Kids in Thailand aged 6-11 will get half adult dose of Moderna
Young children will only need half the adult dose of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, according to the Thai importer of the jabs.
The Thailand Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Moderna vaccine in children aged 6-11 last week.
“Recipients in this age group will receive two jabs of Moderna at 50 micrograms each at an interval of 28 days,” said Sunaina Kitkasetpaisal, general manager of vaccine importer ZP Therapeutics Zuellig Pharma Thailand.
Studies show that two doses of 50mg for children aged 6-11 are as effective against Covid-19 as two 100mg doses in adults aged 18-25, she added.
She said Australia, Canada and European countries had already approved the use of Moderna vaccine in children aged six and over.
Moderna is an mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccine that stimulates the body’s cells to create a protein similar to the spike of the Covid-19 virus. This protein then stimulates an immune response in the body that protects against infection.
“We are glad to play a part in supporting the government’s plan to transition to endemic Covid-19 in the near future,” Sunaina said.
The government has set a tentative deadline of July to declare Covid-19 endemic.
On Saturday, Thailand recorded 5,377 new Covid-19 cases and 37 deaths. Meanwhile 5,775 patients recovered and left hospitals. Cumulative cases since the beginning of the year stand at 2,183,320.
As of Friday, Thailand had administered just over 136 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Of these, 56.563 million were first jabs, 52.108 million second jabs, and 27.391 million were boosters.