Priority for Individuals with Contraindications to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines to Receive Sinovac Vaccine and Be Eligible for Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether individuals contraindicated for mRNA vaccines should receive priority for the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine and eligibility for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP). Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song inquired about including the vaccine in the national programme, but Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung stated that the Health Sciences Authority is still awaiting evaluation data. Consequently, the vaccine is not part of the national programme and recipients are ineligible for VIFAP, though the Ministry of Health has ringfenced stocks for those with medical contraindications. This group includes individuals with allergic reactions to mRNA doses or those assessed by allergists as medically unsuitable for such vaccines. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung confirmed that these persons will be prioritized over those who choose the Sinovac vaccine out of personal preference.
Transcript
66 Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Health (a) whether individuals who have contraindications for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines but not the Sinovac vaccine can be given priority to receive the Sinovac vaccine over those who choose it out of personal preference; and (b) whether the Sinovac vaccine can be made part of the national vaccination programme for this group of individuals so that they can receive their vaccinations at vaccination centres and polyclinics and will be eligible for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme should they develop any adverse reactions.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is still awaiting additional data to complete its evaluation of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine for its safety and efficacy standards. The vaccine is therefore not yet authorised for use by HSA under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR), and is not recommended as part of the national vaccination programme by the Expert Committee on COVID-19 Vaccination. Hence, individuals should be aware that they will not be eligible for the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) should any serious side effects occur.
Only a small group of persons would be contraindicated for the mRNA vaccines. These include (a) persons who had allergic reactions to the first dose of mRNA-based vaccine, and (b) persons who are allergic to other vaccines and are assessed by an allergist to be unsuitable for mRNA-based vaccines.
For these persons, MOH has ringfenced sufficient Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine stocks for their priority use.