PRIME Minister Manasseh Sogavare announced that the National Medicines and Therapeutic Committee have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine manufactured in Australia to be used in Solomon Islands.
Sogavare said this Australian manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine uses the exact same formula to the AstraZeneca vaccine that we had received from India through the COVAX facility.
“The Australian manufactured AstraZeneca vaccine has already been rolled out in Australia. It has also received approvals from other Pacific countries including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Samoa, Palau, and Timor Leste.
“Timor Leste has received 20,000 doses, and Fiji has received their first 10,000 doses,” he said.
He said the Australian Government has offered 60,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine over a 6-months period, in batches of 10,000 doses per month. We are anticipating our first lot of 10,000 vaccine doses soon.
“If there is a delay in delivery of the balance of the COVAX supplied AstraZeneca vaccines, we may have to consider using the Australian made AstraZeneca vaccine for the second dose in June 2021.
“The approval AstraZeneca and Sinopharm vaccines have put our country on an excellent platform. Both vaccines can be used safely and effectively to protect those vaccinated, from COVID-19 infections,” Sogavare said.
By FOLLET JOHN
Newsroom, Honiara
