Public health minister says Thailand will continue with the use of AstraZeneca vaccine

[webfact]

 

Thailand will go ahead with its COVID-19 vaccination program using the AstraZeneca vaccine, because authorities have not found any rare, but significant and serious side effects among the vaccine’s recipients in Thailand, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said today (Thursday).

 

Mr. Anutin chaired a meeting today of the National Communicable Disease Committee, during which he informed those present of the problem with the AstraZeneca vaccine in Denmark.

 

On Tuesday, Denmark announced it will stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine altogether, becoming the first European country to do so, over suspicions of rare but serious side effects.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/public-health-minister-says-thailand-will-continue-with-the-use-of-astrazeneca-vaccine/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2021-04-16

 

- Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you

- Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates

[RichardColeman]

21 minutes ago, webfact said:

On Tuesday, Denmark announced it will stop using the AstraZeneca vaccine altogether, becoming the first European country to do so, over suspicions of rare but serious side effects.

Going to have to presume a huge rise in the Denmark population end of this year in line with them banning the contraceptive pill for blood clots, no, wait, they haven't.

 

 

[Albert Zweistein]

Not heard from him long time, I really started to worry about him.

[ThailandRyan]

Going all in with AZ and Sinovac.  Only thing they have been staunch about. Waffled with lockdowns etc.

[Excel]

1 hour ago, Albert Zweistein said:

Not heard from him long time, I really started to worry about him.

I am also concerned about Prawit as the high end watch retailers are looking for him due to the recent slump in sales ????

[colinneil]

21 minutes ago, Excel said:

I am also concerned about Prawit as the high end watch retailers are looking for him due to the recent slump in sales ????

Why worry about him? He does not buy high end watches, he only borrows them from dead friends.????????????

[Wiggy]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand will go ahead with its COVID-19 vaccination program using the AstraZeneca vaccine

Well, they don’t really have much choice with all their eggs in one basket. 

[brommers]

He has no option but to say they are going all in on these two vaccines because this country has no alternative supplies, norvwill it have for many months if not longer. Get ready for a six month long shambles as they try to vaccinate enough to begin tobtry and delude the population that we have achived herd immunity, which is of course an unproven theory. Just look at Chile which has the second highest global vaccination rate based on the Sinovac product, a huge surge in new cases is taking place and even vaccinated people are getting infected. At least the Chilean government is admitting the vaccine is inferior and they loosened restrictions too soon. Anutin would never admit to any failures because he believes he can walk on water.

[Pattaya Spotter]

They have to because there's no alternative...all supplies of the "deluxe" Moderna and Pfizer-BionTech vaccines are sold out for the foreseeable future. It's A-Z, Chinese, and Russian (and maybe J&J) vaccines for Thailand.

[ikke1959]

Probably he hasn't heard of the new Brazillian mutated Covid.... More infectious specially for the younger people and resistant for the vaccins...

If Sinovac is only effective now for 50% there will be for sure a 4th/5th and 6th wave 

[ThailandRyan]

16 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

Well, they don’t really have much choice with all their eggs in one basket. 

it will be a combo vaccination called ASinovacZ, as that is what a medical professional from China suggested in mixing the vaccine with another to boost it's efficacy.  Wonder how that went over in 3 stages of trials?, oh wait what trials for a combo vaccine....lol

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Thailand will go ahead with its COVID-19 vaccination program using the AstraZeneca vaccine,

Because it's a done deal to manufacture it within Thailand at a chosen factory, and they have no other plan in place.

[Rhacsyn]

1 hour ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

They have to because there's no alternative...all supplies of the "deluxe" Moderna and Pfizer-BionTech vaccines are sold out for the foreseeable future. It's A-Z, Chinese, and Russian (and maybe J&J) vaccines for Thailand.

 

If Thailand was given that choice, and quickly, I believe we would all be pretty happy. European, Chinese, Russian and potentially a US developed quartet.

[Pattaya Spotter]

30 minutes ago, Rhacsyn said:

 

If Thailand was given that choice, and quickly, I believe we would all be pretty happy. European, Chinese, Russian and potentially a US developed quartet.

The Russian vaccine has been found to be very effective...production capacity is the issue there; the Chinese vaccines (by their own recent admissions) not so much.

[Sir Dude]

Thailand has got this decision right, at least. There is nothing wrong with the AZ vaccine and it offers real bang-for-the-buck value compared to, say, the Pfizer jab at pretty much 20 euros a pop. There are issues with all the jabs and there have been casulties with all of them, like the Moderna one is believed to give greater efficacy but more likely possible side effects, the case of those patients in Norway regarding the Pfizer jab.

Also, in the UK, they have had like 50 blood clots out of 30 million doses, that's actually really small and you are more likely to get a blood clot from your average over-the-counter medicines or just catching Covid per se. The EU needs to politically cover its backside and incompetence over this whole issue, so what better than blame the vaccine instead of their own uselessness ... dangerous game to play making people's health a political football.

As an aside, if I was the CEO of AZ, then I certainly wouldn't be recommending the company help out humanity again by making an effective vaccine for a future pandemic at lightning fast speed and then selling to the world at cost as a favour next time.

[oldcarguy]

it seems most of the blood clot problems with Astrazenac and J+J  are in women , 

 

pretty simple , give them to men first until they have it figured out and give the women the other vaccines.....

 

Nothing is 100% 

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, brommers said:

Anutin would never admit to any failures because he believes he can walk on water.

 

Especially after he had his shot of AZ.

 

I feel for Thai's, only 500,000 so far vaccinated, 66 million to go, perhaps they should give people Influenza shots and Pneumonia shots for the elderly in the interim, somethings got to be better than nothing, that and they are not "experimental vaccines" that cause blood clots.

 

Yes, yes, I know its a different virus, but if they do nothing, we know the outcome, at least they could give it a go, like I said, something is better than nothing, in the interim.

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-getting-a-flu-shot-help-protect-against-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR3zlk7BZ2sxKTy5GJfRiJd6c6rdusnmONoJNWn3Lj6YJiwnGZ5tLXY7RV8

[4MyEgo]

2 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

They have to because there's no alternative...all supplies of the "deluxe" Moderna and Pfizer-BionTech vaccines are sold out for the foreseeable future. It's A-Z, Chinese, and Russian (and maybe J&J) vaccines for Thailand.

 

Perhaps if they tried thinking outside the square for the short term ?

 

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/can-getting-a-flu-shot-help-protect-against-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR3zlk7BZ2sxKTy5GJfRiJd6c6rdusnmONoJNWn3Lj6YJiwnGZ5tLXY7RV8

[wasabi]

Thailand's best bet is to stick with the AZ vaccine although imperfect. Yes there is a blood clotting risk, but it is quite low. I would like more info on any specific factors other than being a woman under 50 is causing these clots? The AZ vaccine is an effective vaccine. It's possible there won't be any cases of blood clots here or very few. No one likes to play Russian roulette but with a pandemic tough choices are needed. Other options like mRna vaccines may be a year away for Thailand. The economic and health damage of letting the virus continue with nothing but masks and social distancing to stop it will make this a 4th world country by then. As far as the Sinovac vaccine that should be dumped in the trash, but we know Thailand will never admit this mistake. So at least there is the AZ vaccine which offers a way out.

[ThailandRyan]

51 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Especially after he had his shot of AZ.

He had the Sinovac Vaccine as he was the first in the country to do so after Prayut backed out and waited on the AZ vaccine.

[thequietman]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Going all in with AZ and Sinovac

Obviously - gotta keep the shareholders happy ! ????

[Cake Monster]

The Thai Health Authorities have to run with Sinovac and the AZ vaccines.

Sinovac 15 % owned by CP Group

And a whole lot of Money invested in a new production Plant for the AZ vaccine which is scheduled to be online in June

Money over Health

[khunPer]

4 hours ago, Pattaya Spotter said:

They have to because there's no alternative...all supplies of the "deluxe" Moderna and Pfizer-BionTech vaccines are sold out for the foreseeable future. It's A-Z, Chinese, and Russian (and maybe J&J) vaccines for Thailand.

And AstraZeneca, Sputnik 5 and J&J's Jansen-vaccine are all based on the same method, also J&J have shown cases of blood clots.

 

Moderna seems so far to be the only vaccine without any known serious side effects, whilst Phizer's has very few.

[khunPer]

1 hour ago, wasabi said:

Thailand's best bet is to stick with the AZ vaccine although imperfect. Yes there is a blood clotting risk, but it is quite low. I would like more info on any specific factors other than being a woman under 50 is causing these clots? The AZ vaccine is an effective vaccine. It's possible there won't be any cases of blood clots here or very few. No one likes to play Russian roulette but with a pandemic tough choices are needed. Other options like mRna vaccines may be a year away for Thailand. The economic and health damage of letting the virus continue with nothing but masks and social distancing to stop it will make this a 4th world country by then. As far as the Sinovac vaccine that should be dumped in the trash, but we know Thailand will never admit this mistake. So at least there is the AZ vaccine which offers a way out.

The risk might need to be seen relative to the Covid-19 risk. In EU/EEC AZ showed 30 blood clot-death out of 5.5 million vaccinations, which equals 5.45 death per million. That is a relative small figure compared to for example more than 400 registered Covid-19 deaths, i.e. dead with Covid-19, in Denmark, whilst the official count for Thailand stands at 1.5 per million. So in reality, AstraZeneca is between tre or four times more fatal than the disease it's going to protect against when looking isolated at Thailand. However, the risk seems to be mainly women under the age of 50, wherefore numerous European countries still recommend the use of AZ for the elder population from 65 years of age and up, and Denmark considers if it can be voluntary for those that already got their first vaccination to opt for one more with AZ.

But I agree, Thailand at the moment don't have much other choices than Chinese Sinovac and AZ.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

He had the Sinovac Vaccine as he was the first in the country to do so after Prayut backed out and waited on the AZ vaccine.

 

My bad, I got it back the front.

[gearbox]

2 hours ago, wasabi said:

Thailand's best bet is to stick with the AZ vaccine although imperfect. Yes there is a blood clotting risk, but it is quite low. I would like more info on any specific factors other than being a woman under 50 is causing these clots? The AZ vaccine is an effective vaccine. It's possible there won't be any cases of blood clots here or very few. No one likes to play Russian roulette but with a pandemic tough choices are needed. Other options like mRna vaccines may be a year away for Thailand. The economic and health damage of letting the virus continue with nothing but masks and social distancing to stop it will make this a 4th world country by then. As far as the Sinovac vaccine that should be dumped in the trash, but we know Thailand will never admit this mistake. So at least there is the AZ vaccine which offers a way out.

And why the Sinovac vaccine should be dumped in the trash? Because it is from China?

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-13/are-china-s-covid-shots-less-effective-experts-size-up-sinovac

 

"That’s what you expect from Covid vaccines -- higher efficacy against more severe infections and lower against milder ones. From what I can see, it looks like a very worthwhile vaccine. The problem with the data is it didn’t include many old people or many people with co-morbidities."

 

Quote from one of the experts.

[chilly07]

Just Get On With It!

[wasabi]

2 hours ago, gearbox said:

And why the Sinovac vaccine should be dumped in the trash? Because it is from China?

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-04-13/are-china-s-covid-shots-less-effective-experts-size-up-sinovac

 

"That’s what you expect from Covid vaccines -- higher efficacy against more severe infections and lower against milder ones. From what I can see, it looks like a very worthwhile vaccine. The problem with the data is it didn’t include many old people or many people with co-morbidities."

 

Quote from one of the experts.

 

Just for the record nothing to do with being from China. Very low efficacy is why. Thailand should have stayed in Covac but pride kept them out. Now the country suffers while they can all fool themselves that "Thailand Number 1"

[clivebaxter]

51 minutes ago, chilly07 said:

Just Get On With It!

We have all got to wait for June, i'll be amazed if the AZ vaccine will be produced here then, and in the numbers stated

[sandyf]

3 hours ago, khunPer said:

And AstraZeneca, Sputnik 5 and J&J's Jansen-vaccine are all based on the same method, also J&J have shown cases of blood clots.

 

Moderna seems so far to be the only vaccine without any known serious side effects, whilst Phizer's has very few.

The same issue cannot be ruled out. Every indication is that referring to "blood clots" is a distortion. The condition that appears to have been identified is Thrombocytopenia, low platlet count, and blood clotting is a rare side effect of that condition. How many of those that have had any of the vaccines could have had a low platlet count without it being identified.

Dengue fever creates a low platlet count, been there, but how many develop blood clots. As far as I am aware, the majority that die do so from bleeding.