The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has decided to speed up the mass provision of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, to guard against the potentially serious symptoms of the Omicron variant.

 

CCSA Spokesman Dr. Taweesin Visanuyothin said today (Monday) that the variant has already spread to many countries and it has been reported that three doses of vaccine can help reduce the risk of hospitalisation and death.

 

In Thailand, he said that only 4.1 million people, or 5.5% of the population, have received three shots and 97 million doses of vaccines have been administered so far.

 

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Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/thailand-to-speed-up-vaccine-booster-shots/

 

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2 hours ago, webfact said:

The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) has decided to speed up the mass provision of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, to guard against the potentially serious symptoms of the Omicron variant.

Please make your minds up, first we hear the symptoms are mild, now you are saying serious symptoms - Which is it ......................LOL

2 hours ago, webfact said:

4.1 million people, or 5.5% of the population, have received three shots

Will sinovac x2 + Pfizer count as triple vaccinated when wanting to travel…?

Their regular vax rate, which had been really moving well for about four months, has slowed significantly over the last three weeks. Maybe they're reaching the end of the willing recipients and now need a coerced approach...?

I've not seen much information regarding foreigners getting a booster shot here.

 

A push to get the non vaccinated to come forward, and a push to get Thais who were double vaccinated with Sinovac to have a Pfizer booster. But nothing for foreigners.

 

Having had my second AZ at the end of September, my recommended time to get one is around end of March (six months)

21 minutes ago, phetphet said:

I've not seen much information regarding foreigners getting a booster shot here.

 

A push to get the non vaccinated to come forward, and a push to get Thais who were double vaccinated with Sinovac to have a Pfizer booster. But nothing for foreigners.

 

Having had my second AZ at the end of September, my recommended time to get one is around end of March (six months)

As I have said many times on this forum before, leaving your palm open for a booster from the government, especially when you are not a Citizen could potentially leave you at the end of the cue, Thai's 1st ?

 

That said, you have two choices:

 

1) Wait with palm open

 

2) Buy a shot of Moderna from a private hospital, and there are a lot of people selling their Moderna shots at the moment, for example on Bangkok Hospital Facebooks because they recently received free government doses and they cannot push their shots forward 6 months as a booster, only 3 months.

 

If you pick up a vial for 3,000, and sell one dose for 1,500 baht, it only costs you 1,500 baht to get a booster, that said, I know what I would be doing.

I just rocked up at local walk-in  vax point, received 3rd shot no problem. 

Probably need to get the whole population vaccinated first before giving any serious thought or priority to "boosters" unless your connected of course as the riff raff lives are worthless

16 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

I just rocked up at local walk-in  vax point, received 3rd shot no problem. 

The guy posting above you needs to get the facts:-

Quote

As I have said many times on this forum before, leaving your palm open for a booster from the government, especially when you are not a Citizen could potentially leave you at the end of the cue, Thai's 1st ?

It's easy here as well, in the rice paddies, to get a booster of choice. I've had 2 x Pfizer but not quite ready for a booster yet according to the recommended timing.

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

Please make your minds up, first we hear the symptoms are mild, now you are saying serious symptoms - Which is it ......................LOL

You failed to highlight the qualifier " potentially " It said  "potentially serious symptoms of the Omicron variant. "

If Omicron infects 4X more people  even if it causes half the hospitalization of the delta variant it still has the "Potential" to hospitalize twice as many people as Delta. 

4 hours ago, webfact said:

In Thailand, he said that only 4.1 million people, or 5.5% of the population,

Early next year they'll have to get their act together and start rolling out 3rd shots nationwide.

I wonder how they'll manage to stuff that one up?

1 hour ago, Geoffggi said:

Please make your minds up, first we hear the symptoms are mild, now you are saying serious symptoms - Which is it ......................LOL

Well, there has been 1 death from Omicron with millions infected, so now we all must now panic. Makes sense to me???

30 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

As I have said many times on this forum before, leaving your palm open for a booster from the government, especially when you are not a Citizen could potentially leave you at the end of the cue, Thai's 1st ?

 

That said, you have two choices:

 

1) Wait with palm open

 

2) Buy a shot of Moderna from a private hospital, and there are a lot of people selling their Moderna shots at the moment, for example on Bangkok Hospital Facebooks because they recently received free government doses and they cannot push their shots forward 6 months as a booster, only 3 months.

 

If you pick up a vial for 3,000, and sell one dose for 1,500 baht, it only costs you 1,500 baht to get a booster, that said, I know what I would be doing.

Also many people that are just above the poverty line that I know have invested in Moderna vaccines that live north of CM have lost their money. Families that have spent most of their money trying to get these Moderna vaccines and can't even get a refund.

2 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Also many people that are just above the poverty line that I know have invested in Moderna vaccines that live north of CM have lost their money. Families that have spent most of their money trying to get these Moderna vaccines and can't even get a refund.

What I will say to that is that they all had a choice of vaccines that their illustrious government provided them with, i.e. in the beginning it was Sinovac x 2, followed by Sinovac + AZ, then AZ, Pfizer & Moderna towards the end.

 

Buying Moderna was a choice, same as I made, albeit I got Pfizer in August and again in September and will use Moderna as a booster in March, regardless that I paid for it in June and of course it was available to me in December, some 6 months after ordering, I look at it this way, the government failed everyone, however, the USA donated Pfizer thankfully and I received two doses, if my money went down the drain because of this governments incompetence, then not much I can do about it, I hedged my bets, and got two jabs of an mRNA vaccine for free, albeit it I paid for it indirectly.

 

No pint in crying over spilt milk, and those people in CM can push their vaccines back to March and try selling them off as a booster, because I am sure come March there will be shortages.

4 hours ago, lemonjelly said:

I just rocked up at local walk-in  vax point, received 3rd shot no problem. 

What 2 shots did you get earlier?

4 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Well, there has been 1 death from Omicron with millions infected, so now we all must now panic. Makes sense to me???

I don't see a point in getting a booster now. Will wait the six months till March.

18 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I don't see a point in getting a booster now. Will wait the six months till March.

Another 3 months is a long time with the speed omicron variant is spreading. It’s already responsible for 20% of infections in the uk and it was first flagged only a couple of weeks ago. I decided to get my 3rd based on this, plus taking it before stocks run out which, considering the circumstances could be a possibility.

54 minutes ago, StayinThailand2much said:

I don't see a point in getting a booster now. Will wait the six months till March.

The time to get the booster is ahead of large omicron infection numbers here. 

6 hours ago, phetphet said:

I've not seen much information regarding foreigners getting a booster shot here.

 

A push to get the non vaccinated to come forward, and a push to get Thais who were double vaccinated with Sinovac to have a Pfizer booster. But nothing for foreigners.

 

Having had my second AZ at the end of September, my recommended time to get one is around end of March (six months)

On Thailand Intervac there are 3 hospitals open for bookings but all are full. BHP specifically mentions a booster but for 2AZs quotes 6mths for 3rd. Need to keep checking as with Omicron this will probably be changed to 3-6mths

5 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Well, there has been 1 death from Omicron with millions infected, so now we all must now panic. Makes sense to me???

I've been looking for info on this death.  Was it an 18-year-old athlete, or a 90-year-old with several chronic conditions?  I'm guessing the latter, because if it was the former, they'd be using that as ammunition in the fear war.

6 hours ago, phetphet said:

I've not seen much information regarding foreigners getting a booster shot here.

 

A push to get the non vaccinated to come forward, and a push to get Thais who were double vaccinated with Sinovac to have a Pfizer booster. But nothing for foreigners.

 

Having had my second AZ at the end of September, my recommended time to get one is around end of March (six months)

With respect to Omicron, recent reports say that Pfizer immunity runs out 4-5 months after second jab, so let's hope that booster plans are adjusted, for over-60s at least.

5 hours ago, vandeventer said:

Well, there has been 1 death from Omicron with millions infected, so now we all must now panic. Makes sense to me???

It's too early to evaluate the danger posed by Omicron.

6 hours ago, phetphet said:

A push to get the non vaccinated to come forward, and a push to get Thais who were double vaccinated with Sinovac to have a Pfizer booster. But nothing for foreigners.

Foreigners in Phuket are getting Pfizer boosters this week by appointment for those that had 2 Sinovac. There are other walk in's for 3rd dose AZ at Vachira Phuket Hospital.

12 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

I've been looking for info on this death.  Was it an 18-year-old athlete, or a 90-year-old with several chronic conditions?  I'm guessing the latter, because if it was the former, they'd be using that as ammunition in the fear war.

They don't say, I would say it was your second choice.

https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britain-says-omicron-spreading-phenomenal-rate-2021-12-13/

There are some yet unconfirmed reports that the omicron variant is less severe. This seems to be leading some people into a possible false sense of security. We just don’t know yet. What we do know is that it’s far, far more infectious. Even if it turns out that it’s less deadly, which might statistically be the case given the vaccine uptake, the extreme high transmissibility of this variant poses the problem of hospitals being overwhelmed by those that will need care. Being in such a bad way with covid that hospital admission is needed must be traumatic enough, without being queued on a gurney in the hospital car park. 

43 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

I'm guessing

Yep... why not wait and see. A death is a loss any way.

8 hours ago, phetphet said:

Having had my second AZ at the end of September, my recommended time to get one is around end of March (six months)

 

Except, the full article text of the OP article above now suddenly has the govt talking about a THREE month followup period for a third booster shot for those who received their original vaccination as two AZ doses.

 

"People who were inoculated with the AstraZeneca vaccine for the first two shots can choose Pfizer or Moderna as their booster three months after their second jab,"

 

What the article doesn't say, though, is whether this supposed new policy applies to farangs as well as Thais, and, how/where to go about registering for that kind of farang 3rd dose booster shot.

 

In checking today the government's Expatvac and ThailandIntervac websites for foreigner vaccination registrations, neither say anything right now about registering for booster shots.

 

 

UK just reported its first death by Omicr and also many hospitalization cases so it's not mild as earlier reported

 

 

10 minutes ago, EricTh said:

UK just reported its first death by Omicr and also many hospitalization cases so it's not mild as earlier reported

 

 

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/omicron-ireland-expert-says-new-22442047

 

South Africa experience would seem to disagree with you.

Did the poor patient die of or with omicron?

It will take weeks to see how omicron effects different countries, populations with different demographics and vaccination rates.

 

has anyone been to bang sue station recently ?  i had my second pfizer back in may (in USA) so i'm due for a third, maybe pfizer or moderna.  i remember reading that these two were starting to be the main vaccines available at bang sue.  i'm 55 with no underlying conditions so i'm not at the top of the list for a booster but seems i might be eligible here in bangkok.   i was going to wait until a friend's paid moderna arrived (they don't need it anymore) but the arrival date on that one is uncertain, could be january could be march.  i remember someone saying they went to bang sue and the pfizer line was a thousand strong but the moderna line was wide open.  any updates on bang sue ?  wait times ?