Thailand to narrow gap for AstraZeneca shots in bid to curb Delta variant

[rabas]

3 hours ago, Enzian said:

Got my first dose of AZ in Bangkok yesterday 22nd June, tried to read up a bit, my impression from various pieces is that up to a point waiting for the second dose is good if possible. Some consensus that 16 weeks is too long, that 12 is ok, that 8 is pushing it, and while I can't link take this with a grain of salt, but 11 weeks may be the sweet spot.  What was interesting was that 3 weeks after the first dose protection is in the low 70s percent, after the second if done right it rises to the low 90s. Again, no link, do your own reading.

The intervac system sent me out with an appointment 12 weeks ahead, Sept. 14. I still have an appointment with Bumrungrad for July 13, which I'll have to cancel, but first I'll need to see if I want to ask Bumrungrad if they can put it out to the very beginning of Sept., and do more research, including asking my Kaiser doctor in Oakland. What would be great would be if Bumrungrad could come up with Pfizer in Sept. And I may still decide to leave Thailand.

As regards Sinovac, I did read that the second dose is more essential than with others. I've talked with a few massage women who claim they have had one dose of Sinovac, which perhaps should not inspire confidence.

 

Good reasoning. I go for my shot 2pm today. I will request 8 weeks if I can. I live very near the original worker's camp where India_delta was first discovered. 

 

[WhiteBuffaloATM]

kynikoi: all peoples get the govt.they deserve. no exception to that rule.

nothing I posted has anything to do with current govt. its cultural.

would be a whole new post ( probably not allowed)

having a few average doctors and institutions is one outcome

we all know the other outcomes & causes (education, system, tradition, etc.)

thailand is not “developing”. many unchanging factors responsible.

 

pointless criticising & having unrealistic expectations; accept & move on....

first expat jabs substantially underway, AZ available, Moderna coming......

[Golden Triangle]

1 hour ago, hansnl said:

AZ good for now, wait for the better stuff?

What might the better stuff be?

The more expensive shots, maybe?

You think dearer is better?

Or maybe the Chinese vaccins?

Or Sputnik?

The Jansen jab, AZ are direct competitors for Moderna and Pfizer, strange we only hear about complications from Jansen and AZ, never about the very expensive US vaccins, and no they are not better, only much more expensive.

 

I opt for the following:

1.  Jansen (1 jab only necessary)

2. Astra Zenica 

3 Pfizer or Moderna

 

To fortify your body against the complications of the Wuhan virus:

Vitamin D

Pneumovax-23 vaccination

Prevnar-13 vaccination.

 

 

At 3800 Baht for 2 doses of Moderna I don't consider that to be overly expensive, Pfizer we don't know the likely cost yet ( at least I don't yet) and my preferences more or less follow yours ?

 

So why in the first part of your reply you question my choice of a better vaccine when you say exactly the same ??

[chilly07]

5 hours ago, pizzachang said:

The "Delta" variant, while more contagious, is not dangerous to the majority. The UK health services have repeatedly pointed this out. Anyone elderly, with pre-existing disease (lung disease mainly) is the risk group. 

The UK NHS on the back of a vaccine double jab roll out is well placed to pronounce on the Wuflu Indian variant as 70pc of their population has been vaccinated. This variant is highly dangerous especially to younger generations where the majority have already been vaccinated. Thus the Wuflu Indian variant is highly dangerous to both young and at risk groups in Thailand and the 'Government' keeps rerouting vaccines away from at risk groups to virus hotspots and to islands trying to reopen.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

21 hours ago, kynikoi said:

Serious question... In what other country are they waiting 12++ weeks in order to provide the second vaccine? I'm guessing absolutely zero but I will leave the question open.

 

The whole disaster is pitched as some sort of plan when in reality it's just lack of vaccine. How abysmally cynical.

 

Absolutely absurd

Studies out of Canada are showing that especially for older people that waiting for 12 weeks to get second round of AZ provides ultimate protection.

 

Although since that study came out the Canadian govt. is now recommending that anyone that got AZ as their first shot should try to get a Mrna shot for their 2nd dose instead of another AZ. 

 

I just got my first AZ a couple days ago here in Bkk(sore arm after about 14 hours, mildly sore body but not too bad after a day). My next shot is scheduled for exactly 12 weeks. I am registered at multiple hospitals for Mrna shots but I don't expect to get that before Oct (I hope that changes as I would prefer to have my 2nd shot be Mrna).

[jacko45k]

6 hours ago, poskat said:

maybe they should consider just following the manufacturer' instructions about when to give the 2nd dose

Do you feel they know best, over the country's scientific community who will consider the strain(s) they are battling? The UK changed their AZ second dose based first time on getting more people protected and high levels of protection lasting 3 months from the 1st dose.....then along came Delta.... but due to new variants including the one that originated in India, the government is bringing forward the second dose for the most vulnerable.

It is fluid.... 

Edited June 23, 2021 by jacko45k

[Arkady]

3 hours ago, petedk said:

So, yet another cock up.

All those who were vaccinated and used the Mor Prom app were automatically given a new appointment in 16 weeks time.

When they reduced the time span to 12 weeks the date was also automatically updated.

 

Now with the latest update to 8 weeks, it seems that the appointments for the 2nd jab have been cancelled and it is up to you to make a new appointment.

My Mor Prom app doesn't work anymore on my Android, so I can't check.

 

That has been my experience with Mor Prom too.  Got a second appointment for 16 weeks later.  This morning I found a new appointment in the app for exactly 12 weeks after the first one. Now the app is non-functional.  It just flickers and goes off.  This happened before but I fixed it by downloading the app again. This time that doesn't help. Hopefully it will be up and running again soon and we will find new appointments with an 8 week gap. 

 

Before Mor Prom went down I noticed something worrying.  It has a page to show vaccination progress across the country and yesterday there were only 118,000 jabs, way short of Prayut's earlier target for the roll out  that was tantamount to at least 300,000 shots a day.  Previously I saw around 190,000 day.  Now with a shorter gap for AZ and the likelihood that all the Chinese vaccines will have to be redone to provide protection against beta and delta variants, they probably need to be doing more like 450,00 a day.

[Arkady]

21 minutes ago, ALLSEEINGEYE said:

Studies out of Canada are showing that especially for older people that waiting for 12 weeks to get second round of AZ provides ultimate protection.

 

Although since that study came out the Canadian govt. is now recommending that anyone that got AZ as their first shot should try to get a Mrna shot for their 2nd dose instead of another AZ. 

 

I just got my first AZ a couple days ago here in Bkk(sore arm after about 14 hours, mildly sore body but not too bad after a day). My next shot is scheduled for exactly 12 weeks. I am registered at multiple hospitals for Mrna shots but I don't expect to get that before Oct (I hope that changes as I would prefer to have my 2nd shot be Mrna).

 

I registered for Moderna with THG Hospital group through their website.  They are now saying they expect their batch of Moderna to be valid until end Jan 2022 and say that you need to wait six months after second shot of another vaccine before getting Moderna as a one shot booster and shouldn't confirm order with them, if your second shot will be later than sometime in July which would rule out anyone getting second shots via Mor Prom that started on 7 June. They are saying more research is awaited before saying anything about giving Moderna to someone who has had one shot of AZ or Sinovac.

 

On that basis I think I would want to have one shot of Moderna in January about 5 months after second AZ shot, assuming I get that 8 weeks after first one.  I don't know if they will allow that.  I have already filled in the details of my first AZ shot.  I suppose you could just pretend you have not had any other vaccine and they will let you book for any date you want. 

 

Not sure how doses of Moderna private hospitals will get.  They tried to order 10 million but were cut to 5 million for some reason and forced to donate 2 million to the Red Cross. So they will have only 3 million between them and there will be a complete muddle over who should get Moderna and when.  Nearly all the Thais who can avoid a private shot will have have been able to get government shots by the time it arrives.  Also Pfizer and Moderna are working on updated boosters and Thailand will of course not be at the front of the queue for these.

[bert bloggs]

3 hours ago, petedk said:

So, yet another cock up.

All those who were vaccinated and used the Mor Prom app were automatically given a new appointment in 16 weeks time.

When they reduced the time span to 12 weeks the date was also automatically updated.

 

Now with the latest update to 8 weeks, it seems that the appointments for the 2nd jab have been cancelled and it is up to you to make a new appointment.

My Mor Prom app doesn't work anymore on my Android, so I can't check.

I dont understand,i have had an az jab through mor prom and my second jab has not been cancelled,well not of 2 minutes ago,also i have a form from the hospital with my next appointment on it

[KarenBravo]

22 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

So looks like 8 weeks in between shod be 4

 

I don't know where you're getting your information from, but it looks incorrect.

 

https://www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n326

 

https://globalnews.ca/news/7896211/astrazeneca-covid-dose-gap/

[placnx]

21 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

In UK, the original recommendation was always 12 weeks but could be reduced to 8 or 9 in certain circumstances.......

C1254-covid-19-vaccination-programme-faqs-on-second-dose-v2-1.pdf 217.75 kB · 3 downloads

I believe that originally it was 8 weeks in the Phase 3 trial, but not having enough supply, it was stretched out to 12 weeks. This was found to be good in terms of resulting antibody levels. Now with Delta widespread in UK, a single jab does not provide enough protection from that, so in order to prioritize getting the more vulnerable protected, the gap was cut to 8 weeks.

[placnx]

8 hours ago, pizzachang said:

The "Delta" variant, while more contagious, is not dangerous to the majority. The UK health services have repeatedly pointed this out. Anyone elderly, with pre-existing disease (lung disease mainly) is the risk group. 

It may be just that more people get it because it's more infectious, so that way more have problems or die.

[clivebaxter]

I got an new 2nd appointment time from Mor Prom today, still the 16 week gap, but two hours earlier!

[phetphet]

They had better get as move on. There is now a Delta Plus variant.

 

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/delta-plus-variant-of-covid-what-do-we-know-so-far-2470321

[sandyf]

21 hours ago, WhiteBuffaloATM said:

no. UK AZ gap is 3-4 wks. phuket.win gap is or was 12 wks (never 10).

8 wks much better for earlier max. protection and means people like me can get our 2nd AZ before restarting work outside Thailand in early Sept.

Give over with the misinformation.

The UK led the field with the 12 week interval, the EU and AZ disagreed saying it should be 4 weeks. They then backed off when reports of better protection from the longer interval started to appear.

It is only in recent weeks the UK has started to reduce the interval as a move against the delta variant.

 

For the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, data from clinical trials suggests that a single dose gives good protection against illness for more than 12 weeks, and that the booster effect of the second dose is stronger when the gap between doses is longer.

https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/how-well-do-first-and-second-vaccine-doses-work-against-covid-19

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, petedk said:

Now with the latest update to 8 weeks, it seems that the appointments for the 2nd jab have been cancelled and it is up to you to make a new appointment.

My Mor Prom app doesn't work anymore on my Android, so I can't check.

Why do people assume that when they see something it means it applies to everyone.

My appointment was moved from the 27th Sept to 30th August and then to 16th August.

And the app still works on android.

[NeoDinosaw]

23 hours ago, Rhacsyn said:

In UK, the original recommendation was always 12 weeks but could be reduced to 8 or 9 in certain circumstances.......

C1254-covid-19-vaccination-programme-faqs-on-second-dose-v2-1.pdf 217.75 kB · 3 downloads

It's down to 8 weeks now in UK - my wife is half way through.   It was 10 weeks when I had my jabs in Feb and April

[rabas]

5 hours ago, rabas said:

Good reasoning. I go for my shot 2pm today. I will request 8 weeks if I can. I live very near the original worker's camp where India_delta was first discovered. 

 

 

Got my shot. I was impressed with Phyathai-2's setup, parallel and pipelined. You couldn't move without someone nearby pointing to where you need to go.

 

I talked to a lady doctor about the 8 weeks and in fact requested it.  She said they know about it but have not yet received orders. When they do they will automatically reschedule everyone who received AstraZenica to 8 weeks and send an email with a new appointment date.  I do not need to do anything, she said.

 

Edited June 23, 2021 by rabas

[ThailandRyan]

12 minutes ago, rabas said:

 

Got my shot. I was impressed with Phyathai-2's setup, parallel and pipelined. You couldn't move without someone nearby pointing to where you need to go.

 

I talked to a lady doctor about the 8 weeks and in fact requested it.  She said they know about it but have not yet received orders. When they do they will automatically reschedule everyone who received AstraZenica to 8 weeks and send an email with a new appointment date.  I do not need to do anything, she said.

 

Thank you @rabas, I go tomorrow to MedPark Hospital in Khlong Toei for my 1st vaccination, lets hope it goes as smoothly as yours at PhyaThai-2.  I have not heard any reports from vaccinations at MedPark yet.

[Enzian]

4 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Thank you @rabas, I go tomorrow to MedPark Hospital in Khlong Toei for my 1st vaccination, lets hope it goes as smoothly as yours at PhyaThai-2.  I have not heard any reports from vaccinations at MedPark yet.

I posted my experience at MedPark getting AZ Tuesday 22nd on "Expats Over 60..." and "Vaccination Experiences" threads. Be patient at the initial check-in, and try to sit where you can hear the queue numbers being called and after the shot sit close to the ladies calling names because with their accents you might not understand them-but you can go up to the counter and see if your number and name sheets are still in the to-be-called pile.

[Lorry]

10 hours ago, rabas said:

 

Good reasoning. I go for my shot 2pm today. I will request 8 weeks if I can. I live very near the original worker's camp where India_delta was first discovered. 

 

Any new insights whether 12 weeks give better protection than 8 weeks?

 

BTW Andreas Greinacher who researched VITT suggested in an interview (published May 28) to wait 3 months so that potentially unnoticed PF4-antibodies caused by AZ would disappear spontaneously.

[petedk]

On 6/23/2021 at 4:08 PM, sandyf said:

Why do people assume that when they see something it means it applies to everyone.

My appointment was moved from the 27th Sept to 30th August and then to 16th August.

And the app still works on android.

Not sure what you mean about applying to everyone.

 

If it is the Mor Prom app, I haven't said that. I said it stopped working on my phone. It works perfectly on my wife's phone (iPhone) and my friend's phone (Android)

 

As for the time between appointments, I know it's only a recommendation, but again the people I mentioned above (and others I know) received new appointments the first time it was changed. The second time it was changed, they received messages that they have to make new appointments. Maybe it's the hospital doing that.

I still cannot check my Mor Prom

[petedk]

1 minute ago, petedk said:

Not sure what you mean about applying to everyone.

 

If it is the Mor Prom app, I haven't said that. I said it stopped working on my phone. It works perfectly on my wife's phone (iPhone) and my friend's phone (Android)

 

As for the time between appointments, I know it's only a recommendation, but again the people I mentioned above (and others I know) received new appointments the first time it was changed. The second time it was changed, they received messages that they have to make new appointments. Maybe it's the hospital doing that.

I still cannot check my Mor Prom

 Edit: I see now what you mean. 

I did say "it seems" . You can see the explanation above

[ThailandRyan]

21 hours ago, Enzian said:

I posted my experience at MedPark getting AZ Tuesday 22nd on "Expats Over 60..." and "Vaccination Experiences" threads. Be patient at the initial check-in, and try to sit where you can hear the queue numbers being called and after the shot sit close to the ladies calling names because with their accents you might not understand them-but you can go up to the counter and see if your number and name sheets are still in the to-be-called pile.

Vaccinated at MedPark Hospital today, smooth sailing and I was vaccinated with the AZ Vaccine.  Next date scheduled in September 16th, but could be sooner I was told. Easy checkin and was done in just a little over an hour including the 30 minute wait time.