Chulabhorn Royal Academy rolls out booster vaccines

Booster shot registration has begun for Chulabhorn Royal Academy as they prepare to launch their drive to give third vaccines on October 20. The first round will be for those who received 2 injections of Sinovac and the second round will be for AstraZeneca vaccine recipients. Moderna and Sinopharm booster shots will commence 9 days later for special organisations and hospitals.

Vaccinations are scheduled to run through March 10. The program is for people who received their first 2 vaccines at the Acadamy vaccination centre and the schedule is planned based on vaccine brand received originally and age bracket. For those who received 2 Sinovac vaccines in June, July, or August, the schedule is as follows:

• From October 20: anyone with 2 Sinovac vaccines and underlying medical conditions can receive a booster shot.
• October 20 to 29: anyone over 70 years old with 2 Sinovac vaccines.
• November 1 to 30: anyone between the ages of 59-69 years old with 2 Sinovac vaccines.
• November 15 to December 24: anyone under the age of 59 years old with 2 Sinovac vaccines.

For those who were originally vaccinated at the Academy with 2 AstraZeneca injections in July, August, or September, the schedule is as follows:

• From February 1, 2022: anyone with 2 AstraZeneca vaccines and underlying medical conditions can receive a booster shot.
• February 1 to 15: anyone over 70 years old with 2 AstraZeneca vaccines.
• February 15 to 28: anyone between the ages of 59-69 years old with 2 AstraZeneca vaccines.
• March 1 to 10: anyone under the age of 59 years old with 2 AstraZeneca vaccines.

Chulabhorn Royal Academy has offered some vaccination advice before people getting their third booster shot. They said AstraZeneca boosters are not recommended for women that are pregnant, under hormone-controlling medication, or experiencing blood clots. They also recommend spacing out boosters properly as immunity is more effective if the time between dosages is longer.

Sinovac and Sinopharm are inactivated virus vaccines and work best with 3 to 6 months between the second dose and a booster and are effective for 4 to 8 months. AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Sputnik should be spaced further, with 7 to 8 months between the second vaccine and the booster shot, and then those boosters will have an effective period of 8 to 10 months.

One exception though – for those who got a Covid-19 infection after having 2 vaccines, a booster shot is recommended just 60 days after their Covid-19 infection.

SOURCE: Thai PBS World