These days, options are aplenty. However, instead of options for entertainment and leisure, which are severely limited these days due to the pandemic, we may now have more options for COVID-19 vaccines.
Well, it’s better than nothing, right?
And with more options comes the need to make more informed decisions on which vaccine to get.
So to help you with that, here’s all you need to know about the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines that may soon be made available in Singapore.
What is the Sinopharm vaccine?
The Sinopharm vaccine, developed by the Beijing Bio-Institute of Biological Products, is an inactivated vaccine. It produces antibodies that fight against the coronavirus.
Both Sinovac and Sinopharm utilise similar technology, which are old technology that has been used for many vaccines.
Is the Sinopharm vaccine approved for use in Singapore?
The Sinopharm vaccine was granted emergency approval by the World Health Organisation (WHO) earlier in May this year.
IHH Healthcare Singapore has received approval from the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) to bring in the vaccine through our special access route.
However, that doesn’t mean that the vaccine is approved by the HSA—the special access route allows private healthcare providers to import COVID-19 vaccines that have not been authorised by the HSA.
Currently, only the Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna vaccines are approved for use in Singapore’s nationwide vaccination campaign. Both of these vaccines make use of messenger RNA technology.
What is the efficacy rate of the Sinopharm vaccine?
According to the WHO, the vaccine has an efficacy rate of 79% against symptomatic COVID-19 infection, along with hospitalisation from the virus.
How is the Sinopharm vaccine administered?
Similar to other vaccines available in Singapore, the Sinopharm vaccine consists of two doses, with a gap of three to four weeks in between.
Who is eligible for the Sinopharm vaccine?
The Sinopharm vaccine is recommended for those aged 18 and above, similar to Moderna.
Meanwhile, the HSA has found the Pfizer-BioNTech/ Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine to be suitable for people aged 12 and above.
Which other countries have approved the use of the Sinopharm vaccine?
China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam have approved the Sinopharm vaccine for usage.
What is Sinopharm?
Sinopharm’s full name is China National Pharmaceutical Group Corporation , and it is a Chinese state-owned enterprise.
In other words, yes, it’s a company controlled by the Chinese government.
Which private clinics in Singapore will offer the Sinopharm vaccine?
Apart from IHH Healthcare Singapore, there are at least two other private healthcare providers who are intending to bring in the Sinopharm vaccine for use.
Raffles Medical Group had asked members of the public to indicate their interest in the Sinopharm vaccine and confirmed with TODAYonline that it had been granted approval to use the Sinopharm vaccine under the special access route.
It shared that it is planning to begin rolling out the Sinopharm vaccine in August.
Meanwhile, StarMed Specialist Centre had told CNA in June that it was partnering with another clinic to import other vaccines such as the Sinopharm vaccine.
To know more about mRNA vaccines, watch this video to the end:
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Featured Image: Steve Heap / Shutterstock.com
