NONTHABURI, Sept 14 — The Ministry of Public Health is building up favipiravir and other medical resources in the event of the second spread of the coronavirus disease 2019.
Dr Surachoke Tangwiwat, secretary-general of the Food and Drug Administration, said that the Ministry of Public Health had built up stocks of medicines and medical supplies since the COVID-19 pandemic had started in March.
So far, there are 43 million surgical masks which are enough for three months’ use. There are 40 local surgical mask factories that are ready to increase their production. Meanwhile, there are 2.4 million N95 masks, 1.4 million personal protective equipment (PPE) and coverall suits that are enough for medical personnel and general people, 590,000 favipiravir pills and 400 tubes of remdesivir.
Dr Surachoke assured there were enough supplies of favipiravir, saying its production existed worldwide and FDA already registered two companies that had bought its formula for their own production and planned to sell the medicine in the country. The medicine could be delivered in a week after an order is placed, he said. Besides, the sales of its formula caused its price to drop by 10-20 times.
He also said that local COVID-19 vaccine development made good progress while the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca Co were about to resume their COVID-19 vaccine trial after volunteers suffered paralysis during their third-phase human trial.
Dr Witoon Anankul, director of the Public Health Emergency Operation Center, said hospitals nationwide prepared beds for up to 20,000 patients in the event of the second COVID-19 spread and that should be enough. He also ordered subordinates in all provinces to prepare alternative state quarantine facilities to receive inbound people and function together with state quarantine facilities. (TNA)
