The scientific and technical committee of the Ministry of Public Health has granted an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the Chinese vaccine SINOPHARM.
The National News Agency reported a short while ago that the scientific and technical committee, formed by Minister of Public Health Dr. Hamad Hassan to explore the registration of vaccines provided by the private sector, approved the issuance of an Emergency Use Authorization for the Chinese vaccine SINOPHARM. According to the agency, with the granting of the EUA for SINOPHARM, its marketing is now permitted under the necessary conditions.
This decision was made during a meeting chaired by Minister Hassan this afternoon at the Ministry of Public Health, which was attended by committee members, including Dr. Abdul Rahman al-Bizri, Maroun Zaghib, Roni Zaini, Thuraya Dmyati, Lebanese University representative Dr. Nizar Abou Shahin, and Dr. Colette Rida, head of the Pharmacy Department at the Ministry of Public Health.
This Lebanese initiative followed China's government’s decision to provide 50,000 doses of the Sinopharm vaccine to Lebanon to assist in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chinese ambassador to Lebanon, Wang Kejian, stated that based on a request from the Lebanese side, the Chinese government decided to donate 50,000 doses of the "Sinopharm" vaccine to Lebanon to help fight the coronavirus pandemic.
In related news, the President of the Lebanese Order of Physicians in Beirut, Professor Sherif Abou Sharaf, urged citizens to adhere to preventive measures in the community, shops, and homes, especially as restrictions on lockdown measures are being gradually eased in response to COVID-19. He called on all media outlets to continue the public awareness campaign they initiated to encourage compliance with these measures and avoid the severe consequences that could arise, particularly given the overcrowding of hospitals with COVID-19 patients, especially in intensive care units.
Abou Sharaf pointed out that there is significant public demand for the vaccine, which has proven to be safe and effective against the COVID-19 pandemic. He expressed hope that the performance seen during the initial vaccination phase would not continue, advocating for transparency and fairness in the process, and adherence to the priorities set by the National Vaccination Committee and registration on the ministerial platform.
He emphasized that procuring the vaccine through the state and increasing its quantities and varieties would significantly contribute to vaccinating as many citizens as possible swiftly, aiming to create community immunity and return to normal economic and health conditions.
