Rollout of Covid-19 booster doses expected to begin next month
The rollout of Covid-19 booster shots for around 3 million Thais who’ve already received 2 doses of a Covid-19 vaccine will begin from next month. According to a Bangkok Post report, Opas Karnkawinpong from the Department of Disease Control says the administration of booster doses is expected to get underway between late September and October.
“Which vaccine type will be used depends on the availability of the vaccine supply at that time and an estimated 3 million people who have already received 2 vaccine shots are expected to receive the booster shots.”
The Bangkok Post reports that the booster doses are expected to be AstraZeneca and Pfizer, as the Public Health Ministry expects to have sufficient supplies from both manufacturers. Around 3 million people who’ve received 2 doses of Sinovac at least 3 months earlier will be in line for booster shots.
In other news, Kiattiphum Wongrajit from the ministry says the infection rate appears to be slowing down, freeing up hospital beds in Bangkok and the central provinces. However, he adds that new cases continue to be detected in markets and construction camps in the provinces, with officials ordered to increase proactive testing with antigen test kits.
Patients will be subject to home or community isolation in order to prevent any further spread. Kiattiphum says infections are being spread among family members, leading to fatalities in unvaccinated vulnerable groups. He says it’s vital that people over the age of 60, as well as those with underlying conditions, and women over 12 weeks pregnant get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, a government spokesman says the administration expects to procure up to 140 million vaccine doses by the end of the year. The government is currently in talks to procure an extra 2 million AstraZeneca doses a month from September to December, as well as between 2.5 and 3 million doses of Pfizer every month in the same period. Children between the ages of 12 and 18 are expected to receive the Pfizer vaccine in order to allow schools to safely re-open, with over 573,000 teachers already inoculated.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
