Sinovac, or Not?

[Neeranam]

I'm getting the Moderna vaccine in October. 

 

Wife wants me to take the Sinovac this month. 

 

One doctor told me to take it, another one said no.

 

I am 55 and healthy. 

 

Should I take the Sinovac, or not? 

[Salerno]

If you think October is reliable, chill out until then. If you think it's not, as per the title of your poll, Sinovac is better than nothing.

[1FinickyOne]

Personal choice but I would add one thing...

 

'you think or hope or maybe even expect' you are getting Moderna in October... certainty is something of a long ago gone by.. in everything. 

[KhunBENQ]

10 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

I'm getting the Moderna vaccine in October. 

What makes you sure? I have paid a deposit but with the always changing news I am skeptical.

10 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Should I take the Sinovac, or not? 

I bet that you are on a campaign of one Sinovac followed by AstraZeneca in three or four weeks?

I would take it. My AZ is on Friday and then waiting for Moderna...

I did hardly notice any reaction/side effects from Sinovac. I expect that AZ will cause some effects.

 

Sinovac plus AZ will at least give you "vaccinated" status in Thailand and come useful for future domestic travel (not for most international travel).

Edited August 23, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[Neeranam]

4 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

What makes you sure? I have paid a deposit but with the always changing news I am skeptical.

I bet that you are on a campaign of one Sinovac followed by AstraZeneca in three or four weeks?

I would take it. My AZ is on Friday and then waiting for Moderna...

I did hardly notice any reaction/side effects from Sinovac. I expect that AZ will cause some effects.

 

Sinovac plus AZ will at least give you "vaccinated" status in Thailand and come useful for future domestic travel (not for most international travel).

Thanks for reply.

 

They told me October, why should I not believe them?

 

What makes you think I am on a campaign? I most certainly am not. 

 

[KhunBENQ]

6 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

What makes you think I am on a campaign? I most certainly am not. 

There is an upcountry "campaign" (what's the better word?) of giving 1st shot Sinovac followed by AstraZeneca. Was in the news and at our subdistrict this started end of July. My 2nd shot (AZ) is in Friday 27.

About 700 mostly elderly people or people with certain heath risks in our vicinity.

Two Sinovac shots seem to have been given up due to poor efficacy. Ask about it.

 

Edited August 23, 2021 by KhunBENQ

[Saltire]

Very timely post, as I have a chance for Sinovac + AZ tomorrow in a village school.

 

Wife can go too but she has convinced herself as she had a serious heart condition in her teens, that Sinovac could kill her. So she has decided to wait for a pay-as-you-go vaccine, or 2 x AZ.

 

As for me I have explored every platform that you can register on and heard nothing until yesterday when the provincial hospital told me they have a list from the MFA of 30 recipients, but, as yet, not for me. I feel that if I hang on a week or so they may come good, but need to pass on tomorows opportunity.

 

Whether it's the local school doing 1000 locals tomorrow, or some big Bangkok hospital, we both will likely wait till other choices arrive as it seems risky to head where big crowds are. A recent vaccine day (for Thai only) has resulted in one person going to get jabbed, then being tested positive and now isolating at home. We are bored as F self solating for so long but can probably wait it out a bit longer.

 

As for SInovac, and mix and matching, it's hard who to believe. I recall Sinovac originally was deemed unsuitable for over 60's but (as there is plenty of stock?) it's ok now?

[Saltire]

5 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

There is an upcountry "campaign" (what's the better word?) of giving 1st shot Sinovac followed by AstraZeneca. Was in the news and at our subdistrict this started end of July. My 2nd shot (AZ) is in Friday 27.

About 700 mostly elderly people or people with certain heath risks in our vicinity.

Two Sinovac shots seem to have been given up due to poor efficacy.

Agree, this is the case in my province, SV + AZ is the only offer for the moment through the local route.

[KhunBENQ]

2 minutes ago, Saltire said:

Wife can go too but she has convinced herself as she had a serious heart condition in her teens, that Sinovac could kill her. So she has decided to wait for a pay-as-you-go vaccine, or 2 x AZ.

Surprising. Does she have substantial information about the particular Sinovac risk? Sinovac is a conventional/proven "dead" virus vaccination.

 

You should better not tell her about the list of risks of the new mRNA or AZ vaccines!

[Saltire]

1 minute ago, KhunBENQ said:

Surprising. Does she have substantial information about the particular Sinovac risk? Sinovac is a conventional/proven "dead" virus vaccination.

 

You should better not tell her about the list of risks of the new mRNA or AZ vaccines!

No information of course just the 'village view' which has become intransigent here. I will not be mentioning any further risks lol.

 

I am hoping that we can both do a trip together soon to get this over with, it's really dragging on now.

 

 

[Phoenix Rising]

34 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Thanks for reply.

 

They told me October, why should I not believe them?

Are you serious? Exactly what part of the vaccination roll-out in Thailand has given you faith in promises being made??

[robblok]

It really depends on how much you trust the moderna in October, mine was pushed back to q1 next year from october. So if your sure you get it just wait it out otherwise Shinovax is better then nothing.

[Airalee]

Had the same situation.  Different opinions from 3 different doctors.

 

Why do you think that Thaivisa members are any more qualified to answer this question?

[scubascuba3]

42 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Thanks for reply.

 

They told me October, why should I not believe them?

 

What makes you think I am on a campaign? I most certainly am not. 

 

Moderna more likely Jan-Mar next year, so take Sinovac first, maybe even Astrazeneca if they give you a second

[codemonkey]

Something to consider: vaccinations on the Thai websites specify "1st dose" only requirement during registration. Some foreigners I know have been rejected for a 1st Pfizer dose recently at MedPark and some other venue because of a  previous AZ or Sinovac vaccine some weeks or months ago. I'm told there is a government website that tracks all foreign vaccinations, complete with your passport details, address, mobile number supplied when you register.

 

By the time October rolls around there may be adequate supply of Moderna and Pfizer to meet commitments, and there's little doubt that Sinovac under-performs compared to mRNA and activated vaccines so in your case it may be prudent to delay vaccine until you have choices.

[CANSIAM]

 Demand AZ for the first jab or you will be on the Sino/AZ trajectory, you are in good shape with AZ X 2. Don't think you'll see Moderna in 5 weeks time.......  

Edited August 23, 2021 by CANSIAM

[FritsSikkink]

1 hour ago, Saltire said:

As for SInovac, and mix and matching, it's hard who to believe. I recall Sinovac originally was deemed unsuitable for over 60's but (as there is plenty of stock?) it's ok now?

My mother in law (70) got first AZ from which she not much issues. For her second jab she got Sinovac, don't know which idiot thought that was a good idea. She is now in hospital as she fell twice and isn't doing well.

[Chomper Higgot]

Get on the first bus going your way.

 

[Pib]

7 hours ago, robblok said:

It really depends on how much you trust the moderna in October, mine was pushed back to q1 next year from october. So if your sure you get it just wait it out otherwise Shinovax is better then nothing.

Exactly what do you mean by pushed from Oct to 1st quarter next year? 

 

Are you saying you had "paid to reserve a Moderna dose(s) for the Oct-Dec timeframe and you hospital has notified  you the vaccine will not arrive until next year.   

 

OR, what you are really saying is you registered for a Moderna jab for Oct-Dec but did "pay" in time to actually reserve a doze....and now you are trying to reserve (and pay) for a doze in the 1st quarter of 2022 which hospitals are advertising right now. 

[robblok]

Just now, Pib said:

Exactly what do you mean by pushed from Oct to 1st quarter next year? 

 

Are you saying you had "paid to reserve a Moderna dose(s) for the Oct-Dec timeframe and you hospital has notified  you the vaccine will not arrive until next year.   

 

OR, what you are really saying is you registered for a Moderna jab for Oct-Dec but did "pay" in time to actually reserve a doze....and now you are trying to reserve (and pay) for a doze in the 1st quarter of 2022 which hospitals are advertising right now. 

I reserved and paid for something advertised 4th quater and now i got a notification that its pushed back the 1st quarter. I paid somewhere in june. 

[Pib]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

I reserved and paid for something advertised 4th quater and now i got a notification that its pushed back the 1st quarter. I paid somewhere in june. 

Well, that sucks.   But I expect you could get a refund if your hospital can't deliver by 31 Dec 2021. 

 

Several months ago when I was thinking about buying/reserving some Moderna thru the Thonburi Hospital Group (THG) which my servicing hospital was part of  that was their terms of agreement....that is, one way they would provide a refund if you asked for it.  A few other ways to get a refund was also available such as getting vaccinated before Moderna arrived.   

 

But I got my first AZ jab on 30 June....a day before THG started accepting payment to reserve Moderna for Oct-Dec.....so I decided to abort reserving/paying for Moderna....and my 2nd AZ dose is scheduled for 22 Sep....exactly 12 weeks after my 1st jab.

 

Mid last week THG opened up registration  from 17-20 Aug for Moderna in Jan-Mar 2022 (a 2nd offering) as did other hospitals.  I registered out of curiosity and indecision at that time regarding getting Moderna as a booster shot.  And just today/23 Aug THG sent me notice to make payment to reserve Moderna for 1st quarter 2022.   Now it was time for me to sh&t or get off the pot regarding reserving a Moderna jab by making a deposit now.

 

I decided not to reserve/pay since I will get my second AZ shot on 22 Sep and then getting a Moderna booster in Jan-Mar 2022 is probably too soon to get a booster....would only be six months if waiting till the end of March 2022.   

 

Since the U.S. govt is not recommending "a booster jab" until at least 8 months after completing your 2nd jab of Moderna/Pfizer, I'm going to follow the same line of thought regarding when I get a booster shot of something after my 2nd AZ jab on 22 Sep.   I'll wait until at least Apr-Jun 2022 time frame before getting a booster of something....maybe another AZ jab....maybe Moderna/Pfiizer....maybe XYZ.

 

Come next year "booster" jabs will be the rage and the Thai govt just may offer/provide them free even for folks such as myself who got AZ jabs...I really expect that's going to be the case.  Yeap...come next year "booster" jabs will be the rage.....and the confusion.

 

[robblok]

13 hours ago, Pib said:

Well, that sucks.   But I expect you could get a refund if your hospital can't deliver by 31 Dec 2021. 

 

Several months ago when I was thinking about buying/reserving some Moderna thru the Thonburi Hospital Group (THG) which my servicing hospital was part of  that was their terms of agreement....that is, one way they would provide a refund if you asked for it.  A few other ways to get a refund was also available such as getting vaccinated before Moderna arrived.   

 

But I got my first AZ jab on 30 June....a day before THG started accepting payment to reserve Moderna for Oct-Dec.....so I decided to abort reserving/paying for Moderna....and my 2nd AZ dose is scheduled for 22 Sep....exactly 12 weeks after my 1st jab.

 

Mid last week THG opened up registration  from 17-20 Aug for Moderna in Jan-Mar 2022 (a 2nd offering) as did other hospitals.  I registered out of curiosity and indecision at that time regarding getting Moderna as a booster shot.  And just today/23 Aug THG sent me notice to make payment to reserve Moderna for 1st quarter 2022.   Now it was time for me to sh&t or get off the pot regarding reserving a Moderna jab by making a deposit now.

 

I decided not to reserve/pay since I will get my second AZ shot on 22 Sep and then getting a Moderna booster in Jan-Mar 2022 is probably too soon to get a booster....would only be six months if waiting till the end of March 2022.   

 

Since the U.S. govt is not recommending "a booster jab" until at least 8 months after completing your 2nd jab of Moderna/Pfizer, I'm going to follow the same line of thought regarding when I get a booster shot of something after my 2nd AZ jab on 22 Sep.   I'll wait until at least Apr-Jun 2022 time frame before getting a booster of something....maybe another AZ jab....maybe Moderna/Pfiizer....maybe XYZ.

 

Come next year "booster" jabs will be the rage and the Thai govt just may offer/provide them free even for folks such as myself who got AZ jabs...I really expect that's going to be the case.  Yeap...come next year "booster" jabs will be the rage.....and the confusion.

 

Yes it sucked but around the same time of the pushback i got a message from a SG friend who said the Singaporean Chamber of commerce had Pfizer in offer. But they said its Singaporeans first then other nationalities. I got a link that was posted on facebook and i registered and last week i had my first Pfizer shot now in about 2 weeks I will have my second. So in the end it all worked out well.

It was an open registration but not much publicity was given and there were no age limits just that you should not have received any other shots yet. So all the Singaporean friends were like wow lucky guy we were first getting astra or shinovax through our companies but had we waited we would have pfizer.

 

All the people i saw were younger then me (i am 47) and i saw only a few white faces. 

[ThaSalaPaul]

On 8/23/2021 at 12:04 PM, KhunBENQ said:

There is an upcountry "campaign" (what's the better word?)

 

(Provincial) strategy?

[rabas]

On 8/23/2021 at 12:50 PM, codemonkey said:

Something to consider: vaccinations on the Thai websites specify "1st dose" only requirement during registration. Some foreigners I know have been rejected for a 1st Pfizer dose recently at MedPark and some other venue because of a  previous AZ or Sinovac vaccine some weeks or months ago. I'm told there is a government website that tracks all foreign vaccinations, complete with your passport details, address, mobile number supplied when you register.

 

By the time October rolls around there may be adequate supply of Moderna and Pfizer to meet commitments, and there's little doubt that Sinovac under-performs compared to mRNA and activated vaccines so in your case it may be prudent to delay vaccine until you have choices.

The 'must be 1st dose' rule does not apply to private hospital purchased Moderna vaccines.  They also provide guidelines for mix and match including 2 prior doses.

 

I picked up my official Moderna coupon with serial and registration numbers last week. They provide a website though appointment selection is not yet open. They state they will inform us "by early October" when registration is open.

 

Each coupon is 1 shot and is transferable including non-profit resale. However, you cannot transfer after you make an appointment. How you mix and match is up to you but they offer guidelines.  If you decide to mix and match you can let someone else use your other coupon.

 

I registered with Vichaiyut Hospital but they state they are part of the same private hospital purchase as other hospitals. I do not provide a link because it's specific to Vichaiyut.

 

Coupon of Rabus

 

Edited August 24, 2021 by rabas

[Jaybott]

So far I haven't heard of anyone dying from Covid that has received the Sinovac.  So the vaccine is actually doing what it's supposed to do; if you come down with Covid, your body will have the antibodies to fight the infection and keep you from dying from it.  Just my take on it.

[Parsve]

My answer is a no. I was offered Sinovac about 1 month ago, but why should I take a vaccine that not even the health ministry believes in.

[Mansell]

Talked with a friend in California who is an infectious diseases specialist about Sinovac etc for my Thai wife, with Astra Zenicka for second shot. He said it is better than nothing, even though Sinovac is only 50 percent effective. Though the good news is it has very few side effects.

He told me that Sputnik is 90 percent effective, which is supposedly coming to Thailand. From the sounds coming out of the WHO we will all probably be needing booster shots in the future, especially if more variants appear. So it would seem prudent to get what you can now, and later go for a Pfizer as a booster etc. 

Also a doctor in BKK highly recommended double masking against the Delta variant……which my family is doing.

Good luck everybody.

[FridgeMagnet1]

44 minutes ago, Parsve said:

My answer is a no. I was offered Sinovac about 1 month ago, but why should I take a vaccine that not even the health ministry believes in.

Because it might save your life 

[pizzachang]

The WHO has a good webpage on Sinovac.  39 to 51 % efficacy and is a safer, "killed virus" vaccine, in line with the past's successful vaccines for other diseases. If a person is healthy, it likely will be enough to protect.  Keep in mind that typical "flu" vaccines have similar efficacy and people did fine with them.

[newnative]

      Take whatever you can get, as soon as you can get it.  The sooner you have some protection, the better.  Every day there seems to be a story on Yahoo of some American who hadn't gotten around to being vaccinated dying from covid.  I think yesterday it was a mother who had lost both of her unvaccinated sons, 34 and 35, from covid within a day of each other.  She was vaccinated, also got covid, but survived.  Get what you can, even if it is Sinovac, and then make plans to get a booster down the road.