Drug authority green-lights Sinovac jab for teenagers
This is the second vaccine after the Pfizer shot to be approved for use on adolescents.
The Drug Control Authority (DCA) has given the green light for the administration of Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine to teenagers aged 12 and above.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the decision was made at a DCA meeting today.
“The CoronaVac vaccine was previously given conditional registration for use among those 18 and above,” he said.
“This is the second Covid-19 vaccine approved for use in adolescents after the same approval was given for Pfizer-BioNTech’s Cominarty vaccine in June.”
However, he said the DCA recommends that teenagers aged 12 to 17 without comorbidities and who have allergies or are not suitable to receive the Pfizer jab be prioritised for the Sinovac shot.
“The evaluation for the use of CoronaVac in adolescents with comorbidities will continue once sufficient data is submitted,” he said in a statement.
The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme for teenagers was launched on Sept 20 with the aim of vaccinating some 3.2 million students aged 12 to 17.
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