By Sue-Ann Wayow
HEALTH Minister Terrence Deyalsingh says there were two vaccines before the World Health Organization (WHO) – the Pfizer and Sinopharm – for the five to 11 age group.
He said that the dosage would be different for persons under the age of 12 and that was why the country’s Pfizer stock, which was being given to persons 12 years and over, cannot be administered to that age group.
Deyalsingh said, “The five to 11 vaccine of Pfizer, for that age group is a different dosage of the vaccine. It is one-third the strength of the adult vaccine. That is one difference. Difference number two. It is a minor difference but significant for legal reasons. The buffer that they use to ensure the stability of the vaccine is a different buffer for the five to 11 vaccine, as opposed to the 12 and above. Difference number three is a different packaging.”
He said, “For all those reasons we cannot use the current stock of Pfizer which is EUL approval for 12 and over. We have to wait for the EUL or EUA approval for the paediatric version where the dose is different, the buffer is different, the packaging is different.”
The minister said orders have already been placed for those vaccines once approval was granted and there were available resources.
