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SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MINSA) established an expert committee to advise and evaluate the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines last month, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said on Tuesday (November 10), as the companies around the world compete to find the right options.
At a press conference, Mr. Gan, who is also co-chair of the multi-ministry working group, said that the committee will be made up of experts in infectious diseases, immunology and other relevant fields.
This includes people from the health sector, academia and the clinical side, who will contribute to the discussion on how to “administer the vaccine effectively and successfully to our population,” said the director of medical services of the Ministry of Health, Kenneth Mak.
The committee will “closely monitor” data from vaccine clinical trials and recommend vaccination approaches for different groups of people, Mr. Gan said.
Inside information gleaned from discussions with drug companies will be made available to the committee to allow a detailed review of the vaccines, said Professor Mak of Assoc.
The task force also hopes to bring more information about COVID-19 vaccination to the public so they can make informed decisions when the time comes, he added.
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We will share more information about the expert committee soon, Mr. Gan said.
“Only vaccines that are assessed as relatively safe and effective will be approved for use in Singapore and will be offered to relevant population segments when available,” he said.
This comes after the US pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced Monday that its potential COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90 percent effective and it hopes to obtain US clearance this month for emergency use of the vaccine.
The government has also “expanded and diversified” its COVID-19 vaccine portfolio with various pharmaceutical companies, Mr. Gan said.
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These companies use different technologies for their vaccines and their vaccines are in different stages of clinical trials, the Ministry of Health said in a press release.
“We are doing this to improve our chances of securing a suitable vaccine for Singapore in view of the expected global demand,” Gan said.
He added: “The road ahead is still long. Vaccines, even when available, will take time to manufacture and distribute to the world. In the meantime, we must remain cautious and work together as we move towards Phase 3. “
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See the full press conference:
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