The Thai Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has not yet given approval for the Chinese-made Sinopharm vaccine to be administered to children as young as three, as it waits for more details about the vaccine’s efficacy and safety from importer Biogenetech, said TFDA Secretary-General Dr. Paisal Dunkhum today (Wednesday)

He made clear that the TFDA has not rejected the use of the Sinopharm in young children, but is making sure that the vaccine is safe and effective before approval is granted.

He said that the TFDA has already approved two mRNA vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, for the inoculation of teenagers aged 12 and over.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul assured the public today that the Pfizer vaccine is safe for the 12-17-year-olds, but consent is required from their parents, adding that the vaccination is not mandatory and is not a condition of being able to attend classes.

He said that the first lot of 30 million doses of Pfizer vaccine, all expected this year, will arrive in Thailand on September 29^th.

For children under 12, the minister said that approval is still pending with the TFDA as it waits for more information about safety and efficacy of the vaccine in children that young.

He expects that, by the end of October, almost 60 million doses of vaccines will have been administered in Thailand and all target groups will have been inoculated by year end. As of Wednesday, just over 46 million doses have been administered.

Third booster shots for those who have received two Sinovac doses will commence this Friday.