Thailand adjusts vaccine plan to tame deadliest outbreak

[snoop1130]

FILE PHOTO: A medical worker prepares a syringe with a dose of China's Sinovac coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the Central Vaccination Center, inside the Bang Sue Grand Station, in Bangkok, Thailand, May 24, 2021. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha/File Photo

 

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand is modifying its coronavirus immunisation strategy to target worst-hit areas and sectors where clusters are most likely to emerge, officials said on Wednesday, as it deals with its most severe outbreak yet and a low vaccination rate.

 

The strategy prioritises the epicentre Bangkok and nearby provinces, tourism hotspots, construction camps and potential spreaders, like public transport workers, the government's COVID-19 taskforce said.

 

Thailand reported a daily record 41 deaths on Wednesday, bringing overall fatalities to 873, about 90% of which were during the current outbreak that started early in April.

 

The outbreak is also responsible for the bulk of its total 137,894 cases.

 

Thailand is due to start mass vaccinations next month and of its than 66 million people, only 2.5 million have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, mostly the Sinovac brand.

 

Thailand has reserved 61 million locally-made AstraZeneca vaccines for its main drive.

 

Vaccine distribution had earlier been based on reservations made by provincial health authorities, some with low cases numbers, said taskforce spokesman Taweesin Wisanuyothin.

 

The health ministry said two doses of Sinovac vaccine had reduced the risk of infection by 83.3%, according to its study on the holiday island of Phuket, where 22% of the population has received both required doses.

 

 

[RotBenz8888]

9 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand is modifying its coronavirus immunisation strategy 

Shocking and very unexpected. 

[herfiehandbag]

Ah, I see, and there was silly old me thinking that they were adjusting the plan because they had bungled acquiring/producing, and simply didn't have enough of the stuff...

[Danderman123]

For some reason, tracking the various announcements of vaccination plans, changes of vaccination plans, announcements of plans to acquire vaccines, plans to vaccinate foreigners, plans for private hospitals to buy vaccines, it just seems so pointless, like trying to grab a bucket of steam.

[hanuman2543]

5 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

For some reason, tracking the various announcements of vaccination plans, changes of vaccination plans, announcements of plans to acquire vaccines, plans to vaccinate foreigners, plans for private hospitals to buy vaccines, it just seems so pointless, like trying to grab a bucket of steam.

An accurate description of Thai politics.

[Phuketshrew]

There was a plan?

[DrJack54]

Back in the days a vinyl records you would flip the record to side B.

Can someone please do as side A is becoming so very boring.

[RubbaJohnny]

15 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

Back in the days a vinyl records you would flip the record to side B.

Can someone please do as side A is becoming so very boring.

More like the classic 8 track. looping endlessly around a err.....HUB

[fangless]

32 minutes ago, Phuketshrew said:

There was a plan?

Yes of course they did.  It was a plan to make a plan on how to start planning a plan.

[kynikoi]

Oh, look another plan. It must be   ̶T̶h̶u̶r̶s̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶F̶r̶i̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶S̶a̶t̶u̶r̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶S̶u̶n̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶M̶o̶n̶d̶a̶y̶ ̶T̶u̶e̶s̶d̶a̶y̶

Wednesday.

[kynikoi]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

health ministry said two doses of Sinovac vaccine had reduced the risk of infection by 83.3%,

 

They keep pushing this vaccine. Pretty obvious it's all they're willing to spend on their population.

[damascase]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

Thailand is modifying its coronavirus immunisation strategy 

A strategy?? Is there such a thing in Thailand? I’m afraid they wouldn’t recognize one if they stumbled across it…..

[Antonymous]

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

The health ministry said two doses of Sinovac vaccine had reduced the risk of infection by 83.3%, according to its study on the holiday island of Phuket, where 22% of the population has received both required doses.

 

That sounds great, doesn't it.

 

And just how was this calculated? Are we allowed to see how robust the statistical analysis was please? I mean if there is really strong evidence for stating boldly that "infection is reduced by 83.3%" surely this should be shared with the scientific community and with the Thai public.

[sammieuk1]

And tomorrow's plan is Thailand is modifying its coronavirus immunisation strategy when they find one ????

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Well.... in terms of their supposed priorities....

 

1. I'm over 60 in age (CV risk group).

2. I live in priority area BKK.

3. I live in a district of BKK with major cluster outbreaks...

 

And, I see absolutely no sign thus far that anyone in the Thai government is trying to prioritize my access to a CV vaccine.

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[darksidedog]

My family at home don't quite understand when I try to explain the simple reason I haven't been vaccinated yet is because there basically isn't any out there to get vaccinated with. Questions on when it is likely are equally difficult to answer, as the outlook changes with every shift of the wind. And Government comment.

Complacency clearly set in last year when we had no cases, but with a GDP based on tourism, a far more forward thinking policy on vaccine procurement for the future would have been the sign of a competent administration. So it's no surprise really that we have ended up where we are.

 

[sungod]

1 hour ago, kynikoi said:

 

They keep pushing this vaccine. Pretty obvious it's all they're willing to spend on their population.

Its all they got

[from the home of CC]

with all the errors being laid bare in other countries imo Thailand has a long way to go to catch up to their screw ups and they're supposedly 1st world locales lol - I'll wait and see the tallies in the end..

[EricTh]

The problem is that Thailand depended too much on AZ production in Thailand.

 

If you put all your eggs in one basket, it's going to be hell if something goes wrong.

 

It seems that Sinovac was just a temporary emergency measure for the first few months instead of making it a permanent choice for Thai citizens.

 

[djayz]

1 hour ago, fangless said:

Yes of course they did.  It was a plan to make a plan on how to start planning a plan.

you forgot to include a committee in your plan of the plan. 

[herfiehandbag]

1 hour ago, fangless said:

Yes of course they did.  It was a plan to make a plan on how to start planning a plan.

They had several committees working on it in fact.

[nightfox]

3 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

66 million people, only 2.5 million have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, mostly the Sinovac brand.

Way to go Thailand, your on track with most 3rd world African countries.

[clivebaxter]

Relax guys SiamBiotech will be churning the vax out from next Tuesday by the million, no need to worry about anything ???? 

[BangkokReady]

It's interesting that sinovac is the only vaccine to give a broad range of efficacy stating that it varies by clinical trial.

[CALSinCM]

If they really wanted to save lives, they would adjust their overall manpower and shift staff to address the slaughter on Thai roads which make's the 850 total Covid deaths since 2019 pale in comparison.  Long Covid is scary?  How about the thousands who are permanently injured and disabled annually on Thai roads not to mention the tens of thousand who are outright killed.
Hate to say it but the priorities here are truly mixed.  I can discern what is truly deadly scary against what has a high probability of not causing more than an inconvenient sickness for most.  "Covid will get you for sure."  Probably not.  I'm much more afraid of the roads.  I wish there was an mRNA vaccine for Thai drivers that could inoculate them from their driving stupidity.  If it was only 50% effective I'd rejoice.  But it would have to be over 95% effective to drop the road death to something comparable with Covid deaths.

[smedly]

2 hours ago, CALSinCM said:

How about the thousands who are permanently injured and disabled annually on Thai roads not to mention the tens of thousand who are outright killed.

a large number are self inflicted through blind stupidity

 

hard to apply that to a pandemic and deadly virus were the stupidity is out of your control

[findlay13]

11 hours ago, herfiehandbag said:

Ah, I see, and there was silly old me thinking that they were adjusting the plan because they had bungled acquiring/producing, and simply didn't have enough of the stuff...

Yep! It isn't just the Thai though. Australia ,UK,USA etc. NONE of them have managed this.They've all made a balls up of it.

[wensiensheng]

10 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Well.... in terms of their supposed priorities....

 

1. I'm over 60 in age (CV risk group).

2. I live in priority area BKK.

3. I live in a district of BKK with major cluster outbreaks...

 

And, I see absolutely no sign thus far that anyone in the Thai government is trying to prioritize my access to a CV vaccine.

 

But as a counter to the factors that you list, the thai authorities consider the following:

 

1. You don’t live in a tourist area

 

2. You are not thai

 

3. You are retired so don’t contribute anything to the economy

 

sorry, according to the power point slide I saw yesterday from the government....you are Mr Expendable.......as am I. ????

[wensiensheng]

15 minutes ago, findlay13 said:

Yep! It isn't just the Thai though. Australia ,UK,USA etc. NONE of them have managed this.They've all made a balls up of it.

I think UK and USA have done pretty well on vaccine roll out. It was everything before that which they bungled. Resulting in several hundred thousands of deaths unfortunately.

[sirineou]

It is a rapidly changing situation, and so is the response. what is so unusual about that ?

Same as every other country.