The Sinovac vaccine is relied upon by several countries to fight the Corona virus, including Thailand. Several studies have shown that this vaccine is effective against COVID-19, but in Thailand there is growing issue of the Sinovac vaccine being of low quality. The official in the White Elephant Country also denied it.
The rise of the accusations even made the Chinese Embassy in Thailand speak up. "The vaccine sent by the Chinese government has been approved by WHO for emergency use and passed the required trial in Thailand. This vaccine is safe, effective and fully certified in terms of quality," they wrote on Facebook.
In a statement to local media, Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai said false information about the Sinovac vaccine could damage relations between Thailand and China.
He said the misinformation was used by the opposition for political purposes. "Criticism of the Sinovac vaccine is not only a warped fact, it also undermines friendly relations between Thailand and China," he said.
"The Sinovac vaccine has been granted emergency use permits by WHO and 39 countries around the world. China has the capability to produce vaccines quickly and has helped many countries including Thailand control the early phase of the pandemic by providing vaccines," he added.
In addition, according to him, the Sinovac vaccine has been proven to be effective in protecting from Corona virus attacks with low or no side effects.
Previously, the Chinese Embassy added that clinical tests in Chile revealed that the Sinovac vaccine was more than 86% effective in preventing severe symptoms and death among Corona sufferers. Then a study in Indonesia showed the Sinovac vaccine was 95% effective in preventing patients from dying.
"However, there are certain parties and people in Thailand who accuse the Sinovac vaccine of inferior quality and efficacy against COVID-19. This accusation completely ignores scientific evidence and undermines China's goodwill for Thailand," the Chinese embassy continued.
