24 private clinics selected to administer Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine

On Wednesday, Jun 16, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that 24 private healthcare institutions have been selected to administer the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines. 

The ministry said that the institutions are being provided with the vaccines at no cost, thus members of the public should only need to pay for vaccination fees, which range from $10 to $25 per dose. 

MOH clarified that the Sinovac-CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccine remains unregistered and is only to be used under the Special Access Route (SAR) framework. This means it will not be covered under the Vaccine Injury Financial Assistance Programme (VIFAP) meant for our national vaccination programme.

“Individuals who nevertheless wish to receive Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccinations under the SAR framework should discuss with their doctors in the selected private healthcare institutions the risks and benefits of using the Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine, and jointly make an informed decision, said MOH.”

Those who are keen on getting the vaccine should contact the following institutions directly from Jun 18.

The 24 institutions were chosen based on their ability to administer the vaccines safely, properly and effectively, said MOH. It also added that it has also considered their vaccination administration fees, experience in vaccine administration and compliance history at past licensing inspections.

This will ensure that the services will be safe and affordable to the public, said the ministry.  

Additionally, MOH said that only 24 providers were approved, to ensure economies of scale for each institution administering the vaccines. 

Factors like price, parameters and location of the providers were also taken into consideration to ensure accessibility to members of the public.