Thai Athletes Fall Ill From China-Made Covid Vaccine

China is being accused of peddling ineffective COVID vaccines after 26 members of Thailand’s top women’s volleyball team tested positive despite having receiving the vaccine. 

The team, which currently ranks 15th in the world, had to withdraw from the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2021. The event begins May 25th in Italy.

With special permission from the the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB), the team is looking for players to put a new team together to participate in the prestigious event. 

“We will try to send a team to compete in this event,” said Jaksuwan Tocharoen of the Thailand Volleyball Association. “We hope our athletes are healthy and ready for this competition. If necessary, we may call up some more players.”

Potential fill-ins include Pleumjit Thinkaow, Nootsara Tomkom, Onuma Sittirak, Malika Kanthong, and Wilavan Apinyapong.

Like many residents of Thailand, the volleyball team received a Covid vaccine produced by China state-owned company Sinovac. Clinical trials suggest the vaccine is just 16% effective after the first injection and 67% effective after the second injection. The vaccine also carries serious side effects including stroke. Thailand has purchased 3.5 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine and has administrated it to more than 600,000 people so far. 

Sources:

Covid-hit Thais given ‘special exemption’ 

Thai National Volleyball Team Tests Positive for COVID-19 After Taking Chinese-Made Vaccines 

FIVB looking into Thai team’s COVID-19 cases