BANGKOK (BLOOMBERG) - Thailand's Private Hospital Association is expected to use Moderna shots for its own Covid-19 inoculation programme alongside the government's mass roll-out of AstraZeneca and Sinovac Biotech vaccines.

The group of more than 200 private hospitals is currently reviewing orders from its members and will procure the vaccines through the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, government spokesman Traisuree Taisaranakul said on Sunday (May 23), citing the drug agency. The group is expected to order five million doses of Moderna vaccines, she said.

The South-east Asian nation approved Moderna shots for local use on May 13, making it the fourth vaccine to get the nod from the country's Food and Drug Administration after Sinovac, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. The Thai government has so far relied on Sinovac and AstraZeneca in its vaccination drive, and it allows private firms to market alternative shots.

Thailand started its roll-out on Feb 28 but the pace has been restricted by a limited supply of vaccines, with just 2.9 million doses administered so far. The government plans to start a mass roll-out on June 7 after it is expected to receive millions of shots, and has set the target of administering 100 million doses before the end of this year.