Thailand’s top virologist is urging authorities to redefine ‘fully vaccinated’ as receiving three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to ensure public safety.
Dr Yong Poovorawan, head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical Virology at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, said an effective vaccination system should include basic doses followed by a booster shot to strengthen immunity against the coronavirus. He used Hepatitis B patients as an example, who receive two basic shots and then a booster dose later to maintain high immunity.
The virologist expressed concern that despite nearly 80% of the population receiving the second COVID vaccine dose, only about 40% received booster shots, indicating that the majority of Thais are not adequately protected against the virus.
Dr Yong urged the government and other relevant agencies to consider expanding the definition of “fully vaccinated” to include three doses in order to ensure that more people are sufficiently protected as soon as possible. He added that the vaccination rate for three doses should be around 90% of the population. (NNT)
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