PHUKET: Doctors are trying to determine whether the hair loss of a young girl is linked to her two doses of Covid-19 vaccine, the disease itself or another cause entirely.
A picture shows the head of a girl in Phuket after she received a second Covid-19 vaccine shot and was infected with the coronavirus. (Photo: Achadtaya Chuenniran)
Thalang district public health chief Sathaporn Vajasat said on Wednesday doctors were trying to find the cause of hair loss of the nine-year-old girl after she received a second vaccine shot and all family members in her house were infected with the virus.
"We have not decided that it was due to side effects of the vaccine. The diagnosis will be determined by doctors," he said.
The girl took a second shot administered by Thalang Hospital at Phuket airport on May 1. She had no problem after taking the first dose.
Her father said the girl was infected with the coronavirus following the infection in all the family members in July. Since that time, she experienced hair loss.
The situation worsened after she fully recovered from Covid-19 and felt the need to cover her head at school to avoid embarrassment.
Pictures taken shortly after her second vaccination showed the girl with very long hair. Recent photos show her almost bald.
"Everyone in the house is very stressed because of this," her father said, adding that she was in low spirits.
The father said the daughter had not showed allergic reactions to any medicine and she was healthy before she started losing her hair.
The girl is receiving treatment at Thalang Hospital and will be referred to Vachira Phuket Hospital on Friday.
Dr Sathaporn did not say whether doctors at Thalang or Vachira Phuket hospitals would be responsible for the diagnosis.
The Public Health Ministry is targeting vaccinations for 5 million children aged 5-11. The ministry said 3.3 million members of the group, or 64%, had received a first dose and 2.4 million, or 47%, had been given a second shot.
