Amidst the speculation of production shortage, AstraZeneca announced that they are scouring their global supply chain for COVID-19 vaccine to boost supplies in Southeast Asia.
The company, in accordance with an agreement with Thai officials, will produce 180 million doses – one-third of which will be for Thailand’s domestic use while the rest is for exportation to neighboring countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia.
Photo from Agence France-Presse/Andrew Matthews
AstraZeneca previously said vaccines would come from its Thai partner Siam Bioscience, a first-time vaccine maker, who has not given a statement on reports of production shortfalls and delayed deliveries.
“We are delivering in the fastest possible timeframe, however, given the gravity of the Delta variant, we are leaving no stone unturned to accelerate supply further still,” James Teague, managing director of AstraZeneca Thailand, said in a statement. “We are hopeful of importing additional doses in the months ahead.”