Good Morning Thailand | C-19 Vaccines – Yes? No?, Thailand re-opening latest, Phuket Sandbox

In what could put yet another spanner in the works, the Thai government is questioning if local authorities can purchase vaccines and whether state-allocated budgets can be used for this purpose. The Bangkok Post reports that officials at the Interior Ministry fear a chaotic rollout, with several local administrative organisations racing to order supplies of Sinopharm, the latest vaccine to be approved for emergency use.

Last week, the Chulabhorn Royal Academy confirmed its intention to order Sinopharm doses directly from China, which it says will supplement the government’s vaccine allocation for the national rollout, set to begin next Monday.

The ministry has now referred the question of LOAs purchasing vaccines to the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration. The PM has also expressed concerns about how or if LOAs can afford to purchase vaccines and if they can legally use…