Ministry confirms revising criteria for administering Covid booster dose

There have been discussions on social media on whether the ministry had actually changed the formula. The Anti-Fake News Centre Thailand investigated this issue on Sunday and confirmed that it was true.

According to the ministry, the revised formula is:

1. People aged 18 or over should receive the third dose more than three months after the second dose and the fourth dose more than four months after the third dose. People could choose to receive a half dose of Pfizer vaccines for the booster dose at the doctor's discretion.
2. People aged 12 to 17 will receive a standard dose of an mRNA vaccine for the third inoculation. They should wait four to six months after the second dose.
3. People who have been infected with Covid-19 before could follow these measures by waiting for three months after they have recovered from Covid-19.

According to information in Chiang Mai, the ministry revealed that two doses of vaccines may not prevent the Omicron infection, but it considerably increases the chances of preventing a fatality. The third dose could prevent infection for around 45 to 68 per cent of people and fatality for 98 per cent, while the fourth dose could prevent the infection for 82 per cent with no deaths.

Therefore, it is necessary to receive the third dose because it could help prevent fatality and also decrease the severity of the disease.

The ministry intends to hasten administering the booster dose to 70 per cent of elders before the Songkran Festival. It has urged people to receive booster doses according to the new formula.

Those who are interested to receive updates on prevention measures could check at the ministry’s website or call 02-590-1000.