Thailand suspends vaccine rollout as Biden eyes
Thailand on Friday joined different European nations in suspending the AstraZeneca vaccine more than blood clot fears, despite a range of health authorities all over the world insisting it was safe.
The approach came just hours after US President Joe Biden offered COVID-weary Americans pray of a return to some sort of normality by July 4, marking the nationwide holiday as his target for "independence" from the virus.
After a shaky start, the US has ramped up its vaccination program, following the advice of scientists who state jabs will be the only way to avoid it of a pandemic which has killed 2.6 million persons around the world.
But global hopes received a blow Thursday when Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Italy and Romania postponed or limited the rollout of their quota of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines after isolated reports of recipients growing blood clots.
Thailand followed go well with on Friday.
Health regulators stressed there was no evidence of any link, but they were acting out of a good amount of caution. Australia, Mexico and the Philippines said they might continue their rollouts because they had determined no reason to alter course. Canada said there was no evidence the jab causes adverse reactions.
Thailand's decision resulted in the embarrassing spectacle of Primary Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha abruptly cancelling his own televised jab.
"Vaccine injection for Thais should be safe, we do not have to get in a hurry," said Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, an adviser for the country's Covid-19 vaccine committee.
US chief Antonio Guterres in Thursday lashed away at what he called the "many examples of vaccine nationalism and hoarding" that will prevent some countries from obtaining the resources to bring their health crises to a finish.
"Many low-salary countries have not yet received a single dose," he said.
"The global vaccination campaign represents the greatest moral check of our times."
