SARAWAK has welcomed Putrajaya’s conditional approval for emergency use of the single-dose Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by China’s CanSino Biologics.

Sarawak Disaster Management Committee chairman Douglas Uggah said the vaccine fits very well with the state’s rural scenario, adding that he had waited for two months for this decision.

Uggah said he had requested the federal government to supply the state with “at least 600,000 to 800,000” doses of the China-made vaccine in April.

The CanSino vaccine, officially known as the Convidecia Recombinant Novel Coronavirus Vaccine (Adenovirus Type 5 Vector), was then still awaiting approval from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).

“I must thank the Health Ministry for making a very wise and speedy decision. In Sarawak, we have our people scattered over a huge area in the interior where transportation is not only a problem but is expensive as well.

“Being a single-dose, the CanSino vaccine will fit in perfectly in our vaccination programme for these groups,” said Uggah, who is also deputy chief minister.

Putrajaya today announced that it had also granted similar approval to the vaccine developed by US drug maker Johnson & Johnson.

Uggah said the vaccination teams will only need to travel into the interior once, thus cutting down on expenses, travelling time and eliminating the inconveniences and risks involved.

He said the disaster committee has forwarded its request for “a suitable allocation of the vaccine to the state as soon as the supply is available to the country”.

Now that CanSino is available, Uggah said it will further accelerate the speed to arrive at the vaccination deadline by the end of August.

Putrajaya has said previously it had secured 3.5 million doses of the CanSino vaccine and was awaiting the shipment. – June 15, 2021.