Covid-19 preventing LAAB immunisations available from August 1

In August, public health centres in Thailand will make available Long Acting Antibody (LAAB) immunisations to help people get continued protection against Covid-19. The LAAB injections will first be made available to those with weekend or compromised immune systems and should provide protection against Covid for up to six months.

The deputy government spokesperson explained that today, August 1, public health centres across the country will begin rolling out these LAAB injections, and are offering them first to people who are unable to develop immunity to Covid even after being vaccinated or people with low immunity.

There are an estimated 500,000 people in Thailand whose immune systems would qualify, including those with chronic kidney disease that require regular dialysis, and patients on immunosuppressants.

Provincial communicable disease committees throughout Thailand can provide people with information on where they can find these LAAB injections locally. Also, provincial health offices have been asked by the Ministry of Public Health to compile a list of patients in their region that most require LAAB injections to immunise them.

The LAAB treatments were received on July 25 from maker AstraZeneca who supplied an initial 7,000 doses to be distributed. The Thai government has ordered a total of 250,000 injections for now. The jabs provide antibodies that neutralise an incoming Covid virus, making them unable to infect a person’s cells.

The government intends to provide these injections free of charge to all eligible patients and will distribute the vaccines to any private hospital that requests them as well. The treatment is safe for anyone over 12 years old and more than 40 kilograms according to manufacturers AstraZeneca. Interestingly, the LAAB is recommended only for people who have not had Covid already.

Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul assures the public that the LAAB treatment can reduce the chance of infection along with risks of death or severe sickness from Covid and is safe and effective. So far, side effects have been reported to be minimal.

SOURCE: National News Bureau of Thailand