BANGKOK – A Thai private hospital was ordered on Sunday to stop advertising COVID-19 vaccines for sale in advance on the grounds that no vaccine has yet been approved in Thailand.
Vibhavadi Hospital told Reuters that its online offer for 1,000 initial reservations for the two-dose Moderna vaccine was the result of a misunderstanding. With reservations at 4,000 baht, the total cost of vaccination would have been 10,000 baht ($ 330).
As the first governments start launching vaccines around the world, questions have been raised about how limited reserves are given priority and whether people will be able to pay to get in line.
The Ministry of Health said in a statement that no COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for use in Thailand and that the advertisement violates hospital regulations.
“The removal of the ad has been ordered,” it said.
Chaisit Kupwiwat, director of Vibhavadi Hospital, told Reuters: “There was a misunderstanding and therefore we stopped the program … We planned to order the vaccines, but now we have stopped.”
The hospital requested reservations by January 31 for vaccinations later in 2021.
Moderna did not immediately respond to an email request for comment on such a sale.
Thailand has signed an advance agreement for AstraZeneca’s potential COVID-19 vaccine, but has not yet established launch plans for any vaccine.
This month’s Moderna vaccine became the second to obtain emergency use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration after the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine.
Moderna said it will deliver about 20 million doses to the US government this year and is expected to have between 100 and 125 million delivered globally in the first quarter of 2021.
In August, Moderna said it would set its vaccine price between $ 32 and $ 37 per dose for lower bids.
Thailand is a major center for medical tourism, attracting patients from Asia, the Middle East and beyond.
(Additional reporting by Jiraporn Kuhakan; written by Matthew Tostevin; edited by Jason Neely)
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