Royal College suggests only one jab of Pfizer Covid vaccine for boys 12-15

In a Blockdit post on Friday, Dr Chalermchai Boonyaleephan, vice chairman of the Public Health Commission, relayed the college’s advice, adding that the chance of myocarditis in young male recipients of Pfizer is significantly higher than in young females.

“The Thailand Food and Drug Administration has approved two vaccines for children aged 12-15, namely Pfizer and Moderna, both are mRNA type,” he said.

“Based on statistics of mRNA vaccine recipients in the United States from January to June this year, 162.2 boys aged 12-15 per 1 million doses have developed myocarditis, while only 13 girls have cases of myocarditis per 1 million doses. Cases of myocarditis also are rarely found in those who received only one jab.

“The Royal College of Pediatricians of Thailand, therefore, has suggested that we should give only one Pfizer jab to boys, while girls can get two jabs at an interval of 3-4 weeks,” he said.

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“Only one jab of an mRNA vaccine can reduce the chance of hospitalisation and death from Covid-19 by 94 per cent. However, it can only prevent the risk of infection by 36 per cent, while two jabs will increase this to 88 per cent,” he added.

Chalermchai also suggested that children who have been vaccinated with an mRNA vaccine should refrain from intensive physical activity for at least one week to reduce the chance of heart inflammation. “Furthermore, before the reopening of schools, all teachers, school staffers and family members of students should be fully vaccinated to create a safe environment for children from risk of Covid-19 contraction,” he added.