Thailand urged to build up immunity against Covid for vulnerable groups
Thailand must create immunity for vulnerable groups such as elders over 60 years old, pregnant women, and people with seven underlying diseases, Weerawat Manosuthi, deputy director of the Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute, said at an online seminar organised by the National Vaccine Institute in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) on how to deal with the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Weerawat said there were cancer patients, organ transplantation patients, HIV patients and systemic lupus erythematosus patients with weak immune systems who have not received medicines and some patients have to use immuno-suppressant drugs.
This could lead to a lower immunity rate.
Fully vaccinated patients with a weak immune system will have lower immunity than normal. However, a host of studies have revealed that booster doses would help them more than healthier individuals if they received the dose one month after the latest jab instead of 3-6 months.
According to WHO, patients with weak immunity should receive a booster dose within 1-3 months. They should get the jab immediately if they have not received one in the last three months.
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The Royal College of Physicians of Thailand has announced guidelines in administering Covid-19 vaccines to vulnerable groups and patients with weak immunity:
1. Those who have received two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm should wait for a month after their latest dose to receive as many as three mRNA doses, with a one-month interval between each dose.
2. Those who have been administered two doses of Astra Zeneca, Pfizer or Moderna should wait for a month after their latest dose to receive two doses of mRNA vaccine, with a one-month gap between each dose.
3. Those who have been administered a combination of vaccines should wait for a month after their latest dose to receive two doses of mRNA vaccine, with a one-month interval between each dose.
The college also provided guidelines on vaccines for patients with weak immunity who have been infected with Covid-19:
1. Patients who have been administered two doses of Sinovac or Sinopharm should wait for a month after they have been infected and receive two doses of mRNA vaccine, with an interval of one month between each dose.
2. Patients who have been administered two doses of Astra Zeneca, Pfizer or Moderna should wait for a month after they have been infected and receive a dose of mRNA vaccine.
3. Patients who have been administered a combination of vaccines should wait for a month after being infected and receive a dose of mRNA vaccine.
Patients can ask their doctors for vaccines as the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand is cooperating with the Department of Disease Control to distribute vaccines to these groups.