The Health Ministry has approved the use of the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine for teenagers aged 12 and above.

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah in a statement today said that the vaccine will be prioritized for teens who have no comorbidities, allergies, or not fit to receive the Pfizer vaccine.

This is the second vaccine that Putrajaya has approved to be used for teenagers after the Pfizer vaccine.

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Posted by Noor Hisham Abdullah on Thursday, 30 September 2021


Putrajaya kicked off the vaccination programme for 3.2 million teenagers on Sept 20, and aims to administer at least one jab to 60 per cent of the individuals by November, and 80 per cent before schools reopen for the 2022 session.

A study by Putrajaya has revealed that the China-made Sinovac vaccine is highly effective in preventing serious illness from COVID-19. According to the study, 0.011 per cent of about 7.2 million recipients of the Sinovac shot required treatment in intensive care units (ICU) for COVID-19 infections.

In comparison, 0.002 per cent of 6.5 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine recipients, and 0.001 per cent of 744,958 AstraZeneca vaccine recipients required ICU admission for COVID-19 infections, respectively.

Studies on vaccines in general, regardless of their brand, show that they reduce the risk of admission to ICU by 83 per cent, and lowered the risk of death by 88 per cent.

The Sinovac vaccine has been widely used in several countries including China, Indonesia, Thailand and Brazil.


Photo source: Astro Awani.