Health

AstraZeneca and Sinovac Covid-19 Vaccines Facing Big Challenges

Published

3 years ago

April 15, 2021

Thai Senators Call on Government to Improve Vaccine Rollout Plan

As Thailand’s government continues to defend its use of Sinovac and AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccines many countries are questioning the vaccines. Use of AstraZeneca in western nations paused over rare blood clots, while Sinovac has been found to be only 53% effective.

In a stinging rebuke to pharma giant AstraZeneca, the EU has announced plans to shift to the Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccines. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced America’s Pfizer and Germany’s BioNTech would provide the EU with an extra 50 million doses as concerns unravel over AstraZeneca.
Exacerbating the problems for AstraZeneca, Denmark decided on Wednesday not to resume use of its vaccine, after putting it on hold last month following reports of rare blood clots in some recipients.

Denmark announced it would stop using the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine altogether, becoming the first European country to do so over suspected rare but serious side effects. The UK and much of Europe took similar measures but Denmark is the first European nation to completely cease using AstraZeneca.
The EU, UK and Australia have temporarily halted the use of AstraZeneca whilst the rare blood clots were investigated but numerous drug advisory groups reiterated the vaccine’s benefits outweighed any risks.

Australia’s delayed vaccine rollout took a major hit last week with new advice for Australians under the age of 50 to be offered an alternative to AstraZeneca.

Sinovac and AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccines

Meanwhile, The lower protection rates of China’s Covid-19 vaccines have raised concerns about shots that are key to inoculation rollouts from Thailand to Indonesia, especially after their efficacy was questioned by one of the most senior Chinese health officials.

More than 30 countries have rolled out the Sinovac shot, most of them in the developing world, but also Hong Kong. The vaccine is key to China’s own mammoth push to inoculate 560 million people — 40% of its population — by the end of June.

Thailand’s Public Health Minister recently defended his governments purchase of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine despite reports by China that it doesn’t have very high protection rate. His ministry declared the Sinovac vaccine was 100% effective in preventing severe cases of Covid-19.

In Asean, Thailand is in eighth position for covid-19 vaccinations. Singapore led with 27 doses per 100 people, followed by Indonesia (5), Malaysia (2.6), Cambodia (1.8), the Philippines (0.8), Myanmar (0.7) and Laos (0.6).

Some 2 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine and 61 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine have been ordered by Thailand. On Saturday the government announced 1 million more Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine doses had arrived from China.

Presently the Thai government has only procured Sinovac and AstraZeneca vaccines for Thailand, which has not created public confidence as there is growing concern about the two vaccines.

Source: CTN News, Bloomberg, 9News