Thailand needs a vaccine to fast forward the fight against COVID 19
- Efficacy of Sputnik V against COVID19 was reported at 91.6% as confirmed by the data published in the Lancet
- Sputnik V provides full protection against severe cases of COVID-19
- The level of virus neutralizing antibodies of volunteers vaccinated with Sputnik V is 1.3-1.5 times higher than the level of antibodies of patients who recovered from COVID-19
- One of the most affordable vaccines in the world with a price of less than $10 per shot
- Sputnik V uses two different vectors - based on human adenovirus serotypes Ad5 and Ad26 - in two separate shots, allowing for a more effective defense against the coronavirus than vaccines using the same vector for both shots.
Thailand, where tourism sector plays an important lever to its economic growth, felt the impact of COVID-19 hard. Pre-COVID-19, the country’s tourism sector comprised of 12 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), and it was world’s ninth largest recipient of tourist arrivals.
The decline in economic activities resulted in widespread job losses with the middle-class household feeling at the brunt of it. Earlier this year, a report showed that Thailand’s economy suffered its worst full-year performance in more than two decades, with officials citing the toll of both a gutted tourism industry and ongoing political upheaval as the cause of the downturn
As the county is aggressively working towards uplifting its economy, the local public health and medical experts stressed that safety and efficacy cannot be compromised at any cost. Vaccination is the right approach to address the growing incidence of COVID-19.
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“Vaccination is the first step towards a recovery economy for Thailand. Lives are at stake. Thailand is significantly lagging in the vaccination rollout. Currently, 0.08 doses have been given per 100 residents which means we stand at around 114th country in ranking according to World in Data. Without a sound vaccination approach, we are not able to open the borders and revive the tourism and travel sector. It is important that we keep the health and safety of the Thais at the front of minds during this time. Thai people are very willing to take vaccinations. There is very little resistance unlike in many Western countries, so the government doesn't need to persuade the public. I am hoping the Government will speed up things. Senior citizens and bedridden adults have an urgent need of vaccination. Most of them are not tech savvy, they live alone or live in less accessible areas which means that organizations have to join forces to strengthen the logistical infrastructure,” says Natalie Bin Narkprasert, Founder of COVID Thailand Aid.
Thailand has recorded 27,876 coronavirus cases in total, with 91 deaths. Hoteliers are pressing the government to speed up the sluggish COVID-19 vaccination programme by using an emergency decree to put the entry process in the fast track and setting July as the earliest date to reopen. Phuket and Koh Samui, two tourist islands were declared as areas of “economic significance” and are included in the first phase of the country’s COVID-19 immunization plan.
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Sputnik V as a trusted vaccine
Recently, YouGov poll revealed that 54% of respondents from 9 countries consider Russia Most Trusted Vaccine Producer alongside the US and leaving the UK behind. Sputnik V, the world’s first registered vaccine against coronavirus, is the most recognizable one – over 7 in 10 (74%) of those surveyed have heard of the Russian vaccine.
The results of the YouGov survey in various parts of the world once again demonstrate the high confidence of respondents in Russia as a vaccine producer and in the Sputnik V vaccine. Sputnik V vaccine has been saving lives around the world as it is approved for use in more than 55 countries with total population of over 1.5 billion people. The vaccine has a number of key benefits, including an efficacy of 91.6%, confirmed by the leading medical journal The Lancet, as well as a proven to be safe human adenoviral vector platform, attractive supply chain logistics and affordability, making Sputnik V one of the best vaccines in the world.
Lancet, one of the renowned medical journals, has published the outcomes of phase III clinical trials of the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. [i]The1 journal states that the two-dose treatment of Sputnik V administered 21 days apart demonstrated efficacy of 91.6% against COVID-19 as confirmed by data published in Lancet. Sputnik V generated a robust humoral and cell mediated immune response.
While there are over 150 vaccines in different phases of development across the world, there are very few (discussed above) that have proved their efficacy against COVID-19. Storage and logistics are two major challenges in Thailand and very few vaccines comply to the conditions suitable for the country. Russian vaccine has proven to be the natural choice even before the phase III trials as it is available in two forms, liquid, which could be stored at -18°C and lyophilised (freeze dried), to be stored at 2°C to 8°C. The lyophilised form is developed keeping transportation constraints to remote places in mind.
Sputnik V is approved for use in over 55 countries with total population of over 1.5 billion people. Sputnik V ranks second among coronavirus vaccines globally in terms of the number of approvals issued by government regulators making it one of the world’s top three coronavirus vaccines in terms of the number of approvals issued by regulatory authorities.
