Sinovac use not being terminated but saved for second dose

 

Malaysia is not discontinuing the use of the Sinovac vaccine, its local licence holder Pharmaniaga Bhd said, adding that the remaining supply of the vaccine is being saved for recipients who have yet to get their second doses.

In a statement today, the company said it wanted to clarify and correct some news reports which claimed that the government is ending the use of the Sinovac vaccine in its national immunisation programme.

Pharmaniaga said it had supplied a total of 12 million doses of Sinovac vaccine as per its contract with the government.

The Sinovac vaccine requires two doses to be administered at an interval of 21 days. The 12 million doses supplied means that the stock was enough to cover up to six million recipients.

"According to the contract signed between Pharmaniaga and the federal government, we are required to supply 12 million doses through the Fill and Finish process within seven months, which is between May and November 2021.

"When the number of Covid-19 infections started to increase rapidly in March, Pharmaniaga had taken a proactive measure by speeding up the process by ordering vaccines (from Sinovac) which are already ready for import, to be distributed together with our Fill and Finish products.

"By doing this, Pharmaniaga has managed to supply 12 million doses. The final batch will arrive on July 21, ahead of the original schedule by four-and-a-half months.

"The supply involves six million doses for the first shot and six million doses for the second inoculation shot. And since the first dose administered is reaching six million, an order was issued to stop administering Sinovac for the first dose, to prevent the supply from running out for the second dose," Pharmaniaga said in the statement.

Yesterday, Health Minister Dr Adham Baba told a press conference that all states are to switch to the Pfizer vaccine when they run out of the Sinovac supply. - Mkini