Thai govt defends mix & match vaccine policy

[webfact]

Picture: Sanook

 

The Thai government has defended its so called "mix and match" strategy of giving people a first dose of the Sinovac vaccine from China followed up by a shot of locally produced AstraZeneca. 

 

Spokeswoman for the Center for Covid Situation Administration Apisamai Srirangsan said the cocktail helped to prevent infection and decrease the risk of serious disease, even death. 

 

The news came as Thailand reported a record death toll in excess of 300 for the first time. 

 

Apisamai was responding to doubts expressed over the efficacy of Sinovac as the health authorities in Thailand tried to procure 12 million more doses of the Chinese vaccine.

 

The authorities have cited studies into the cocktail being made by respected institutes like Chulalongkorn University, Ramathibodi Hospital and Sirirat Hospital.

 

The findings from more detailed studies are not due out for several months, however, according to Dr Opas Kankawinpong.

 

Sanook reported yesterday that the number of Thais innoculated with a first dose of Covid-19 vaccine was now more than one quarter of the entire population. 

 

But only about one in fourteen had received the all important second dose.

 

They said that 24,100,631 shots had been jabbed so far.

 

Of these 18,370,997 or 25.5% of the population were first doses and 5,228,157 were second doses comprising 7.3% of the population.

 

Three doses had been administered to 501,477 people, many of these being frontline medical personnel and key workers. 

 

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[RotBenz8888]

34 minutes ago, webfact said:

The findings from more detailed studies are not due out for several months, however

In other words, the truth. (or the closest they get to the truth) 

Edited August 19, 2021 by RotBenz8888

[kotsak]

They better pass that impunity immunity bill pronto..

 

[sqwakvfr]

I turned the offer of Sinovac and then AstraZeneca 3 weeks later.  The reasons are as this:

 

1. As a rule Pharmacists and Doctors have always told me never “mix and match” medications.  This includes the same medicines that come from different manufacturers.  If mixing and matching is so great then why don’t I mix and match Flu vaccines every year or mix and match different antibiotics?

 

2. Based upon what Israel has done and what the US government has just recommended, Covid 19 Boosters will be implemented in the near future. So if I got one does of Sinovac and 1 dose of AZ then what vaccine will be my booster?  

 

 

Edited August 19, 2021 by sqwakvfr

[notrub]

In our little Isaan village the sinovac / astra cocktail is what is being offered (free).  I have seen some comments about this on international news programs that have been mostly wait and see sort of thing.  In China they only use the Sinovac and they are not all dead so it must have some efficacy.  When we look at what is happening in Thailand, don't forget to consider how the UK (Johnson) have mismanaged their response and how the crazies in the US are like something out of a walking dead film.  A friend just went to a private hospital to register for his first shot and handed over some thousands of baht.  His number comes up in January for the first one. It may come sooner but my second jab comes first week in September.  I will be getting my Maderna (or whatever) booster shot when he is getting his first shot.  I am just being very careful until some more solid information comes out.  I am retired btw, and don't miss the bars so I can easily do this.

[KhunBENQ]

46 minutes ago, notrub said:

In our little Isaan village the sinovac / astra cocktail is what is being offered (free).  I have seen some comments about this on international news programs

That's what I (will) get. And what I read is that it will not be accepted for quarantine free entry to most European countries.

I have no urge to travel and wait for Moderna much later in the year.

[crazykopite]

Have any of the government had mix and match somehow i doubt it very much as they were all first in line for the AZ

[crazykopite]

1 hour ago, notrub said:

In our little Isaan village the sinovac / astra cocktail is what is being offered (free).  I have seen some comments about this on international news programs that have been mostly wait and see sort of thing.  In China they only use the Sinovac and they are not all dead so it must have some efficacy.  When we look at what is happening in Thailand, don't forget to consider how the UK (Johnson) have mismanaged their response and how the crazies in the US are like something out of a walking dead film.  A friend just went to a private hospital to register for his first shot and handed over some thousands of baht.  His number comes up in January for the first one. It may come sooner but my second jab comes first week in September.  I will be getting my Maderna (or whatever) booster shot when he is getting his first shot.  I am just being very careful until some more solid information comes out.  I am retired btw, and don't miss the bars so I can easily do this.

its not Bars that give you Covid you could be in 7/11 or makro and catch it as far as i can recall even the WHO world health organisation frowned upon mix and match as there were insufficent tests carried out im lucky ive had my 1st AZ however if they offer me a alternative for my 2nd jab i will say no thanks like you i am well retired but have plans for a longer life 

[dutchman]

2 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I turned the offer of Sinovac and then AstraZeneca 3 weeks later.  The reasons are as this:

 

1. As a rule Pharmacists and Doctors have always told me never “mix and match” medications.  This includes the same medicines that come from different manufacturers.  If mixing and matching is so great then why don’t I mix and match Flu vaccines every year or mix and match different antibiotics?

 

2. Based upon what Israel has done and what the US government has just recommended, Covid 19 Boosters will be implemented in the near future. So if I got one does of Sinovac and 1 dose of AZ then what vaccine will be my booster?  

 

 

if you live that long

 

[sqwakvfr]

"if you live that long"

 

My expiration date should have been a while ago.  I spent some time in places called Helmond, Jalabad, and Kabul and easily "my ticket" could have been punched there.  But I am still vertical and never going to "mix and match" these experimental vaccines.  I will take 2 or possibly 3 doses of just one Covid 19 Vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna).  

[Virt]

Hopefully that means they will now accept mixed vaccinations for tourists as well.

Here in Denmark approx 150,000 people are cross vaccinated with AZ/mRNA type, so that's quite a lot of people that can't travel to Thailand even if they wanted to,

unless they do quarantine.

 

Cross my fingers they accept a combo with mRNA as second shot soon.

[Guderian]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

Spokeswoman for the Center for Covid Situation Administration Apisamai Srirangsan said the cocktail helped to prevent infection and decrease the risk of serious disease, even death. 

Yes, I'm sure both Prayut and Anutin are rueing the fact that they both had a double dose of AZ, instead of Sinovac followed by ChulaCov19, with a booster of HXP-GPOVac, lol.

[Virt]

27 minutes ago, crazykopite said:

its not Bars that give you Covid you could be in 7/11 or makro and catch it as far as i can recall even the WHO world health organisation frowned upon mix and match as there were insufficent tests carried out im lucky ive had my 1st AZ however if they offer me a alternative for my 2nd jab i will say no thanks like you i am well retired but have plans for a longer life 

If you are talking about the news last month where WHO warned about mixed vaccinations, headlines were taken out of context

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/covid-19-vaccine-mixing-and-matching-who-1.6101047

 

CLARIFICATION: The WHO has clarified that public health agencies, not individuals, should make decisions on mixing and matching COVID vaccines, based on available data. We are deleting other tweets that lack context https://reut.rs/3hEaxAa

[fondue zoo]

 

Have any of the vaccine manufacturers at anytime advised it's okay to mix the vaccines?

[TheFishman1]

 Well when I read this morning if I mix  vaccines most European countries won’t except that TIT

[worgeordie]

When the Russian Sputnik vaccines arrive ,they can mix that

in too, so many vaccines to confuse the virus ????

regards Worgeordie

[GroveHillWanderer]

38 minutes ago, fondue zoo said:

 

Have any of the vaccine manufacturers at anytime advised it's okay to mix the vaccines?

Not yet as far as I know, but then they're probably not well placed to do so, as they generally wouldn't have unfettered access to use their rival's products in trials.

 

There have been a number of studies done by independent scientists into using a heterologous prime-boost regimen (mixing and matching vaccines) which were  published recently.

 

As the Nature magazine article below states:

 

Quote

... multiple studies now back up the idea that mixing the Oxford–AstraZeneca jab and the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine triggers an immune response similar to — or even stronger than — two doses of either vaccine.

Mix-and-match COVID vaccines

 

In the UK they're also doing a study which involves looking at the results from 8 different combinations of vaccines but I don't believe they've published the results yet.

 

However, as that Nature Magazine article says:

 

Quote

The results are also giving researchers confidence that combining other COVID-19 vaccines, that haven’t yet been tested together, might also work.

Obviously, having the full clinical trial results that could confirm (or rebut) that confidence, would be preferable.

Edited August 19, 2021 by GroveHillWanderer

[Xonax]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I turned the offer of Sinovac and then AstraZeneca 3 weeks later.  The reasons are as this:

 

1. As a rule Pharmacists and Doctors have always told me never “mix and match” medications.  This includes the same medicines that come from different manufacturers.  If mixing and matching is so great then why don’t I mix and match Flu vaccines every year or mix and match different antibiotics?

 

2. Based upon what Israel has done and what the US government has just recommended, Covid 19 Boosters will be implemented in the near future. So if I got one does of Sinovac and 1 dose of AZ then what vaccine will be my booster?  

 

 

Any vaccine is better than no vaccine, unless you prefer to stay locked inside your home for the next many months!

Edited August 19, 2021 by Xonax

[GroveHillWanderer]

19 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

When the Russian Sputnik vaccines arrive ,they can mix that

in too, so many vaccines to confuse the virus ????

regards Worgeordie

Oxford University already started a study into mixing the AZ vaccine with Sputnik V back in February. It's mentioned in the same Nature Magazine article I referenced earlier.

 

Actually, the Sputnik V vaccine is a bit "mix-and-match" in and of itself. It uses a different adenovirus vector for the first and second doses, so in a sense you're getting two different vaccines in the two shots.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The authorities have cited studies into the cocktail being made by respected institutes like Chulalongkorn University, Ramathibodi Hospital and Sirirat Hospital.

 

The findings from more detailed studies are not due out for several months, however, according to Dr Opas Kankawinpong.

When it will dawn on people that they've been duped again.

The only reason Thailand and the above institutions say a cocktail mix is fine, is because it's all they've got.

If they had enough of anything else they'd be using it.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I turned the offer of Sinovac and then AstraZeneca 3 weeks later.  The reasons are as this:

 

1. As a rule Pharmacists and Doctors have always told me never “mix and match” medications.  This includes the same medicines that come from different manufacturers.  If mixing and matching is so great then why don’t I mix and match Flu vaccines every year or mix and match different antibiotics?

 

2. Based upon what Israel has done and what the US government has just recommended, Covid 19 Boosters will be implemented in the near future. So if I got one does of Sinovac and 1 dose of AZ then what vaccine will be my booster?  

 

 

Probably Sputnik... ????

[GroveHillWanderer]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

If mixing and matching is so great then why don’t I mix and match Flu vaccines every year or mix and match different antibiotics?

Well, antibiotics are a therapeutic medicine and vaccines are not so they're not even remotely comparable.

 

When it comes to flu vaccines though, in a couple of ways you are actually mixing different vaccines. Firstly, when you get a flu shot it's not a single vaccine, it's a combination of either 3 (trivalent) or 4 (quadrivalent) different vaccines.

 

Secondly, each year the flu vaccines change depending on the different strains of flu expected to be in circulation, so from one year to the next you are also "mixing and matching" the different combinations of vaccines.

[DSBones]

It was reported that Merkel (Germany) and Trudeau (Canada) both had mixed vaccines. I think it was AZ followed by Moderna but not 100% sure. 

[sqwakvfr]

"Any vaccine is better than no vaccine, unless you prefer to stay locked inside your home for the next many months!"

 

I said "mix and match" is not a good idea.  If I was offered two doses of Astra Zeneca then I would be "onboard".  Also, I should have my first dose of Pfizer in about 10 days.  Of course it will be at a CVS Pharmacy in my old neighborhood in Southern California.  

[sqwakvfr]

"Well, antibiotics are a therapeutic medicine and vaccines are not so they're not even remotely comparable.

 

When it comes to flu vaccines though, in a couple of ways you are actually mixing different vaccines. Firstly, when you get a flu shot it's not a single vaccine, it's a combination of either 3 (trivalent) or 4 (quadrivalent) different vaccines.

 

Secondly, each year the flu vaccines change depending on the different strains of flu expected to be in circulation, so from one year to the next you are also "mixing and matching" the different combinations of vaccines."

 

Antibiotics have been fully approved for over 60 years or so.  The Flu Vaccine(s) has also been studied and approved for many years.  Covid 19 Vaccines have been in exitance for less than  a year and the US Government has only given EUA(Emergency Use Authorization).  AKA:  These vaccines are experimental and I would risk only taking one specific type  at this time.  

[chilli42]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The authorities have cited studies into the cocktail being made by respected institutes like Chulalongkorn University, Ramathibodi Hospital and Sirirat Hospital.

These are not proper human clinical studies.  They are trying to demonstrate equivalence with short term studies.  It reminds me of my working life when the Global VP of clinical research said to me “just tell me what results you want, I will get them and have them published” … he was good to his word.

[Isaan sailor]

I don’t think I’d like to mix vaccines, thank you.  However I might make an exception mixing Pfizer with Moderna…

[Thumbs]

Testing for all these vaccines has been limited due to the rapid infection rates, however none of these companies are testing a cocktail of the vaccines

 

i can drink beer

i can drink vodka

 

beer and vodka things get messy

[wombat]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"mix and match"

 

[bkk6060]

It obviously is not proven or studied yet.

However, anyone who has served in the military and deployed would have been inoculated with several different vaccines and most of them survived it.