SINGAPORE – China’s Sinovac has submitted more data about its Covid-19 jab to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA), which is currently in the midst of reviewing the vaccine for use here.

HSA told The Straits Times on Thursday (July 15) that it had received the data from Sinovac on July 5 and will give an update following evaluation.

“HSA is conducting a careful and thorough review of the additional data, and aims to complete evaluation in four to six weeks. HSA will provide an update once a regulatory decision is made,” said an HSA spokesman.

The Sinovac vaccine, which is not included in Singapore’s national vaccination programme, has shown variable protection across multiple studies carried out internationally, with the most complete analysis showing an efficacy of 51 per cent.

In contrast, the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty Covid-19 vaccines, which are both part of Singapore’s national vaccination programme, have shown an efficacy rate of around 90 per cent.

The Sinovac vaccine is currently being administered in Singapore under the Special Access Route in order to enhance overall vaccination coverage. As at July 3, 17,296 people here have received one dose of the Sinovac vaccine.

HSA said that Sinovac submitted the Pandemic Special Access Route application for its vaccine to the HSA in December last year.

In March 2021, after evaluating submitted data, HSA sought additional data from Sinovac to continue its assessment. Sinovac made that submission in July.

Individuals who have received the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine will not be exempted from pre-event testing, according to the Ministry of Health.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung has previously said that people who have received the Sinovac Covid-19 jab continue to be excluded from perks such as testing exemptions, as there is insufficient data to show how effective the Chinese jab is against the Delta strain, which is a more infectious variant of Covid-19.

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