On December 30, 2020, Prof. Dr. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Center of Excellence in Virology at the Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, published an article on Facebook titled "COVID-19 Vaccine". He stated that:

1. Currently, there are 6 types of COVID-19 vaccines that have been registered for emergency use worldwide: 3 from China, 1 from Russia, 1 from the USA, and 1 developed jointly by the USA and Germany.

2. The vaccines include 2 inactivated virus types from China, 2 viral vector types from China and Russia, and 2 mRNA types from the USA and the USA with Germany.

3. The AstraZeneca vaccine that Thailand is waiting for has not yet completed its trials.

4. Nearly 10 countries have already begun administering vaccines, totaling over 5 million doses, and by January, the number is expected to increase significantly, potentially reaching hundreds of millions of doses.

5. More than 30 countries, including all EU nations, have registered or granted emergency use authorization for certain vaccines, indicating a large number of vaccinations will take place in January.

Why is Thailand lagging behind in the COVID-19 vaccine rollout?
1. Are we solely focused on the AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine? (Unknown) Trials are still ongoing, and no country has registered it yet, even for emergency use (waiting for the UK). The demand for vaccines exceeds the contracted amount significantly.

2. We should not be fixated on a single vaccine company; there are multiple options available now, including those from China, Europe, and the USA.

3. The procurement process should not be limited to one type of vaccine, as we need up to 80 million doses. There should be options available, and this is an urgent matter.

4. The private sector should assist the government; I believe that allowing private entities to import vaccines would significantly alleviate the burden on the government. Even though the vaccines need to be stored at low temperatures, it is manageable, as demonstrated by Singapore. Thailand should also be able to handle this to ensure sufficient vaccines for the general public as soon as possible.

5. The registration process in Thailand must be expedited.

Looking at the maps and information from Wikipedia regarding vaccine planning in various countries worldwide, even for emergency use registration, Thailand is not included. In Southeast Asia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines are ahead.

What can we do to enable Thailand to move faster and not wait until June, as reported? This outbreak is more severe than anticipated. Vaccine recipients should have the right to choose whether to be vaccinated and should receive all accurate information.