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Thailand seeks 12 million Sinovac shots for mix-and-match strategy

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Reuters

<p>BANGKOK - Thailand will purchase an additional 12 million doses of Sinovac&#x27;s coronavirus vaccine to try to expedite its rollout, a senior official said on Tuesday, despite concerns over its efficacy against the Delta variant of COVID-19.</p><p>Thailand&#x27;s strategy had planned to use mainly locally produced AstraZeneca vaccines but with supply short of the government&#x27;s target, Sinovac shots are being used in a mix-and-match approach to inoculate the population faster.</p><p>The mass vaccination campaign started in June but the rollout is being hastened by Thailand&#x27;s worst coronavirus wave so far, which is challenging Bangkok&#x27;s healthcare system at a time when just 7.3% of the population has been fully vaccinated.</p><p>Sinovac&#x27;s inactivated virus vaccine will be used as a first dose and AstraZeneca&#x27;s viral vector vaccine the second, a mix that officials say protects against the Delta variant.</p><p>Thailand was the first country to announce it would use this combination.</p><p>&quot;A first shot of Sinovac follow by AstraZeneca significantly boosts immunity,&quot; said Chawetsan Namwat, a senior health official at the Department of Disease Control.</p><p>Thailand reported a record 239 new COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday, with 7,973 fatalities overall, and is on course to pass the 1 million mark in cases this week.</p><p>It used the Sinovac vaccine initially for priority groups, medical personnel and the resort island of Phuket.</p><p>A Thai study carried out on medical personnel from May to July showed two doses of Sinovac offered 72% protection against infection and 98% protection against severe symptoms and death.</p><p>&quot;The Sinovac vaccine that we used in Thailand is effective,&quot; said Taweesap Sriprapasiri of the Department of Disease Control.</p><p>&quot;Even with new variant, the vaccine is still effective.&quot;</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1745976" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

Thailand will purchase an additional 12 million doses of Sinovac's coronavirus vaccine to try to expedite its rollout.