Moderna vaccine will be available at private hospitals for 3,000 baht - but you'll still need to register

[Banana7]

On 5/13/2021 at 1:51 PM, Tony125 said:

China's Sinovac vaccine may be better than previously thought: It was 94% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 in a real-world study, Indonesian officials said

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/chinas-sinovac-vaccine-may-better-104040003.html

The results of sinovac all over the map. See here:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55642648

 

Brazil says 50.4%, Indonesia says 65%, Turkey said 91.25%.

 

 

 

[Mike k]

4 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

If the Thai united and said we only want this and this only then cost would probably be the same. This is smoke and mirrors by the powers that be only because of special interests. It could all be free to them. I really hope you don't believe what you read and wrote.

Well a certain family needs to get richer to leave the country ????

[Tony125]

China, in global campaign, vaccinates its people in Thailand

https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-global-campaign-vaccinates-people-092045826.html

[Tony125]

On 5/11/2021 at 8:55 AM, sandyf said:

Yes I had seen info coming out of China a couple of weeks ago to that effect, Fosun are working in collaboration with Biontech. Even regular freezer temperatures makes storage more difficult than other vaccines and not the most suited to countries like Thailand.

Interesting that the latest guidelines from the UK government never reflected any change in storage requirement,  the US updated their guidelines in Feb.

 

6.4 Special precautions for storage

Store in a freezer at -80 °C to -60 °C.

Store in the thermal container at -90 ºC to -60 ºC.

Store in the original package in order to protect from light.

Once removed from the freezer, the undiluted vaccine can be stored for up to 5 days at 2 °C to 8 °C, and up to 2 hours at temperatures up to 25 °C, prior to use. During storage, minimise exposure to room light, and avoid exposure to direct sunlight and ultraviolet light. Thawed vials can be handled in room light conditions.

After dilution, store the vaccine at 2 °C to 25 °C and use as soon as practically possible and within 6 hours. The vaccine does not contain a preservative. Discard any unused vaccine.

Once diluted, the vials should be marked with the dilution time and discarded within 6 hours of dilution.

Once thawed, the vaccine cannot be re-frozen.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19/information-for-healthcare-professionals-on-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine

Pfizer vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator for a month

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pfizer-vaccine-stored-refrigerator-month-080016460.html

[sandyf]

14 hours ago, Tony125 said:

Pfizer vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator for a month

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pfizer-vaccine-stored-refrigerator-month-080016460.html

Why the shouting?

Any country must abide by the approval issued by the regulator in that country irrespective of what anyone else says.

[Tony125]

3 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Why the shouting?

Any country must abide by the approval issued by the regulator in that country irrespective of what anyone else says.

Not meaning to shout just  hilighted and  pasted from news  page and thats  how it came  out.  Not talking about the FDA aproval of  the Pzier shot from any particular country Thailand or otherwise simply showing that Pizer ( who manufacture the  Vacine) have changed thier  regulations on how to store it safely.

[sandyf]

7 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

Not meaning to shout just  hilighted and  pasted from news  page and thats  how it came  out.  Not talking about the FDA aproval of  the Pzier shot from any particular country Thailand or otherwise simply showing that Pizer ( who manufacture the  Vacine) have changed thier  regulations on how to store it safely.

This is what I posted previously which obviously you want to dispute. The latest UK guidelines were issued after the Pfizer announcement.

 

"Interesting that the latest guidelines from the UK government never reflected any change in storage requirement,  the US updated their guidelines in Feb."

 

It will be up to the Thai authorities to determine the storage guidelines for Thailand.

 

 

[placnx]

16 hours ago, Tony125 said:

Pfizer vaccine can be stored in a refrigerator for a month

 

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pfizer-vaccine-stored-refrigerator-month-080016460.html

Interesting that in another thread (Thailand aims to vaccinate 70% of people by September) the nurse (in US?) was going to put the vaccine back in the freezer if any was not used!

 

In that post Wasabi said: "My wife and I received our 1st Pfizer vaccine dose yesterday from a walk in appointment. The woman at the pharmacy explained this was only possible because someone else canceled. She further explained they are still required to keep the vaccines at extreme cold temperatures and then based on appointment take them out and have a 12 hour window to inject them before they have to be put back in the freezer." 

[VBF]

5 hours ago, sandyf said:

<snip>

It will be up to the Thai authorities to determine the storage guidelines for Thailand.

 

Surely not. It should be up to the manufacturer to determine the storage guidelines for all countries.

 

In that respect it's a drug with storage requirements irrespective of location. It's just that in colder climates, it may be easier to achieve those requirements.

Also don't forget that the requirements apply during the shipping as well - no good leaving it out on a hot airport tarmac then re-freezing it later!

[Thomas J]

On 5/6/2021 at 11:40 AM, webfact said:

The chief of the Private Hospital Association of Thailand has said that the Moderna vaccine against Covid-19 will definitely be available in his members'  hospitals.

Well I guess "maybe"  All I can tell for sure is that I topped by Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya yesterday.  The information desk said, no sign up, no vaccines.  They even had a pre-printed sign that was located at the information desk saying that despite media reports that the hospital did not have, had not ordered any vaccines and to stay in touch with updates on their website. 

[sandyf]

31 minutes ago, VBF said:

Surely not. It should be up to the manufacturer to determine the storage guidelines for all countries.

 

In that respect it's a drug with storage requirements irrespective of location. It's just that in colder climates, it may be easier to achieve those requirements.

Also don't forget that the requirements apply during the shipping as well - no good leaving it out on a hot airport tarmac then re-freezing it later!

"Should be" and reality are not always the same. The UK government updated the guidelines on Pfizer yesterday and the storage requirements have changed from 5 days to 31 days at 2 - 8 degrees C.

Almost 3 months since Pfizer made the update, but the NHS are responsible to the UK government, not Pfizer.

6.4 Special precautions for storage

Store in a freezer at -80 °C to -60 °C.

Store in the thermal container at -90 ºC to -60 ºC.

Store in the original package in order to protect from light.

Once removed from the freezer, the undiluted vaccine can be stored for up 1 month (31 days) at 2 °C to 8 °C, and up to 2 hours at temperatures up to 25 °C, prior to use. During storage, minimise exposure to room light, and avoid exposure to direct sunlight and ultraviolet light. Thawed vials can be handled in room light conditions.

After dilution, store the vaccine at 2 °C to 25 °C and use as soon as practically possible and within 6 hours. The vaccine does not contain a preservative. Discard any unused vaccine.

Once diluted, the vials should be marked with the dilution time and discarded within 6 hours of dilution.

Once thawed, the vaccine cannot be re-frozen.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19/information-for-healthcare-professionals-on-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine

 

[moogradod]

1 hour ago, Thomas J said:

Well I guess "maybe"  All I can tell for sure is that I topped by Bangkok Hospital in Pattaya yesterday.  The information desk said, no sign up, no vaccines.  They even had a pre-printed sign that was located at the information desk saying that despite media reports that the hospital did not have, had not ordered any vaccines and to stay in touch with updates on their website. 

By chance I have been there as well yesterday. They had a bigger operation going on to vaccine 2000 Pattaya City Officials. The doctor that treated me said he had been vaccinated already 2 times with Sinovac. They showed us as well the sign you mention which is the banner that appears on top of their home page for weeks and no further information. Normally I am very satisfied with their service. Normally.

[bradiston]

5 minutes ago, moogradod said:

By chance I have been there as well yesterday. They had a bigger operation going on to vaccine 2000 Pattaya City Officials. The doctor that treated me said he had been vaccinated already 2 times with Sinovac. They showed us as well the sign you mention which is the banner that appears on top of their home page for weeks and no further information. Normally I am very satisfied with their service. Normally.

Having tipped everybody off about Pattaya Memorial Hospital some weeks ago, as one hospital that is accepting registration, I dropped by there today. BIG crowd of government workers all jumping the queue as per Prayut's instructions. The hospital couldn't find my original registration. Said they had had a lot of foreigners registering. They don't have it computerised, just the usual bits of paper. However, I did manage to re-register very easily and saw two other guys doing the same. It's incredibly simple, so I would recommend it. It may be a while, but maybe worth the wait as she said most likely Moderna. Probably have to pay, but I'm good with that. Maybe 3500.

 

PS reckon I could knock up a quick registration app for their computers. Probably take an hour or so, depending. I'm sure there are many farang out there who could do it in their sleep! Shame really, but their IT departments must be asleep.

[Thomas J]

22 minutes ago, moogradod said:

By chance I have been there as well yesterday. They had a bigger operation going on to vaccine 2000 Pattaya City Officials. The doctor that treated me said he had been vaccinated already 2 times with Sinovac. They showed us as well the sign you mention which is the banner that appears on top of their home page for weeks and no further information. Normally I am very satisfied with their service. Normally.

I think they are a quality health care provider.  Their treatment, physicians, and equipment all are first class as I compare them to U.S.A. hospitals.  With that said, "if" and I stress "if" they were not checking temperatures because they did not want to discover Covid patients that they would be forced to treat, I guess I understand it. 

Aside from the costs of treating a potentially uninsured Covid patient, they would face having to set up an area of the hospital specifically dedicated to treating these quarantined patients.  Also, if it became public knowledge that the hospital had Covid patients, it would impact the number of private patients who would go to the hospital for elective treatment fearing that they might contract the virus while at the hospital. 

[LongTimeLurker]

On 5/6/2021 at 12:26 PM, John Drake said:

 

If anything is worth waiting for, it's the Pfizer Covid vaccine in tablet form: 

https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-initiates-phase-1-study-novel-oral-antiviral

 

If they combine it with the Viagra pill it will increase sales!!

[Golden Triangle]

15 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Having tipped everybody off about Pattaya Memorial Hospital some weeks ago, as one hospital that is accepting registration, I dropped by there today. BIG crowd of government workers all jumping the queue as per Prayut's instructions. The hospital couldn't find my original registration. Said they had had a lot of foreigners registering. They don't have it computerised, just the usual bits of paper. However, I did manage to re-register very easily and saw two other guys doing the same. It's incredibly simple, so I would recommend it. It may be a while, but maybe worth the wait as she said most likely Moderna. Probably have to pay, but I'm good with that. Maybe 3500.

 

PS reckon I could knock up a quick registration app for their computers. Probably take an hour or so, depending. I'm sure there are many farang out there who could do it in their sleep! Shame really, but their IT departments must be asleep.

I registered with Pattaya Memorial hospital on 15th May via email, I sent all the info they requested ie: name, DoB, Passport No. Telephone. I received a reply a couple of days later saying I was on the list and they would email or phone as soon as they had more info. ????????

[moogradod]

37 minutes ago, Golden Triangle said:

I registered with Pattaya Memorial hospital on 15th May via email, I sent all the info they requested ie: name, DoB, Passport No. Telephone. I received a reply a couple of days later saying I was on the list and they would email or phone as soon as they had more info. ????????

OK, think positive. But this might not mean more than that you are on a mailing list for "more info", whenever they have it and whatever info that is. So basically not very much. Did they mention what vaccine it might be (the only "non-standard" one that seems to be at least in the pipeline is Moderna - for October). Did they not ask you about any predispositions you have ? Or do they have some previous records ? I think that would be crucial apart from age to determine priorities. However, all the best and good luck.

[Golden Triangle]

8 minutes ago, moogradod said:

OK, think positive. But this might not mean more than that you are on a mailing list for "more info", whenever they have it and whatever info that is. So basically not very much. Did they mention what vaccine it might be (the only "non-standard" one that seems to be at least in the pipeline is Moderna - for October). Did they not ask you about any predispositions you have ? Or do they have some previous records ? I think that would be crucial apart from age to determine priorities. However, all the best and good luck.

This is one of the private hospitals I have used previously here in Pattaya, I also think that the many many expats that have also registered with them will be aware of the situation, it's a private hospital so I would assume that they will avoid bad press as that's not conducive to increasing profits in the future, all the best and good luck ????

[VBF]

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

"Should be" and reality are not always the same. The UK government updated the guidelines on Pfizer yesterday and the storage requirements have changed from 5 days to 31 days at 2 - 8 degrees C.

Almost 3 months since Pfizer made the update, but the NHS are responsible to the UK government, not Pfizer.

6.4 Special precautions for storage

Store in a freezer at -80 °C to -60 °C.

Store in the thermal container at -90 ºC to -60 ºC.

Store in the original package in order to protect from light.

Once removed from the freezer, the undiluted vaccine can be stored for up 1 month (31 days) at 2 °C to 8 °C, and up to 2 hours at temperatures up to 25 °C, prior to use. During storage, minimise exposure to room light, and avoid exposure to direct sunlight and ultraviolet light. Thawed vials can be handled in room light conditions.

After dilution, store the vaccine at 2 °C to 25 °C and use as soon as practically possible and within 6 hours. The vaccine does not contain a preservative. Discard any unused vaccine.

Once diluted, the vials should be marked with the dilution time and discarded within 6 hours of dilution.

Once thawed, the vaccine cannot be re-frozen.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19/information-for-healthcare-professionals-on-pfizerbiontech-covid-19-vaccine

 

With respect @sandyf do you not think it highly likely that UK Govt got the latest information from the manufacturer (Pfizer) and based their update on what Pfizer told them?

I hold the Govt scientists in very high regard but I suggest they work as a team alongside the inventors, rather than unilaterally as you seem to suggest.

[bradiston]

6 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I registered with Pattaya Memorial hospital on 15th May via email, I sent all the info they requested ie: name, DoB, Passport No. Telephone. I received a reply a couple of days later saying I was on the list and they would email or phone as soon as they had more info. ????????

Hmm. You might want to chase that up. They have a new procedure. Not sure what happened to the old one!

[Golden Triangle]

11 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Hmm. You might want to chase that up. They have a new procedure. Not sure what happened to the old one!

So would you like to tell us all what that new procedure is ? 

[shdmn]

On 5/18/2021 at 12:02 AM, Banana7 said:

The results of sinovac all over the map. See here:

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55642648

 

Brazil says 50.4%, Indonesia says 65%, Turkey said 91.25%.

 

 

 

The Brazil study is the outlier and was done before a lot of the variants so it should be discarded.  Also, buried in that Brazil study is the most important part.

 

Quote

But Butantan stressed that the vaccine is 78% effective in preventing mild cases that needed treatment and 100% effective in staving off moderate to serious cases.

 

[shdmn]

7 hours ago, bradiston said:

Having tipped everybody off about Pattaya Memorial Hospital some weeks ago, as one hospital that is accepting registration, I dropped by there today. BIG crowd of government workers all jumping the queue as per Prayut's instructions. The hospital couldn't find my original registration. Said they had had a lot of foreigners registering. They don't have it computerised, just the usual bits of paper. However, I did manage to re-register very easily and saw two other guys doing the same. It's incredibly simple, so I would recommend it. It may be a while, but maybe worth the wait as she said most likely Moderna. Probably have to pay, but I'm good with that. Maybe 3500.

 

PS reckon I could knock up a quick registration app for their computers. Probably take an hour or so, depending. I'm sure there are many farang out there who could do it in their sleep! Shame really, but their IT departments must be asleep.

 

What documentation or ID numbers did they need?  Do you have that pink Thai ID people are talking about?

[bradiston]

6 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

So would you like to tell us all what that new procedure is ? 

I already did, above

[bradiston]

5 hours ago, shdmn said:

 

What documentation or ID numbers did they need?  Do you have that pink Thai ID people are talking about?

No, just passport and phone number.

[sandyf]

10 hours ago, VBF said:

With respect @sandyf do you not think it highly likely that UK Govt got the latest information from the manufacturer (Pfizer) and based their update on what Pfizer told them?

I hold the Govt scientists in very high regard but I suggest they work as a team alongside the inventors, rather than unilaterally as you seem to suggest.

I am not suggesting anything, facts are facts. Pfizer updated their guidelines with regard to storage in Feb and the US quickly followed.

The UK updated their guidelines on 20th May.

Why the delay?, as you suggest, I suspect it was to do with the thoroughness of the UK regulator in checking the validity of the new data from Pfizer.

[Thomas J]

[placnx]

15 hours ago, shdmn said:

The Brazil study is the outlier and was done before a lot of the variants so it should be discarded.  Also, buried in that Brazil study is the most important part.

 

 

What we need to know is the level of neutralizing antibodies which would stop transmission. If it keeps circulating, more dangerous variants will eventually arise, and Brazil will be back to square one. The statistics about reducing hospitalization are lovely, but it's not a panacea, and we shouldn't be misled by the Butatan study.

[Jeffr2]

30 minutes ago, placnx said:

What we need to know is the level of neutralizing antibodies which would stop transmission. If it keeps circulating, more dangerous variants will eventually arise, and Brazil will be back to square one. The statistics about reducing hospitalization are lovely, but it's not a panacea.

Actually, now they're saying the stat to watch is hospitalizations.  We can't keep the virus from infecting you, but if we can keep people out of the hospital, we're on the winning track.  Kinda like the flu.  The once a year jab is to keep you from getting very sick and out of the hospital.

[placnx]

18 hours ago, Jeffr2 said:

Actually, now they're saying the stat to watch is hospitalizations.  We can't keep the virus from infecting you, but if we can keep people out of the hospital, we're on the winning track.  Kinda like the flu.  The once a year jab is to keep you from getting very sick and out of the hospital.

The reality is that this will be a multi-year struggle to contain and suppress this virus from hell. It's not flu, and the approach has to be different. There are several goals, and these will necessarily be prioritized differently depending on the rate of infection in a country or even a region of a large country.

 

In the Third World the situation appears to be quite variable, but that may be due more to suppression of news than suppression of the virus. There we are largely at an initial stage - protecting health workers. So maybe there the most relevant statistic is the percentage of health workers who have been vaccinated.

 

Then there is the problem of inadequate or nonexistent health care outside of cities. In India estimates of deaths range from 3-10 times the reported deaths. That's because deaths seem to be only reported from hospitals. So hospitalizations there now tells us that the situation is out of control. India needs a lot of help, but nationalism and politics may obstruct an effective intervention from outside. Many countries may wonder whether it is worth their money and resources if local dithering, corruption, and chauvinism cause aid to disappear in a Black Hole. It's unclear whether the world has the human resources to send in sufficient teams to make up for the lack of local resources (even before so many health care workers died!). This is why some people are proposing PEPVAR.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/12/opinion/world-covid-vaccines.html

 

With the latest prohibition of calling B.1.617.1 - 617.3 the "Indian Virus", the prognosis for India is not good. (Maybe a solution to naming would be to use names of cities for the sub-variants 1-3).

 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we can see islands as a useful indicator of ways to deal with the virus when there are outbreaks to mop up, namely Taiwan and New Zealand. Ideally that would be the endpoint where we use a lot of antigen testing and ring vaccination. Some day that should be happening in India, too.

 

So at this end of the spectrum it could be sensible to cite cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, if any. A single statistic such as hospitalizations is not useful except in a context of related statistics.

 

Comparing between vastly different situations at opposite ends is apples and oranges or mangoes. When dealing with a chaotic context, we practically have to assess holistically on an anecdotal basis rather than base decisions on dodgy numbers. 

 

For now, boosters are likely needed, even though we don't yet know how protections lasts, and it's different for each vaccine, not to mention: each person. I am hoping that there will be no problems doing a Moderna booster (or Pfizer or yet named) on top of AZ or more dodgy vaccinations.