Thailand Defends Mixing Covid Shots After WHO Warns Against "Dangerous Trend"

COVID-19: Thailand said they will mix a first dose of Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine with a second dose of AstraZeneca to try and achieve a "booster" effect in six weeks instead of 12.

Thailand on Tuesday defended mixing two different COVID-19 vaccines to battle a surge in infections, after the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s top scientist warned that it was a "dangerous trend" not backed by evidence. The kingdom is struggling to contain its latest outbreak fuelled by the highly contagious Delta variant, with cases and deaths skyrocketing and the healthcare system stretched thin. Authorities said they will mix a first dose of the Chinese-made Sinovac jab with a second dose of AstraZeneca to try and achieve a "booster" effect in six weeks instead of 12. Thailand's chief virologist Yong Poovorawan said this would be possible by combining an inactivated virus vaccine -- Sinovac -- with a viral vector vaccine such as AstraZeneca.