Ministry defends Pfizer vaccines against radiation accusations
Pfizer mRNA vaccines are facing accusations of being contaminated with radiation, and Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health is fighting back against the allegations. The Ministry reassures that all the vaccines in use currently in Thailand are tested and safe for use.
At the Department of Disease Control, Dr Chawetsan Namwat, director of the Emergency Health Hazard and Disease Control Division, confirms that all the vaccines used in Thailand have already been successfully implemented in other countries around the world without major issues.
He said that all vaccines that enter Thailand undergo rigorous quality control inspections. Any abnormality or problem detected in these quality control checks would result in immediate suspension of the brand’s use in Thailand and a recall of all distributed vaccines, which would then be disposed of.
The controversy stems from the fact that mRNA vaccines use lipid nanoparticles, ionized lipids that help mRNA vaccines enter cells for delivery. Some have raised concerns that they believe these lipids have been contaminated with radiation, but the director maintains that they are the same that have been long in use in the European Union and the United States, and have been proven safe.
The director also shot down claims that those with mRNA vaccines develop more severe symptoms if they become infected with Covid-19, a contention he says is completely false. The Pfizer vaccine has been proven to be 95% effective at preventing severe symptoms in death, making symptoms much less intense than those who are unvaccinated.
The Pfizer vaccine has been widely used already throughout Thailand, with medical personnel being amongst the first to have received the vaccine. Some expats in touristic areas like Koh Samui are also able to register and receive Pfizer vaccines now, as well as millions of students who have registered for the vaccine and will receive injections in the coming weeks.
SOURCE: National News Bureau of Thailand
