Coronavirus: Singapore approves Moderna vaccine; Thai island set to reopen to vaccinated visitors
- Singapore expects to receive the first shipment of the Moderna shots around March, adding to its stock of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved in December
- Elsewhere, Thailand’s Phuket island will reopen to vaccinated visitors, while New Zealand has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for domestic use
Singapore has become the first country in Asia to approve Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine as it begins rolling out its immunisation programme to the wider population.
The city state expects to receive the first shipment of the Moderna shots around March, adding to its stock of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine approved in December.
Singapore expects to have vaccinated its entire population by the third quarter, although last month the government said it was expecting shipment delays of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines due to upgrades in Pfizer’s manufacturing plant.
Singapore has signed advanced purchase agreements and made early downpayments on other promising vaccine candidates including Sinovac.
Moderna’s vaccine, which can be stored and transported more easily than Pfizer’s, is approved in Europe, the United States and Canada among others.