Singapore has given the go-ahead for the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine to be used here for people aged 18 years and above.

The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has granted interim authorisation, it announced on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

This makes Moderna's Covid-19 vaccine the second vaccine to be granted interim authorisation under the Pandemic Special Access Route (PSAR).

The Moderna vaccine requires two doses to be administered 28 days apart.

The vaccine demonstrated a high vaccine efficacy of 94 per cent, HSA said.

The agency added: "HSA’s review of the available clinical data found that the benefits of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine outweigh the known risks."

The first shipment is expected to arrive around March, said the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Not for everyone

However, anyone with a history of anaphylaxis or severe or multiple allergies to medicines or food should not receive the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, HSA said

Pregnant woman, severely immunocompromised people and those under the age of 18 should also not receive the vaccine as the safety and efficacy data for these groups are not available yet.

HSA said persons who develop anaphylaxis or severe allergic reactions to the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine should not receive the second dose.

The data submitted by Moderna will be reviewed to ensure that the benefits of the vaccine continue to outweigh the known risks.

Moderna is required to file an application to transit the status of the product from PSAR interim authorisation to full registration when sufficient data is available for full registration.

It may also terminate PSAR authorisation at any time, if the risks outweigh the benefits, for example.

Top photo via MOH