นาทีนี้ต้องยอมรับว่าการแพร่ระบาดของเชื้อไวรัส Covid-19 ยังคงเป็นเรื่องที่ทุกคนให้ความสนใจ ในการป้องกันและระมัดระวังตัวเองอยู่ตลอดเวลา เพราะจะสังเกตได้ว่าตั้งแต่มีการใช้ชีวิตแบบ New normal โดยเฉพาะเวลาอยู่นอกบ้าน หลายคนไม่ลืมที่จะใส่หน้ากากอนามัยและการเว้นระยะห่างเพื่อความปลอดภัย
First shot of AstraZeneca gives 96.7% immunity against Covid-19, study shows
A senior virologist at Chulalongkorn University said on Monday that after receiving the first jab of the AstraZeneca vaccine, people develop a 96.7 per cent immunity against Covid-19.
He was citing a study on 61 people conducted by Chulalongkorn’s Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology.
The centre’s chief Dr Yong Poovorawan said the study also showed that those who had already been infected with the virus and spent four to eight weeks fighting it, developed a 92.4 per cent immunity.
“Women have been found to have greater immunity than men, while those below the age of 60 are more resistant to the virus than those over 60,” he said.
He added that the centre will conduct another study on people after they get their second AstraZeneca jab.
“However, we have not conducted a study based on different vaccines and would ask those who have been vaccinated to contact us so we can study their immunity levels and side effects,” he said.
So far, 1,486,907 Covid shots have been administered in Thailand, 1,099,460 of whom were given their first shot, while 387,447 were given their second shot.
So far Thailand has taken delivery of China’s Sinovac and the AstraZeneca vaccines and is reportedly receiving another 3.5 million doses of the Sinovac shots this month.
Yong said the government should aim to vaccinate at least 10 million people per month to reach the target of vaccinating at least 70 per cent of the population by the end of the year to create herd immunity.
“If we get vaccines from other manufacturers, a mass vaccination rollout can be completed quickly,” he added.
Both doses of Sinovac vaccine essential to protect against Covid-19
The Sinovac vaccine will help protect people from Covid-19 after receiving the second jab, the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital said on Saturday.
Earlier, a Covid-infected medical staffer at the hospital’s Kanchanaphisek Medical Centre had said on social media that the Sinovac vaccine could not protect him from getting infected.
In a bid to prevent confusion on the vaccine’s efficacy among people, Assistant Professor Dr Naris Kitnarong, the hospital’s deputy dean of corporate communication and social responsibility, said the medical staffer had received the first dose on April 7.
He suspected that the staffer had tested positive for Covid-19 on April 17 because he had dined at a crowded place on April 12, five days after receiving the first dose.
“The medical staffer had contracted Covid-19 because the staffer had gone to a place at risk of infection. Meanwhile, the staffer had not received the second jab yet,” he said
He added that the medical staffer had posted a message apologising for the misunderstanding on April 25.
He asked people to get their Covid-19 vaccine jab.
“Many studies have shown that getting a vaccine is necessary because it can protect people from infection, as well as reduce the severity of the disease if infected,” he added.
Thai-made Favipiravir in human trials ahead of production
Thailand now has capacity to manufacture the Covid-9 medication Favipiravir on an industrial scale, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) said on Thursday.
Human trials are underway to test the Thai-made Favipiravir against the version available on the international market, said GPO deputy managing director Dr Sirikul Matevelungsun. The trial is scheduled to submit its findings for registration of the drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in June or July.
The GPO will be able to produce Favipiravir tablets as soon as they are listed in the Thai drug register.
Dr Sirikul said the GPO has the capacity to meet strong demand for the drug, which is used to treat serious Covid-19 symptoms such as pneumonia.
Meanwhile, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) is collaborating with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and PTT Co Ltd to expand production of raw materials for Favipiravir and other essential pharmaceuticals to an industrial scale.
The aim is create stability, sustainability and self-reliance in medicine for Thailand.
Smokers infected with Covid-19 at greater risk of severe symptoms
Covid-19 patients who smoke are vulnerable to developing severe symptoms compared to non-smokers, the Facebook page of Mhorwen (doctors on duty) said on Sunday.
The post explained that smokers may develop severe symptoms because Covid-19 is a respiratory disease and the lungs of smokers are not in a healthy condition.
“It is estimated that more men than women died during the first Covid-19 wave in China, as Chinese men smoke heavily,” the page said.
The page said Covid-19 patients who smoke can develop blood clots, adding that more of them were being treated in ICU rooms.
“Therefore, Covid-19 patients who are smokers are considered at risk of developing severe symptoms, similar to those who have obesity, diabetes and other respiratory diseases,” the page added.