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A health worker prepares a dose of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Central Vaccination Center, inside Bang Sue Central Station, Thailand on June 21, 2021. REUTERS / Athit Perawongmetha
BANGKOK, June 22 (Reuters) – A Thai medical committee has agreed to close the gap between AstraZeneca doses (AZN.L) COVID-19 vaccine at eight weeks compared to 10 to 12 weeks previously in places where there have been outbreaks of the Delta variant, an official said on Tuesday.
Areas where the most contagious Delta variant, first identified in India, had been detected could “adjust the timing of the second dose,” said Kiatiphum Wongrajit, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Public Health.
The move comes after Thailand last week abandoned its plan for a 16-week gap between AstraZeneca doses in a bid to expand vaccine supplies to reach more people. Read more
Thailand reported the first case of the Delta variant in Bangkok last month and so far it has spread to 20 provinces with more than 660 recorded cases.
Thailand’s vaccination campaign, which uses a mix of Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines, suffered delays a week after its start in June due to limited supply. About 2.2 million people are fully vaccinated out of a population of over 66 million. Read more
Bangkok, the epicenter of the latest outbreak, with around 1,000 new infections per day on average, has just 20 beds for critically ill coronavirus patients in the city’s public hospitals, the official said. health Somsak Akksilp.
Thailand reported 4,059 new infections on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 225,365 and 1,693 deaths, with more than 85% infections and 95% deaths since April.
Reporting by Chayut Setboonsarng and Panarat Thepgumpanat Editing by Ed Davies
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