China's Sinovac vaccine arrives in Singapore, but not yet approved for use

[SINGAPORE] Singapore received its first shipment of China's Sinovac vaccine on Tuesday. However, the product has not yet been authorised for use by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), said the Health Ministry on Wednesday.

In a statement, the ministry said: "Sinovac has started submitting initial data, and HSA is currently awaiting Sinovac's submission of all the necessary information in order to carry out a thorough scientific assessment of the manufacturing process, safety and efficacy of the vaccine under the Pandemic Special Access Route."

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are currently being used in Singapore, have received interim authorisation under this route. Both vaccines involve injecting snippets of the virus' genetic material into the body to stimulate an immune response.

In contrast, Sinovac's product is an inactivated vaccine, which makes use of killed virus particles. This method has been used in vaccines for diseases such as polio.

MOH also said it received a fresh shipment of the Pfizer vaccine on Wednesday, and will continue to monitor vaccine supplies closely.

In a Facebook post, the Chinese embassy said the delivery of the vaccine cements the agreement made by both countries to cooperate on issues related to the pandemic.

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"China and Singapore have helped each other to meet the challenge since the Covid-19 epidemic broke out, setting a fine example for cooperation against the virus among countries," it wrote.

It added that China will continue to work with Singapore to "enhance cooperation on vaccine and epidemic control, build a global community of health for all, and win the final victory in the fight against the epidemic".

THE STRAITS TIMES