Healthcare firms see big demand for Sinopharm vaccine

Mr Javier Chua, 20, has a low blood platelet count and health conditions that often make him feel breathless.

His mother Wini Thng, 52, was worried about side effects if he took any of the two mRNA vaccines used in Singapore's national Covid-19 inoculation drive.

Her preference was for a traditional form of vaccine that uses an inactivated virus, such as the Sinopharm shot.

Yesterday, Mr Chua, who just graduated from a polytechnic, his older brother and his parents were among 50 people who received their first doses of the Sinopharm vaccine at Gleneagles Hospital as part of a media preview.

It is the fourth Covid-19 shot offered in Singapore. The Pfizer-BioNTech/Comirnaty and Moderna options are mRNA vaccines, while the Sinovac choice also uses an inactivated virus.

Gleneagles Hospital - part of private healthcare provider IHH Healthcare Singapore - will officially roll out the Sinopharm vaccine to the public from tomorrow.

IHH SG will also cater to requests at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, and two of its Parkway Shenton clinics at One Raffles Quay and Duxton.

Singapore's Special Access Route allows private healthcare providers to bring in the Sinopharm and Sinovac vaccines as they are on the World Health Organisation's Emergency Use Listing.

At 79 per cent, the Sinopharm vaccine's reported efficacy rate is higher than Sinovac's 51 per cent.

As at Aug 27, more than 6,000 people have indicated interest in receiving the Sinopharm vaccine from IHH SG, said chief operating officer Noel Yeo.

"Over the weekend, more people were calling up, and now it could be easily approaching 10,000 people."

The first batch of IHH SG's Sinopharm vaccine - close to 10,000 syringes - arrived on Aug 27. "We are making plans for second orders, but we have to clear approvals from HSA (Health Sciences Authority) first," added Dr Yeo.

Clearbridge Health's Medic Surgical and Laser Clinic at Tanjong Pagar Plaza and Raffles Medical Group also started to administer the Sinopharm vaccine yesterday.

A Clearbridge Health Group spokesman said more than 50 people booked appointments yesterday, and it is aiming to inoculate between 50 and 70 patients a day.

Raffles Medical has more than 10,000 registrations for the vaccine so far.

At least two other private healthcare providers - Northeast Medical Group and Healthway Medical - are planning to meet the Sinopharm demand.

From the second or third week of September, Northeast's clinic in Bedok will be offering the vaccine, with enough stock to serve about 5,000 people, said chief executive Tan Teck Jack.

Healthway is working to bring in the vaccine.

Two doses of the Sinopharm vaccine cost $99 at IHH SG and Raffles Medical, $98 at Clearbridge and $90 at Northeast.

Clearbridge said its price factored in the cost of the vaccine, logistics, storage and doctor's consultation.

Business consultant Lam Pin Kee, 58, who is a pharmacist by training and had worked in healthcare for 30 years, read up about the available vaccines before deciding on Sinopharm.

Although two of his daughters and wife took the mRNA vaccines offered for free by the national drive, he decided to wait for Sinopharm due to "personal preference and a time-tested vaccine type".