Application of the Sinovac vaccine against COVID-19 is suspended in Tolima



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Jorge Bolívar, departmental health secretary, reported that the application of 5,777 doses was canceled by direct order of the Ministry of Health.

Eight days ago the vaccination against Covid-19 in Tolima. The Ministry of Health reported that the second batch would arrive at the department, more than 5,000 doses to begin the vaccination process in municipalities other than Ibagué (the capital). Although this Friday the process would begin in Chaparral, Lérida, Honda, Mariquita, Espinal and Purificación, Jorge Bolívar, departmental health secretary, reported that it was canceled.

“The vaccination process that was planned for this weekend with the Sinovac vaccine, with the 5,777 doses received, is suspended. This is because to a direct order from the Ministry of Health, in which it is stated that these biologics (shipped on February 24) showed a small deviation from the temperature curve, so it is requested that these be quarantined until it is confirmed with the provider if they can be used or not, “said Bolívar.

The secretary assured that they have 25 certified municipalities to start with vaccination. “We will wait for the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, they told us that they will quickly send us other vaccines to continue with the process in the department,” he explained.

Sinovac is a vaccine with the inactivated virus methodology. It consists of living viruses undergoing a procedure, their ability to replicate is removed and they are only left with the ability to wake up the immune system. It does not require a cold chain as strict as Pfizer’s, it just needs to be kept in a refrigeration temperature of 2 to 8 degrees, like a traditional vaccine. It is designed to be applied in two doses, the second 28 days later.

Brazil’s Butantan Institute concluded that the efficacy of the vaccine developed by Sinovac to prevent infections is 53.8% and to avoid serious cases that require hospitalization is 100%.

Read: Duque announces the arrival of 2 million vaccines to mayors on March 7

This Thursday (February 25) President Iván Duque announced that in about 15 days, andOn March 7, 2 million doses will arrive in the country from China of vaccines from the Sinovac laboratory. “Today I spoke with the President of China, Xi Jinping. We hope that 2 million vaccines arrive from Sinovac, arriving on March 7. That, together with other batches, will mean a significant acceleration in the vaccination process, “he said.

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