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Sinovac, AstraZeneca Vaccines Given Conditional Approval For Use As Boosters

Nov 19, 2021

The Drug Control Authority (DCA) has granted conditional approval to AstraZeneca (AZ) and Sinovac vaccines to be used as booster shots.

According to NST, Health director-general Tan Sri Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement said both vaccines could be used to administer booster shots to individuals aged 18 years and above who received the same vaccine brand for their primary vaccination series.

Photo via The Star

“The booster shots for AstraZeneca vaccine will be given six months after the second dose was administered. 

“Meanwhile, booster shots for the Sinovac vaccine will be administered between three to six months after the completion of the second dose,” he said.

DG Hisham also said that the administration of booster shots for both vaccines to the respective target groups will be detailed out by the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force-Booster (CITF-B) and this will be notified from time to time. 

The DCA also agreed to grant conditional approval to another AstraZeneca vaccine manufacturer, namely SK Bioscience Co., Ltd of South Korea.

Photo via Bloomberg

The company, he said, is the third AstraZeneca vaccine manufacturing company to receive conditional approval after AstraZeneca Nijmegen B.V. of Netherlands and Siam Bioscience Co., Ltd. Of Thailand.

The conditional approval required information on the quality, safety, and effectiveness of the vaccines which are monitored and evaluated based on recent data from time to time.

By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat