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. 2023 Feb 1;2(1):e66.
doi: 10.1002/puh2.66. eCollection 2023 Mar.

COVID-19 vaccine wastage in Thailand amidst vaccine inequity and pandemic-to-endemic transition

Manatee Jitanan  1 , Rapeeporn Tiamjan  2 , Sarinporn Chaivisit  3 , Pornchan Lojanasupareuk  1 , Manas Ranjan Behera  4 , Theerapon Phungdee  1 , Wayu Waengkaew  1 , Adriana Viola Miranda  5
Affiliations

COVID-19 vaccine wastage in Thailand amidst vaccine inequity and pandemic-to-endemic transition

Manatee Jitanan et al. Public Health Chall. .

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccine wastage is an emerging issue globally. In Thailand, which has declared COVID-19 to be an endemic disease, the risk of vaccine wastage lingers despite the remaining vaccine inequity. Although the country does not publicly report its vaccine wastage rate, a wastage incident has been reported. With the remaining secured vaccine doses that have yet to be delivered and Thailand's pandemic-to-endemic transition, Thailand should strategize to avoid vaccine wastage. This commentary highlights several factors that can potentially lead to vaccine wastage in Thailand: cold chain logistics issues, vaccine hesitancy, and unequal vaccine accessibility. The Thai government should continue its efforts in mitigating these issues to maximize its vaccination program.

Keywords: COVID‐19; Thailand; pandemic; pandemic‐to‐endemic transition; vaccination; vaccine wastage.

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Conflict of interest statement

AVM is an editorial board member of the journal. She was excluded and blinded from all stages of the peer review of this manuscript.

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