Thammasat University has urged the government to work faster to remove any red tape hindering the delivery of 3 million doses of the Moderna vaccine from Poland.
The donated vaccines were scheduled to be delivered on Tuesday but have been delayed due to a lack of official paperwork from the Thai government, a source from the university said.
"The government has consented to the donation but it is proving very slow in sending all the required documents to Poland," the source said.
Thammasat University, which has its own affiliated hospital, is communicating with Poland's vaccine centre through Thonburi Healthcare Group (THG).
THG will help to facilitate the delivery of the vaccines from Poland, perform quality-control checks, and handle related expenses.
Thammasat University Hospital recently complained to the government after it received fewer vaccines than were expected, which the hospital said has hampered its ability to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Pharuhat Tor-udom, director of the hospital, said it is trying to secure delivery of the mRNA Moderna vaccine, as 1.5 million doses are expected to arrive by the end of this month.
Another 2 million does will follow in November, Assoc Prof Dr Pharuhat added.
Due to the current delay, he said it was impossible to guess when the vaccines would actually arrive in Thailand and be able to be administered to those in need.
As soon as the vaccine supplies arrive, however, the hospital will make an immediate announcement, he said.
The hospital also plans to import protein-based Covid-19 vaccines from Europe next year, he added, noting these are associated with the fewest side effects.
They will be administered in the form of a booster shot, he said.
The hospital has joined hands with the India-based drug manufacturer of a generic version of Molnupilavir to conduct a clinical trial of the anti-viral drug on Covid-19 patients at the hospital, expected to begin soon, he said.