With an increasing number of studies being published showing Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines are not as effective against Covid-19 as mRNA vaccines like Pfizer and Moderna, it was announced today the UAE tourist who tested positive for Covid when arriving in the Phuket Sandbox had been vaccinated with Sinopharm.
The man was apparently fully vaccinated against Covid with the Sinopharm vaccine more than seven months ago, but tested positive for Covid upon arriving on Phuket.
He was one of a group of 14 people who arrived on the same flight from the UAE, all of whom were placed in quarantine for 14 days due to the positive Covid test of one of their number.
The Covid-19 positive man himself was taken to a Thai hospital, where he will remain for the next 14 days, instead of being able to enjoy his planned Phuket vacation.
According to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, the tourist arrived on Phuket via Emirates flight EK378 on Tuesday. He had tested negative for Covid before he boarded his flight.
Upon arrival on Phuket, the man was given a PCR swab test, along with every other passenger on the flight, and was then mandated to wait in his hotel room until the results were released.
Once his Covid test was positive, Thai public health officials quickly organized his transfer to a local Phuket hospital.
The Sinopharm vaccine is manufactured by a Chinese-state owned company called China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation (CNPGC).
In most studies, just like Sinovac, Sinopharm vaccines have been proven to be less effective against variants of Covid-19 than other currently available vaccines.
Sadly, this also may just be another nail in the coffin of the Phuket Sandbox, as several people on social media are now saying they have changed their Phuket holiday plans now that a hospital stay instead of a holiday is mandated should a positive Covid-19 result occur.
After all, in most western countries, passengers are only required to provide a negative Covid test before boarding their flight. They are not required to take another test upon arrival at their destination.
Thai authorities, however, have chosen to follow some of the most restrictive travel policies in the world when it comes to international tourists.
Regardless that the main threat in Thailand is the tens of millions of Thais who have not yet been able to be vaccinated against Covid due to Thailand’s current vaccination shortage.
Related: What happens if you test positive for Covid while on holiday in the Phuket Sandbox?
