Thailand has changed its vaccine policy to mix China’s Sinovac with the AstraZeneca vaccine in a bid to boost protection.
The decision comes after hundreds of medical workers caught Covid despite being fully vaccinated with Sinovac.
Instead of two Sinovac shots, people will now receive the AstraZeneca vaccine after their first Sinovac shot.
Health workers already fully vaccinated with Sinovac will also receive a third booster dose.
This can be either the AstraZeneca vaccine, or an mRNA vaccines like Pfizer/BioNTech.
This third dose will be given three to four weeks after their second Sinovac jab, said the country’s National Infectious Disease Committee on Monday.
AstraZeneca is currently the only other vaccine available in the country, with Pfizer/BioNTech shots donated by the US set to arrive soon.
Thailand first received Sinovac vaccines from China and began giving shots to its health workers in February.
On Sunday, the health ministry said out of more than 677,000 medical staff who were fully vaccinated with Sinovac, 618 were infected between April and July. One nurse has died and one medical staff is still in critical condition.
Concerns over the efficacy of the Chinese vaccine amid rising cases have sharply driven demand for other shots offered by some private clinics.
Last week, one clinic selling the US Moderna vaccine on an online shopping platform saw its offer sold out within minutes.
The Phyathai Hospital offered 1,800 vaccination slots for a single Moderna shot at 1,650 Thai baht ($50, £36) via Shopee.
