Health Ministry to Inquire about COVID Vaccine Efficacy

BANGKOK, Jan 14 (TNA) - The Ministry of Public Health will inquire about the effectiveness of a COVID-19 vaccine produced by Sinovac Biotech of China after a report on its 50% efficacy in disease prevention. The movement followed the report from Brazil that the vaccine of Sinovac Biotech had the efficacy rate of 50% for disease prevention. The ministry will write to the producer to seek detailed information on the issue directly from it. Thailand will receive 2 million doses of Sinovac Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine late next month. Tasked with vaccine quality control, the Department of Medical Sciences reported that the vaccine of Sinovac Biotech had the efficacy rates of 50.4% for disease prevention, 78% for illness prevention, and 100% for the prevention of ventilator use after infected people fall ill. Thailand also ordered 26 million doses of a COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca, the University of Oxford and Siam Bioscience. The order was based on its safety, quality and efficacy as advised by the World Health Organization. (TNA)