Singapore, First Batch of Sinovac Vaccine Arrives... Approval for Use Under Review

Singapore Health Authorities "Waiting for More Information Submission"
Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Already in Use... Plan to Complete Vaccinations by Year-End

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The initial shipment of the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by China's Sinovac has arrived in Singapore, but it is reported that Singapore's health authorities are still reviewing its approval for use, so vaccinations have not yet started. Singapore's health authorities stated that they are waiting for Sinovac to submit more data for the approval evaluation.

According to local Singaporean media such as The Straits Times on the 25th, the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Singapore announced that it received the initial shipment of the Chinese Sinovac vaccine the day before but said that the approval for use is still under review. The MOH has started receiving clinical trial data from Sinovac for the approval evaluation, but not all requested materials have been submitted yet, and they are waiting for these.

According to major foreign media, no advanced countries have introduced the Sinovac vaccine so far, and Singapore is reportedly the only country considering its introduction. Previously, Singapore approved the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and began vaccinations on December 30 last year. The Singapore government started securing vaccines from April last year and reportedly signed advance purchase agreements with Pfizer, Moderna, and Sinovac, securing vaccines worth about 1 billion USD (1.108 trillion KRW).

Meanwhile, China emphasized the bond with Singapore through the delivery of the Sinovac vaccine. The Chinese Embassy in Singapore stated in a Facebook post that "the delivery of the Sinovac vaccine solidifies the commitment to COVID-19 cooperation between the two countries," and emphasized that "the Chinese government will continue to cooperate to strengthen collaboration on COVID-19 control and build a global health community."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.