Rollout of AstraZeneca boosters for people fully vaccinated with Sinovac begins September 24
Health minister Anutin Charnvirakul says the rollout of AstraZeneca booster shots for people fully vaccinated with Sinovac will begin next Friday. Those who received the Sinovac vaccine between March and May will be up first. Anutin says people who’ve been fully vaccinated with Sinorpharm will also receive AstraZeneca boosters at a later stage.
Thai PBS World reports that the government plans to offer boosters to everyone who’s received both shots of either the Sinovac or Sinopharm Chinese vaccines. It’s understood that most of the country’s healthcare workers have already received booster doses.
The date of September 24 is a significant one in the Thai calendar, as it commemorates the contributions made to medicine and health education by the father of the late King Bhumibol. The date is known as Prince Mahidol Day.
To date, 42.27 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered in Thailand, with just over 20% of people fully vaccinated. Most of the vaccines administered have been Sinovac or AstraZeneca.
In related news, the Thai Food and Drug Administration recently approved the mRNA vaccine, Moderna, for use in young people between the ages of 12 and 17. The rollout of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine to school students will begin next month, with a view to schools re-opening for on-site learning from November.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World
