BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
FOLLOWING the approval of Sinopharm by the World Health Organisation, the National Drugs Medicine and Therapeutics committee will now consider the approval of the vaccine for use in the country this week.
This was confirmed by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare yesterday.
“Fellow Solomon Islanders, I am extremely delighted to inform you that the WHO has approved that the Sinopharm vaccine under its Emergency Use Listing (EUL).
“As you know we already have 50,000 doses of Sinopahrm vaccines in the country with this approval from the WHO the National Drugs Medicine and Therapeutics committee will now consider the approval of the Sinopharm vaccine for use in Solomon Islands this week,” Sogavare said.
He said the Ministry of Health and Medical Services technical working group met yesterday to finalise the roll-out plan of the sinopharm vaccine to be presented to the National Drugs Medicine and Therapeutic Committee for approval.
“The approval by the WHO of the Sinopahrm vaccine means that it has met the relevant efficacy and safety standards required from COVID-19 vaccines for administrations to people.
This are the same standards that WHO use to approve the other four COVID-19 vaccines mentioned earlier,” Sogavare said.
He said the country has already 50,000 doses of Sinopahrm vaccines. Sinopharm is the fifth covid-19 vaccine approved by the WHO.
The other four vaccines are Pfizer vaccine, Moderna vaccine, AstraZeneca vaccine and Johnson and Johnsons vaccine.
