Sinopharm, Sinovac vaccines to be approved for 3-year-olds: Anutin
Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul on Wednesday said that the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines would be approved for children aged three years on Friday.
He was speaking after a meeting of the ministry’s service team that discussed guidelines and creating understanding in the people on treating Covid-19 as an endemic from a pandemic.
“The advantage is that the Sonic vaccine is the same vaccine that already exists. After approval, there will be an allocation plan. I can confirm that there are sufficient vaccines. It depends on the willingness of parents and children to receive any kind of vaccine. And there is no policy to order more Sinovac vaccines because there are enough vaccines for every group,” said Anutin.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, outlined the plan for vaccinating young children:
- 2 doses of Sinovac vaccine
- 2 Pfizer vaccines
- Sinovac vaccine as first dose and Pfizer vaccine as second dose
However, parents can choose the formula voluntarily. There is no decision yet on booster vaccine for children in low immunity groups. Thailand will use the same child vaccination plan as other countries, he said.