AstraZeneca or Sinovac vaccines, which can be loaded onto the syringe directly from the vial, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are concentrated and must be diluted with saline.
One vial of the Pfizer vaccine can be used to inoculate six individuals and must be prepared in line with the number of doses to be administered.
Medics at different vaccination points nationwide will be given online training of Friday.
