In Thailand, the emphasis is on maximizing vaccination to prevent the rising covid infection and now the vaccine process has also included mixed doses of vaccine, and will be started by October. This includes vaccines from Pfizer and AstraZeneca. The Deputy Director General of the Department of Disease Control said that Thailand will be given about 10 million Pfizer vaccines every month starting in October.
The government is now planning to combine the first dose of domestically produced AstraZeneca with a second dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine 1 to 3 months later. While mixing vaccine brands is still controversial with little data on efficacy and safety, many agree. That the AstraZeneca-Pfizer combination is a step up from the current blend of Sinovac and AstraZeneca commonly used in Thailand today.
Mixing vaccines received a recommendation on August 25 from the Medical and Health Emergency Operations Center, which said the decision was based on research in Thailand and abroad, with new data indicating that mixing vaccines is safe and effective. The plan is to administer one of two vaccine mix and match combinations, Sinovac and AstraZeneca or AstraZeneca and Pfizer, to eligible recipients over the age of 18.
The Department of Disease Control also said that Pfizer or AstraZeneca will be used as a booster shot within 1 to 3 months from the date of the booster shot to patients who have not been vaccinated and become ill with COVID-19. went. The booster will be given to COVID-19 patients who have not already been vaccinated or who were infected with COVID-19 within two weeks before the vaccine became effective.
Health officials fear that with the emergence of the delta variant, the goal of achieving herd immunity by reaching a 70% vaccination rate in Thailand before the end of 2021 may no longer be attainable.
Vaccine purchases are accelerating, however, as the Thai government expects to receive 8 to 10 million Pfizer vaccines each month between October and December and 6 million Sinovac vaccines by the end of the year. They are expecting 7 to 8 million AstraZeneca vaccines in September, 10 million in October and 13 million in November and again in December, resulting in 60 to 67 million vaccines in Thailand by the end of 2021
With this, the government is gradually relaxing the restrictions, following the Corona rules.