MOH working to bring in more non-mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, studying use of Novavax for under-18s

THE Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to bring in more non-mRNA Covid-19 vaccine options for those who are medically ineligible for mRNA vaccines, and is working with the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to evaluate Novavax use for those aged 12-17, said Senior Minister of State for Health Janil Puthucheary in Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 15).

Responding to questions from MPs about non-mRNA Covid-19 vaccines and booster shots, Dr Janil said that as at Feb 9, there were about 1,000 individuals who completed their primary vaccine course with non-mRNA vaccines and would have their "fully vaccinated" status expire by Feb 14.

To maintain fully-vaccinated status, individuals were required to take their Covid-19 booster shot within 270 days of the last shot in their primary vaccine course.

Starting from Feb 14, the Novavax vaccine became the first non-mRNA vaccine to be recommended as a booster dose under Singapore's national Covid-19 vaccination programme, as "an acceptable alternative" to mRNA vaccines - unlike Sinovac, which is meant only for those who are medically ineligible for mRNA vaccines.

Responding to Workers' Party MP Gerald Giam's question on why the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines were not made "generally available" to children and adolescents, Dr Janil noted that the Sinovac vaccine's manufacturer did not include children and adolescents when filing for interim authorisation, and both vaccines are not recommended for use on under-18s by the World Health Organization.

However, Dr Janil said that current data from the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine manufacturer's early trials in healthy children and adolescents aged 3 to 17 years old currently do not show safety concerns, and Singapore recognises the need for alternative vaccines for those in that age group who are medically ineligible for the currently-approved vaccine.

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Currently, children and adolescents ineligible for mRNA vaccines are considered under the Sinovac after mRNA (Sam) programme. The Sam programme is part of a research study which allowed the Sinovac vaccine to be offered to an age group outside the scope of HSA's Pandemic Special Access Route approval.

With the approval of the Novavax vaccine, it will subsequently be monitored for its suitability for those under 18. According to Dr Janil, recent data released by Novavax showed that the vaccine was found to be "80 per cent effective against Covid-19 in a late-stage trial in adolescents aged 12-17 years in the United States when the Delta variant was the dominant strain."

MOH and HSA will evaluate the data from the study and continue to monitor more data on its efficacy and safety, said Dr Janil. In the meantime, those who are medically eligible are encouraged to take the available mRNA vaccines as they offer more optimal protection.