SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Singapore on Tuesday received the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine, made by Sinovac Biotech in China, the Ministry of Health said, although the shot is still pending approval for use in the city-state.
Sinovac has begun submitting the initial data, but the Health Sciences Authority is currently awaiting all necessary information to conduct an in-depth assessment, the ministry said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Singapore is the only prosperous country considering the use of the Sinovac vaccine, which has been found in studies to have efficacy rates ranging from about 50% to 90%.
The city-state has rolled out its COVID-19 vaccination program for the past two months. It has approved recordings from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
The government has previously declined to provide specific details about the deals with vaccine makers.
As an island state heavily dependent on travel and trade, the Singapore government wants to boost its economy through the vaccine. Singapore aims to vaccinate its total population of nearly six million people by the end of 2021.
Singapore has reported very few new local coronavirus cases in recent months.
Since the outbreak began, it has recorded a total of nearly 60,000 infections, most of which occurred in overcrowded dormitories for foreign workers. Only 29 people have died from the disease in Singapore, according to the Ministry of Health.
China, Brazil, Indonesia and Thailand are among the countries that have approved the Sinovac vaccine.
Reporting by Chen Lin; Editing by Ed Davies