Those allergic to mRNA vaccines invited to take Sinovac

We refer to Mr Loo Song Koh’s letter (“卫生部出了什么问题”, 19 Aug).

Individuals who have received one dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine but are unable to receive the second dose due to allergic reactions will be invited to take the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine under a dedicated public health programme established by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

These individuals will be informed about the programme via an SMS within a month of being recorded as having an allergic reaction to the mRNA vaccine. There is no need for them to head to any of the 31 private healthcare institutions offering the Government’s stock of the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine.

In the case of Mrs Loo, her allergy to mRNA and suitability to receive the second dose has not been fully ascertained and this information was unfortunately excluded from our records. Mrs Loo will be contacted this week for further assessment and if ineligible, she will be invited for the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine.

This group of individuals who are allergic to the mRNA vaccines may also choose to wait for other non-mRNA vaccines such as the Novavax vaccine that MOH has procured and is expected to start arriving before the end of the year.

Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash
Group Director, Crisis Strategy and Operations Group
Ministry of Health