SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore on Tuesday received its first batch of Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac Biotech, its health ministry said, although the shot is still awaiting approval for use in the city-state.
Sinovac has begun sending the initial data, but the Health Sciences Authority is currently awaiting all the information needed to conduct a thorough assessment, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
Singapore is the only rich country that considers the use of the Sinovac vaccine, which has been found to have an efficacy rate ranging from 50% to 90% in studies.
The city-state has been developing its COVID-19 vaccination program for the past two months. It has Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna approved plans.
Previously, the government has refused to give specific details about deals with vaccine manufacturers.
As an island nation that is heavily dependent on travel and trade, the Singapore government is willing to boost its economy with the help of the vaccine. Singapore aims to vaccinate its entire population of about six million people by the end of 2021.
Singapore has been reporting very few new local cases of coronavirus in recent months.
Since the outbreak began, it has recorded a total of about 60,000 infections, most of which occurred in dormitories of cramped foreign workers. Only 29 people have died from the disease in Singapore, according to its health ministry.
China, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand are some of the countries that have approved the Sinovac vaccine.
Chen Lin Reports; Edited by Ed Davies