U stand a better chance of getting the good vaccine if you are in healthcare line. Or a PAP RC dog.
-
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How to avoid China's Sinovac vaccine?
- Thread starter LITTLEREDDOT
- Start date
There is no such thing as a good vaccine. All vaccines are toxic laden poison.
That's the stupidest thing I have heard the whole day in this forum.
How to avoid China's Sinovac vaccine?
just say you are not chinese.
just say you are not chinese.
How about I don't want to take any vaccinations at all? This whole covid vaccine thing is not legit.
Are you a parent? If so, how do you get your kids to not take the vaccine?
Wouldn't it be a sight if many parents have to attend the funerals of their children who died from vaccines?
Maybe this is part of the Great Reset plan.
S'pore cannot be bought, bullied or intimidated into approving any Covid-19 vaccine, says Vivian
Dr
Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore will be an important reference customer when it comes to vaccines.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Yuen Sin
1 MAR 2021
SINGAPORE - Singapore will make decisions regarding the approval of vaccines on the basis of science and healthcare needs, and will not be pressured when it comes to decisions on such matters, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament on Monday (March 1).
"We cannot be bought, we cannot be bullied, we cannot be intimidated into either approving or disapproving any vaccine," said Dr Balakrishnan, who was speaking during the debate on the Foreign Ministry's budget.
"There will be pressure on us, there will be push and pulls, but we must conduct this just like another example of foreign policy, in a principled manner," he said in response to Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC), who had noted that the distribution patterns of Covid-19 vaccines around the world reflected a certain power play along traditional alliances.
Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore will be an important reference customer when it comes to vaccines, precisely because the world knows that the country bases its decisions on science and healthcare needs, as opposed to other factors.
Ms Lim had also asked if countries joining the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) facility face any restrictions on reaching bilateral arrangements for Covid-19 vaccine purchases, and whether such bilateral arrangements will pose an obstacle to the success of the Covax programme, which aims to procure, equitably allocate and deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of this year.
Dr Balakrishnan explained that under Covax's global risk-sharing mechanism, countries with more resources, including Singapore, would make advance market commitments for the vaccines.
This would incentivise multiple pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines in a timely manner, despite the significant business risk. "If there wasn't such a facility to pool risk and therefore incentivise this simultaneous rapid development of vaccines, we wouldn't be in this happy situation," he explained, referring to how promising vaccine candidates that Singapore and other countries had made advance purchase agreements for have now been approved by health authorities and are being used in various countries.
While putting money into the collective pot entitles Singapore to its fair share of Covid-19 vaccines on the basis of full market price, a "significant amount" will be committed to help support the less well-off countries, Dr Balakrishnan explained.
This ensures that there will be some vaccines available to countries around the world, especially for essential workers, preventing a situation where only countries who can afford vaccines have access to them.
He also clarified that Singapore's US$5 million (S$6.7 million) contribution to the Advance Market Commitment under the Covax facility, which ensures access to vaccines for developing countries, is not specifically earmarked for Asean.
Singapore has a separate Asean Covid-19 Response Fund, which it has also committed funds to, and which will be used based on needs within the Asean family, he added. It was announced in November that Singapore will contribute US$100,000 to the fund, which helps member states procure the medical supplies and equipment needed to combat the pandemic.
Over and above the contribution to the fund, Singapore has also separately been giving test kits, personal protective equipment, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines for the detection of Covid-19, among other things, to governments and non-governmental organisations throughout the region.
"We have not beat our drums about it, but that good work has been done and it has been appreciated by our neighbours," said Dr Balakrishnan.
Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore will be an important reference customer when it comes to vaccines.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
Yuen Sin
1 MAR 2021
SINGAPORE - Singapore will make decisions regarding the approval of vaccines on the basis of science and healthcare needs, and will not be pressured when it comes to decisions on such matters, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament on Monday (March 1).
"We cannot be bought, we cannot be bullied, we cannot be intimidated into either approving or disapproving any vaccine," said Dr Balakrishnan, who was speaking during the debate on the Foreign Ministry's budget.
"There will be pressure on us, there will be push and pulls, but we must conduct this just like another example of foreign policy, in a principled manner," he said in response to Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC), who had noted that the distribution patterns of Covid-19 vaccines around the world reflected a certain power play along traditional alliances.
Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore will be an important reference customer when it comes to vaccines, precisely because the world knows that the country bases its decisions on science and healthcare needs, as opposed to other factors.
Ms Lim had also asked if countries joining the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) facility face any restrictions on reaching bilateral arrangements for Covid-19 vaccine purchases, and whether such bilateral arrangements will pose an obstacle to the success of the Covax programme, which aims to procure, equitably allocate and deliver two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines by the end of this year.
Dr Balakrishnan explained that under Covax's global risk-sharing mechanism, countries with more resources, including Singapore, would make advance market commitments for the vaccines.
This would incentivise multiple pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines in a timely manner, despite the significant business risk. "If there wasn't such a facility to pool risk and therefore incentivise this simultaneous rapid development of vaccines, we wouldn't be in this happy situation," he explained, referring to how promising vaccine candidates that Singapore and other countries had made advance purchase agreements for have now been approved by health authorities and are being used in various countries.
While putting money into the collective pot entitles Singapore to its fair share of Covid-19 vaccines on the basis of full market price, a "significant amount" will be committed to help support the less well-off countries, Dr Balakrishnan explained.
This ensures that there will be some vaccines available to countries around the world, especially for essential workers, preventing a situation where only countries who can afford vaccines have access to them.
He also clarified that Singapore's US$5 million (S$6.7 million) contribution to the Advance Market Commitment under the Covax facility, which ensures access to vaccines for developing countries, is not specifically earmarked for Asean.
Singapore has a separate Asean Covid-19 Response Fund, which it has also committed funds to, and which will be used based on needs within the Asean family, he added. It was announced in November that Singapore will contribute US$100,000 to the fund, which helps member states procure the medical supplies and equipment needed to combat the pandemic.
Over and above the contribution to the fund, Singapore has also separately been giving test kits, personal protective equipment, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) machines for the detection of Covid-19, among other things, to governments and non-governmental organisations throughout the region.
"We have not beat our drums about it, but that good work has been done and it has been appreciated by our neighbours," said Dr Balakrishnan.
Quote: "The mRNA vaccines currently available are the most effective vaccines that all future Covid-19 vaccines need to contend with as the gold standard. Additionally, the technology also allows quicker updates within weeks rather than months when significant new strains require an update."
Confirmation that Sinovac's inactivated virus vaccine is not as good as mRNA vaccine. So why did the SG government hastily bought Sinovac vaccine before approval?
Forum: Benefits of Covid-19 vaccination outweigh the risks
2 MAR 2021
I read with concern Forum writer Lee Chun Yii's letter (Little is known about the long-term safety of Covid-19 vaccine, Feb 26).
There are several points which indicate a misunderstanding of how the virus causes disease, how the mRNA vaccine works and the epidemiology of Covid-19.
First, getting Covid-19 has long-term consequences. From what is now better known, a significant minority of patients ranging from 10 per cent to 40 per cent may suffer from long-term complications affecting the heart, brain and lungs, and general well-being. This is called the "long Covid" syndrome. In contrast, no major safety concerns have emerged despite millions of people being vaccinated across the world.
Second, mRNA vaccines work by stimulating the production of the spike protein within our cells, which then stimulate antibody production and other immune cells that protect us from future infection. There are many advantages of these mRNA vaccines.
The mRNA vaccines currently available are the most effective vaccines that all future Covid-19 vaccines need to contend with as the gold standard. Additionally, the technology also allows quicker updates within weeks rather than months when significant new strains require an update.
There is no virus in the mRNA that can bind to ACE2 receptors to produce any long-term complications. However, unvaccinated people getting Covid-19 are at risk of long-term complications.
Where there is paucity of safety data, such as in pregnancies and in children, Singapore has been cautious and has held off recommending the vaccine until further data emerges. Hence, these vaccines are recommended only when there is good evidence to show that benefits outweigh the risks.
It is true that young people are at lower risk of complications. But it is not zero risk. Data from Europe and North America suggest 1 per cent to 5 per cent still died from Covid-19.
Importantly, young people with Covid-19 and actively socialising are responsible for the spread of the disease and contributing to the rapid spread of new strains. Notably, they infected the high-risk older people or those with medical problems who then died from Covid-19.
For personal and family reasons, and as good citizens of a society, young people should also take Covid-19 vaccines when offered. Delaying effective Covid-19 vaccination has real negative societal consequences, especially when we are progressively opening up society and the economy.
David Lye (Associate Professor)
Director, Infectious Disease Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases
Member, Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination
Confirmation that Sinovac's inactivated virus vaccine is not as good as mRNA vaccine. So why did the SG government hastily bought Sinovac vaccine before approval?
Forum: Benefits of Covid-19 vaccination outweigh the risks
2 MAR 2021
I read with concern Forum writer Lee Chun Yii's letter (Little is known about the long-term safety of Covid-19 vaccine, Feb 26).
There are several points which indicate a misunderstanding of how the virus causes disease, how the mRNA vaccine works and the epidemiology of Covid-19.
First, getting Covid-19 has long-term consequences. From what is now better known, a significant minority of patients ranging from 10 per cent to 40 per cent may suffer from long-term complications affecting the heart, brain and lungs, and general well-being. This is called the "long Covid" syndrome. In contrast, no major safety concerns have emerged despite millions of people being vaccinated across the world.
Second, mRNA vaccines work by stimulating the production of the spike protein within our cells, which then stimulate antibody production and other immune cells that protect us from future infection. There are many advantages of these mRNA vaccines.
The mRNA vaccines currently available are the most effective vaccines that all future Covid-19 vaccines need to contend with as the gold standard. Additionally, the technology also allows quicker updates within weeks rather than months when significant new strains require an update.
There is no virus in the mRNA that can bind to ACE2 receptors to produce any long-term complications. However, unvaccinated people getting Covid-19 are at risk of long-term complications.
Where there is paucity of safety data, such as in pregnancies and in children, Singapore has been cautious and has held off recommending the vaccine until further data emerges. Hence, these vaccines are recommended only when there is good evidence to show that benefits outweigh the risks.
It is true that young people are at lower risk of complications. But it is not zero risk. Data from Europe and North America suggest 1 per cent to 5 per cent still died from Covid-19.
Importantly, young people with Covid-19 and actively socialising are responsible for the spread of the disease and contributing to the rapid spread of new strains. Notably, they infected the high-risk older people or those with medical problems who then died from Covid-19.
For personal and family reasons, and as good citizens of a society, young people should also take Covid-19 vaccines when offered. Delaying effective Covid-19 vaccination has real negative societal consequences, especially when we are progressively opening up society and the economy.
David Lye (Associate Professor)
Director, Infectious Disease Research and Training Office, National Centre for Infectious Diseases
Member, Expert Committee on Covid-19 Vaccination
Last edited:
Quotes:
He added: "I do not think there is any basis for people to say, a vaccine comes from China, it is no good, or conversely, a vaccine comes from China, it must be good because I am a Chinaman and it matches my DNA. Vaccines are vaccines."
Mr Lee also noted that China has capable scientists, biomedical researchers and vaccine researchers, adding that he had no doubt they were capable of making good vaccines.
Do you not detect a bias in favour of China?
S'pore will use Covid-19 jabs from any source, as long as they are safe, effective: PM Lee
PM Lee said Singapore is in the process of evaluating China's Sinovac vaccine.
PHOTO: MCI
Tham Yuen-C
Senior Political Correspondent
MAR 14, 2021
SINGAPORE - Singapore will use Covid-19 vaccines no matter where they are made, as long as they are safe and effective, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an interview with the BBC broadcast on Sunday (March 14).
"We will use vaccines from any source. Vaccines do not carry a nationality. Is it good or is it no good? Does it work? If it does, then we will use it," he added.
Singapore has placed orders for vaccines against the Sars-CoV-2 virus from multiple suppliers to hedge its bets, and has received supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which have been approved for use.
Late last month, it received its first shipment of China's Sinovac vaccine, which has not yet been authorised by the Health Sciences Authority for use in Singapore. The agency is in the process of evaluating it for safety and efficacy.
With mass vaccination campaigns under way around the world giving rise to vaccine diplomacy - countries using vaccines as instruments of influence - some commentators have suggested that China may be pushing for Singapore to approve the Sinovac product.
Asked by BBC World News Asia Business correspondent Karishma Vaswani if Singapore was under pressure to use a Chinese-made vaccine, Mr Lee said: "We are in the process of evaluating the vaccine. If it passes muster in terms of safety and effectiveness, we will use it."
He added: "I do not think there is any basis for people to say, a vaccine comes from China, it is no good, or conversely, a vaccine comes from China, it must be good because I am a Chinaman and it matches my DNA. Vaccines are vaccines."
Mr Lee also noted that China has capable scientists, biomedical researchers and vaccine researchers, adding that he had no doubt they were capable of making good vaccines.
Since Singapore's Covid-19 vaccination drive kicked off last December, more than 610,000 doses of vaccines have been administered.
On why Singapore was not moving faster despite having got the vaccines quite early, Mr Lee said the Government wanted to persuade people to come on board.
"We have not been under quite as much pressure because we did not have so many cases domestically, and there was time for us to explain to people, persuade them, reassure them, and dispel their worries and anxieties, and to do it in a systematic way," he added.
"But we hope to do it with due dispatch, and certainly by the end of the year and sooner."
Mr Lee also hoped that as countries move to vaccinate their populations, those with a substantial proportion of people who have been inoculated may be able to reopen their borders for international travel, hopefully by later this year or early next year.
Describing how this may work, he said: "It would not be like before where you can just buy a ticket, hop onto the plane and go off to Hong Kong, Bangkok or Bali for a weekend and a casual holiday.
"You have to plan for it, you must have some documentation, you need some way to prove that you have been properly vaccinated and maybe be tested to prove that you have the antibodies in you when you fly."
Some have said that such vaccine passports present ethical issues. For instance, there is the potential that they could be used to deny people essential goods and services.
Noting that such mechanisms were also used before, with people having to show proof of vaccination for yellow fever or cholera to travel, Mr Lee said: "I think that will happen again. There are ethical issues, but I do not think that you can run away from a practical solution."
Singapore had also discussed opening up safe corridors or travel bubbles with places where the outbreaks are under control. A travel bubble with Hong Kong was to have started last November, but it was postponed following a spike in the number of cases in Hong Kong.
Asked whether the world has seen the worst of the pandemic, Mr Lee said that while cases have come down in the developed world with the proliferation of vaccines, the effort to vaccinate people worldwide is a massive task.
"Nobody has ever tried to vaccinate the entire population of the world within a year, or two or three years, and to invent a vaccine, test it out, manufacture it, and then to do that in 200-odd countries around the world. That is a huge task," he added.
"We cannot assume that it will go smoothly, and that it will always be in time. We are going to be struggling with this for some time yet, but we are no longer defenceless."
Mr Lee also noted that pandemics have happened before and subsided, and the Covid-19 pandemic will similarly end, though not for another three to five years.
"The nasty way is to go up the hill and come down the infection curve to get to herd immunity, and take a huge human toll along the way. Better if we can have vaccinations and protect people, and at the same time, therapeutics to treat people, so that we can get to a safe place, and we learn to live with this if it does not disappear," he added.
He added: "I do not think there is any basis for people to say, a vaccine comes from China, it is no good, or conversely, a vaccine comes from China, it must be good because I am a Chinaman and it matches my DNA. Vaccines are vaccines."
Mr Lee also noted that China has capable scientists, biomedical researchers and vaccine researchers, adding that he had no doubt they were capable of making good vaccines.
Do you not detect a bias in favour of China?
S'pore will use Covid-19 jabs from any source, as long as they are safe, effective: PM Lee
PM Lee said Singapore is in the process of evaluating China's Sinovac vaccine.
PHOTO: MCI
Tham Yuen-C
Senior Political Correspondent
MAR 14, 2021
SINGAPORE - Singapore will use Covid-19 vaccines no matter where they are made, as long as they are safe and effective, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an interview with the BBC broadcast on Sunday (March 14).
"We will use vaccines from any source. Vaccines do not carry a nationality. Is it good or is it no good? Does it work? If it does, then we will use it," he added.
Singapore has placed orders for vaccines against the Sars-CoV-2 virus from multiple suppliers to hedge its bets, and has received supplies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which have been approved for use.
Late last month, it received its first shipment of China's Sinovac vaccine, which has not yet been authorised by the Health Sciences Authority for use in Singapore. The agency is in the process of evaluating it for safety and efficacy.
With mass vaccination campaigns under way around the world giving rise to vaccine diplomacy - countries using vaccines as instruments of influence - some commentators have suggested that China may be pushing for Singapore to approve the Sinovac product.
Asked by BBC World News Asia Business correspondent Karishma Vaswani if Singapore was under pressure to use a Chinese-made vaccine, Mr Lee said: "We are in the process of evaluating the vaccine. If it passes muster in terms of safety and effectiveness, we will use it."
He added: "I do not think there is any basis for people to say, a vaccine comes from China, it is no good, or conversely, a vaccine comes from China, it must be good because I am a Chinaman and it matches my DNA. Vaccines are vaccines."
Mr Lee also noted that China has capable scientists, biomedical researchers and vaccine researchers, adding that he had no doubt they were capable of making good vaccines.
Since Singapore's Covid-19 vaccination drive kicked off last December, more than 610,000 doses of vaccines have been administered.
On why Singapore was not moving faster despite having got the vaccines quite early, Mr Lee said the Government wanted to persuade people to come on board.
"We have not been under quite as much pressure because we did not have so many cases domestically, and there was time for us to explain to people, persuade them, reassure them, and dispel their worries and anxieties, and to do it in a systematic way," he added.
"But we hope to do it with due dispatch, and certainly by the end of the year and sooner."
Mr Lee also hoped that as countries move to vaccinate their populations, those with a substantial proportion of people who have been inoculated may be able to reopen their borders for international travel, hopefully by later this year or early next year.
Describing how this may work, he said: "It would not be like before where you can just buy a ticket, hop onto the plane and go off to Hong Kong, Bangkok or Bali for a weekend and a casual holiday.
"You have to plan for it, you must have some documentation, you need some way to prove that you have been properly vaccinated and maybe be tested to prove that you have the antibodies in you when you fly."
Some have said that such vaccine passports present ethical issues. For instance, there is the potential that they could be used to deny people essential goods and services.
Noting that such mechanisms were also used before, with people having to show proof of vaccination for yellow fever or cholera to travel, Mr Lee said: "I think that will happen again. There are ethical issues, but I do not think that you can run away from a practical solution."
Singapore had also discussed opening up safe corridors or travel bubbles with places where the outbreaks are under control. A travel bubble with Hong Kong was to have started last November, but it was postponed following a spike in the number of cases in Hong Kong.
Asked whether the world has seen the worst of the pandemic, Mr Lee said that while cases have come down in the developed world with the proliferation of vaccines, the effort to vaccinate people worldwide is a massive task.
"Nobody has ever tried to vaccinate the entire population of the world within a year, or two or three years, and to invent a vaccine, test it out, manufacture it, and then to do that in 200-odd countries around the world. That is a huge task," he added.
"We cannot assume that it will go smoothly, and that it will always be in time. We are going to be struggling with this for some time yet, but we are no longer defenceless."
Mr Lee also noted that pandemics have happened before and subsided, and the Covid-19 pandemic will similarly end, though not for another three to five years.
"The nasty way is to go up the hill and come down the infection curve to get to herd immunity, and take a huge human toll along the way. Better if we can have vaccinations and protect people, and at the same time, therapeutics to treat people, so that we can get to a safe place, and we learn to live with this if it does not disappear," he added.
Low efficacy of Chinese Covid-19 vaccine shots fuels concern about global roll-out
Research showed the efficacy rate for Sinovac Biotech's vaccine was just above 50 per cent.
PHOTO: AFP
Apr 12, 2021
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - Concern is mounting that China's Covid-19 vaccines are less effective at quelling the disease, raising questions about nations from Brazil to Hungary that are depending on the shots and the country's own mammoth inoculation drive.
While vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna and even Russia's Sputnik shot have delivered protection rates of more than 90 per cent, Chinese candidates have generally reported much lower efficacy results.
Research released on Sunday showed the rate for Sinovac Biotech's vaccine - deployed in Indonesia and Brazil - was just above 50 per cent, barely meeting the minimum protection required for Covid vaccines by leading global drug regulators.
The other Chinese shots have reported efficacy rates of between 66 and 79 per cent.
Anxiety over that disparity spilled into the open at the weekend when George Fu Gao, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said at a forum that something needed to be done to address the low protection rate of the Chinese vaccines, according to local news outlet the Paper.
The rare admission by a senior official appeared to go viral on social media before China's censors swung into action, with posts and media reports about Dr Gao's comments quickly edited or taken down.
Dr Gao then backtracked, telling state-backed newspaper the Global Times on Sunday that his remarks were misinterpreted, and were only meant to suggest ways to improve the efficacy of vaccines.
Dr Gao suggested that following up inoculations with additional booster shots and mixing different types of vaccines could help tackle the effectiveness issue, according to the Global Times.
The concerns put a question mark over a vast swathe of the global vaccine roll-out, particularly in the developing world, with richer countries' domination of supplies of the highly effective mRNA vaccines seeing countries like Turkey and Indonesia turn instead to China's shots.
Beijing, which is also donating vaccines to some nations, has been ramping up its own inoculation drive, aiming to vaccinate 40 per cent of China's population - or 560 million people - by the end of June, an ambitious effort that will require it to move at twice the pace of the United States.
"They don't really trust it themselves," said Therese Hesketh, an expert on China's healthcare system at University College London. "They really did a rush job on the vaccine and the clinical trials have never been properly scrutinised. I'm aware from colleagues in China that there's huge vaccine hesitancy anyway."
Chinese vaccine developers have been repeatedly criticised for a lack of transparency and lag foreign peers in publishing full trial data in peer-reviewed medical journals.
The weekend study out of Sinovac vaccine's late stage trial in Brazil came three months after its first efficacy readouts, while state-owned Sinopharm has yet to publish full data from Phase III trials for its two inactivated Covid vaccines.
While a separate Sinovac study involving more than 10,000 people in Turkey put the vaccine's efficacy to 83.5 per cent, it just added to questions about the shot's efficacy.
The company has said that differences in the severity of outbreaks, various Covid strains in circulation and the definition by which virus cases are identified in studies have all contributed to different results across several trial sites.
One reason for the low efficacy in the Brazil trial, according to the study's researchers, was that the two doses of the vaccine were administered at a short interval of 14 days.
The researchers noted "a trend to higher efficacy" among a limited number of participants who got their second dose in no less than 21 days.
The stake is high for Brazil's vaccination roll-out. The country is relying on both the Sinovac shot, known as CoronaVac, and the booster from AstraZeneca and Oxford University which has encountered controversy after some people experienced blood clots.
At home, China is already walking a tightrope in trying to keep its vaccination rates on par with some other countries, especially the US, to avoid a delay in lifting border restrictions and resuming international travel.
While China is working on more effective vaccines, including shots that deploy mRNA technology, it should continue to roll out those that have been approved for now, said Benjamin Cowling, head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong.
"They can provide a high level of protection, particularly against severe Covid," he said.
Fearing a heavy-handed approach could draw backlash, officials in China have so far refrained from making shots mandatory, and have spoken out against forced inoculation.
Officials have instead dangled rewards and applied peer pressure among workers in the massive state sector to significantly raise vaccination rates, and are now issuing nearly 4 million doses a day from less than 1 million at the start of the year.
Research showed the efficacy rate for Sinovac Biotech's vaccine was just above 50 per cent.
PHOTO: AFP
Apr 12, 2021
BEIJING (BLOOMBERG) - Concern is mounting that China's Covid-19 vaccines are less effective at quelling the disease, raising questions about nations from Brazil to Hungary that are depending on the shots and the country's own mammoth inoculation drive.
While vaccines developed by Pfizer, Moderna and even Russia's Sputnik shot have delivered protection rates of more than 90 per cent, Chinese candidates have generally reported much lower efficacy results.
Research released on Sunday showed the rate for Sinovac Biotech's vaccine - deployed in Indonesia and Brazil - was just above 50 per cent, barely meeting the minimum protection required for Covid vaccines by leading global drug regulators.
The other Chinese shots have reported efficacy rates of between 66 and 79 per cent.
Anxiety over that disparity spilled into the open at the weekend when George Fu Gao, head of the Chinese Center for Disease Prevention and Control, said at a forum that something needed to be done to address the low protection rate of the Chinese vaccines, according to local news outlet the Paper.
The rare admission by a senior official appeared to go viral on social media before China's censors swung into action, with posts and media reports about Dr Gao's comments quickly edited or taken down.
Dr Gao then backtracked, telling state-backed newspaper the Global Times on Sunday that his remarks were misinterpreted, and were only meant to suggest ways to improve the efficacy of vaccines.
Dr Gao suggested that following up inoculations with additional booster shots and mixing different types of vaccines could help tackle the effectiveness issue, according to the Global Times.
The concerns put a question mark over a vast swathe of the global vaccine roll-out, particularly in the developing world, with richer countries' domination of supplies of the highly effective mRNA vaccines seeing countries like Turkey and Indonesia turn instead to China's shots.
Beijing, which is also donating vaccines to some nations, has been ramping up its own inoculation drive, aiming to vaccinate 40 per cent of China's population - or 560 million people - by the end of June, an ambitious effort that will require it to move at twice the pace of the United States.
"They don't really trust it themselves," said Therese Hesketh, an expert on China's healthcare system at University College London. "They really did a rush job on the vaccine and the clinical trials have never been properly scrutinised. I'm aware from colleagues in China that there's huge vaccine hesitancy anyway."
Chinese vaccine developers have been repeatedly criticised for a lack of transparency and lag foreign peers in publishing full trial data in peer-reviewed medical journals.
The weekend study out of Sinovac vaccine's late stage trial in Brazil came three months after its first efficacy readouts, while state-owned Sinopharm has yet to publish full data from Phase III trials for its two inactivated Covid vaccines.
While a separate Sinovac study involving more than 10,000 people in Turkey put the vaccine's efficacy to 83.5 per cent, it just added to questions about the shot's efficacy.
The company has said that differences in the severity of outbreaks, various Covid strains in circulation and the definition by which virus cases are identified in studies have all contributed to different results across several trial sites.
One reason for the low efficacy in the Brazil trial, according to the study's researchers, was that the two doses of the vaccine were administered at a short interval of 14 days.
The researchers noted "a trend to higher efficacy" among a limited number of participants who got their second dose in no less than 21 days.
The stake is high for Brazil's vaccination roll-out. The country is relying on both the Sinovac shot, known as CoronaVac, and the booster from AstraZeneca and Oxford University which has encountered controversy after some people experienced blood clots.
At home, China is already walking a tightrope in trying to keep its vaccination rates on par with some other countries, especially the US, to avoid a delay in lifting border restrictions and resuming international travel.
While China is working on more effective vaccines, including shots that deploy mRNA technology, it should continue to roll out those that have been approved for now, said Benjamin Cowling, head of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Hong Kong.
"They can provide a high level of protection, particularly against severe Covid," he said.
Fearing a heavy-handed approach could draw backlash, officials in China have so far refrained from making shots mandatory, and have spoken out against forced inoculation.
Officials have instead dangled rewards and applied peer pressure among workers in the massive state sector to significantly raise vaccination rates, and are now issuing nearly 4 million doses a day from less than 1 million at the start of the year.
When they can feed babies melamine, you know they will do anything they can to get yr money, regardless you're dead or alive.
Can't trust these chunks.
All the more reason the pap will not release the chicon vacs. Will back fire on them
Sinovac vaccine still being evaluated for use in Singapore: Gan
Singapore received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine on Feb 23.PHOTO: AFP
Timothy Goh
May 11, 2021
SINGAPORE - The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is still being evaluated for use here, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told Parliament on Tuesday (May 11).
He was responding to a question from Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) who had asked about the progress of the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) evaluation of the vaccine, as well as whether the advance purchase agreement for Sinovac is still valid.
Singapore received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine on Feb 23, before it was authorised for use here.
On March 24, Mr Gan said that HSA had asked Sinovac for more detailed data so it could make an "adequate, full assessment" of its vaccine.
On April 16, it was announced that a Chilean study had found Sinovac's vaccine to be 67 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic infection.
The World Health Organisation is also expected to deliver its evaluation of Sinovac's vaccine in the coming days.
Responding to Mr Liang's question on Tuesday, Mr Gan said that as part of efforts to secure a diversified vaccine portfolio, Singapore had entered into advance purchase areements with several pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac last year, even before the clinical trials of the vaccines were completed .
This was done in order to increase the chances of securing a suitable vaccine that is safe and effective for use here, said Mr Gan.
"This was how we managed to start our vaccination drive with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines early," he noted.
Likewise, Singapore took delivery of the Sinovac vaccines based on the schedules that had been planned for and committed under the advance purchase agreement with Sinovac.
But Sinovacand "a few other vaccines" are still being carefully evaluated by HSA, and the public will be updated when progress has been made, said Mr Gan.
Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) later asked what would happen if Sinovac were not approved by HSA, and if there were arrangements with Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech that would allow the supply of their vaccines to be increased.
Mr Gan said Singapore had entered into advance purchase agreements with several other vaccine companies, but he added that he could not share more details due to confidentiality clauses.
"But as and when these contracts materialise, as and when we are able to supply and to deploy these vaccines, we will share more details with fellow Singaporeans," he said.
Singapore received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine on Feb 23.PHOTO: AFP
Timothy Goh
May 11, 2021
SINGAPORE - The Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine is still being evaluated for use here, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong told Parliament on Tuesday (May 11).
He was responding to a question from Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Bukit Panjang) who had asked about the progress of the Health Sciences Authority's (HSA) evaluation of the vaccine, as well as whether the advance purchase agreement for Sinovac is still valid.
Singapore received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccine on Feb 23, before it was authorised for use here.
On March 24, Mr Gan said that HSA had asked Sinovac for more detailed data so it could make an "adequate, full assessment" of its vaccine.
On April 16, it was announced that a Chilean study had found Sinovac's vaccine to be 67 per cent effective in preventing symptomatic infection.
The World Health Organisation is also expected to deliver its evaluation of Sinovac's vaccine in the coming days.
Responding to Mr Liang's question on Tuesday, Mr Gan said that as part of efforts to secure a diversified vaccine portfolio, Singapore had entered into advance purchase areements with several pharmaceutical companies such as Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Sinovac last year, even before the clinical trials of the vaccines were completed .
This was done in order to increase the chances of securing a suitable vaccine that is safe and effective for use here, said Mr Gan.
"This was how we managed to start our vaccination drive with Pfizer and Moderna vaccines early," he noted.
Likewise, Singapore took delivery of the Sinovac vaccines based on the schedules that had been planned for and committed under the advance purchase agreement with Sinovac.
But Sinovacand "a few other vaccines" are still being carefully evaluated by HSA, and the public will be updated when progress has been made, said Mr Gan.
Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) later asked what would happen if Sinovac were not approved by HSA, and if there were arrangements with Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech that would allow the supply of their vaccines to be increased.
Mr Gan said Singapore had entered into advance purchase agreements with several other vaccine companies, but he added that he could not share more details due to confidentiality clauses.
"But as and when these contracts materialise, as and when we are able to supply and to deploy these vaccines, we will share more details with fellow Singaporeans," he said.
Don't worry about it. Now can choose... so just choose the vaccine which one feels better meets ones needs
Got to find a use for it otherwise the batch of Sinovac vaccine that MoH bought in haste would expire unused.
MOH has approved special access to Sinovac's vaccine through Singapore's private healthcare sector.PHOTO: AFP
Timothy Goh
June 2, 2021
SINGAPORE - Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine will be allowed under the Special Access Route (SAR), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (June 2).
This follows the announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday that it had approved the vaccine for use under its Emergency Use Listing.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOH said that given this latest development, the Sinovac vaccine would be allowed under the SAR.
However, since the China-made vaccine is not part of the national vaccine programme, those who choose to receive it will not be eligible for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP).
MOH said it will release more details in the coming days on how private healthcare institutions can apply to be licensed providers of the vaccine.
It added that it is working out details on pricing, informed consent process and safety of the patients who prefer to be administered with Sinovac's vaccine.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said on Monday that licensed healthcare institutions can apply to MOH to draw on Singapore's existing stock of 200,000 doses of the vaccine, which was delivered earlier this year.
However, MOH clarified on Wednesday that this is still a possibility that is being assessed.
"As more international and local evidence and data becomes available, the Expert Committee on Covid-19 vaccination is also reviewing current restrictions to allow people with known history of anaphylaxis to be vaccinated, with the two mRNA vaccines currently approved for use here," said MOH, adding that this will enable more people to be protected from the virus.
The two mRNA vaccines refer to those by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Both use messenger RNA to give instructions to the body's cells to produce a harmless piece of the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. This allows the body to protect itself from the disease.
In contrast, Sinovac uses an inactivated form of the coronavirus to teach the body how to protect itself from Covid-19.
MOH approves special access to Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine through private healthcare sector
MOH has approved special access to Sinovac's vaccine through Singapore's private healthcare sector.PHOTO: AFP
Timothy Goh
June 2, 2021
SINGAPORE - Sinovac's Covid-19 vaccine will be allowed under the Special Access Route (SAR), said the Ministry of Health (MOH) on Wednesday (June 2).
This follows the announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday that it had approved the vaccine for use under its Emergency Use Listing.
In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOH said that given this latest development, the Sinovac vaccine would be allowed under the SAR.
However, since the China-made vaccine is not part of the national vaccine programme, those who choose to receive it will not be eligible for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP).
MOH said it will release more details in the coming days on how private healthcare institutions can apply to be licensed providers of the vaccine.
It added that it is working out details on pricing, informed consent process and safety of the patients who prefer to be administered with Sinovac's vaccine.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung had said on Monday that licensed healthcare institutions can apply to MOH to draw on Singapore's existing stock of 200,000 doses of the vaccine, which was delivered earlier this year.
However, MOH clarified on Wednesday that this is still a possibility that is being assessed.
"As more international and local evidence and data becomes available, the Expert Committee on Covid-19 vaccination is also reviewing current restrictions to allow people with known history of anaphylaxis to be vaccinated, with the two mRNA vaccines currently approved for use here," said MOH, adding that this will enable more people to be protected from the virus.
The two mRNA vaccines refer to those by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech. Both use messenger RNA to give instructions to the body's cells to produce a harmless piece of the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19. This allows the body to protect itself from the disease.
In contrast, Sinovac uses an inactivated form of the coronavirus to teach the body how to protect itself from Covid-19.
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Sinovac's efficacy is only 51% and yet MoH is approving it.
Sounds like someone who has been totally bullied and cowed by China.
I only trust Ang Mo when it comes to medicine. Sorry, but Asians - of skins colours ranging from light yellow to dark brown - are all inferior when it comes to medical advancement.
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