Virologists checking to see if third jab effective against new variants
Dr Yong Poovorawan, chief of Chulalongkorn University’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology, said his team was studying to see if administering third jabs would help cope with new Covid-19 variants effectively.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Dr Yong said the Delta variant has been spreading quickly worldwide, citing the US and Israel where infections have soared despite people being vaccinated.
“Israel has been getting nearly 10,000 new cases daily even though 80 per cent of its population has been vaccinated,” he said. “According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s Covid Data Tracker on Thursday, the US reported 153,728 infections and 1,209 deaths.”
He pointed out that the vaccines administered in Thailand can reduce the risk of developing severe symptoms and death even though their efficacy in preventing infections is greatly decreased.
Dr Yong also pointed out that most local Covid-19-related deaths are of those who have not been vaccinated.
“If the vaccination rate is still on an upward trajectory, we will be able to cut down on deaths,” he added.
