The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world, including Thailand. Such impacts affect the lives of the people, the public health system, and the economy. Epidemic control, therefore, must be effective in order to stop the spread of the disease – and any future diseases – and control it as effectively and efficiently as possible. For this reason, epidemic control must be effective to ensure the maximum effectiveness of the prevention and control of the disease outbreak.
Domestic production of vaccines will create opportunities for Thai people to have access to vaccines at the same time as other countries. This creates better health security than relying solely on foreign purchases.
Actions
- Preparing for vaccine production through technology transfer from countries that have successfully developed vaccines to create a “shortcut” in accessing vaccines for Thai people;
- Advance vaccine procurement planning as a long-term preparation for an outbreak;
- Research and development of vaccines in the country to build capacity in the medium and long term.
Accomplishing this will give Thai people the opportunity to have access to COVID-19 vaccines and others in order to avoid morbidity and mortality, reduce socio-economic impacts, and create sustainability in vaccine self-sufficiency.