Covid-19 Vaccines: Find Out How They Were Picked

Singapore had secured its first deal to purchase potential Covid-19 vaccines in June 2020, well before any of the 200 vaccine candidates had even began their phase three clinical trials. Instead of waiting for proven clinical results from the potential vaccines, Singapore paid a premium to ensure the secured supply of the first batch of the Moderna mRNA vaccine.

The 18-member panel responsible for selecting the vaccines for Singapore is chaired by Dr Benjamin Seet, Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of education and research of the National Healthcare Group. While the purchases to date should provide sufficient vaccines for the population, Singapore is adopting a conservative approach to continue buying more vaccines in preparation for any potential disruption in the vaccine supply or delivery delays.

During the early days of vaccine selection, the panel members had to thoroughly study the manufacture process of the vaccines. The initial pool of vaccines were selected and filtered using new technologies and existing technologies to get a mixture of potential types of vaccines. In addition, certain degree of emphasis were also placed on companies who can deliver the vaccines fast. Through tapping on Singapore’s global network, the panel were able to assess the vaccines with senior management of the companies involved, thereby providing timely and highly confidential responses to accelerate the assessment. As deliveries of vaccine are usually spanned across a 6-month period, purchasing the vaccines from different companies will ensure a steady supply.

Singapore has since approve the use of the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine in December 2020 and have vaccinated more than 100,000 people to date.

Read more at: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/how-singapore-picked-its-covid-19-vaccines