Myanmar’s “Myancopharm” Covid-19 vaccine available for use

A new vaccine against Covid-19 from Myanmar has been made available for use for everyone, including children under 5 years of age and pregnant women. “Myancopharm” is a jointly produced by Myanmar’s Ministry of Industry and China’s Sinopharm China National Biotec group.

Myancopharm was first administered on May 4 at Zabuthiri Hospital in Myanmar’s capital Nay Pyi Taw.

While China’s Sinopharm vaccine was locally produced in Myanmar, Myancopharm is the first-ever preventative Covid-19 product produced by Myanmar’s own pharmaceutical industry.

At a ceremony to mark the launch of the vaccine, Secretary of Myanmar’s State Administration Council Lt. Gen. Aung Lin Dwe said the day marked “a new chapter in history and a golden day for Myanmar’s medicinal field.”

“It also shows China and Myanmar’s unique relationship,” added Aung Lin Dwe.

Myanmar aims to manufacture 1 million doses of the vaccine every month, producing a total of 10 million doses in 2022 and 2023. A vial of Myancopharm can store 5 doses of the vaccine.

The vaccine has been in the pipeline since July 2021, when the Myanmar Pharmaceutical Industry, or MPI, first agreed to collaborate with China’s Sinopharm CNBG to produce a vaccine domestically.

The vaccine will be distributed by Myanmar’s Ministry of Health, which received 600,000 doses of Myancopharm vaccine on April 29 and 400,000 more on April 30.

In Myanmar, over 24 million people are already fully vaccinated against Covid-19, according to the country’s Ministry of Health. More than 6.8 million others have received one dose. More than 1.5 million people in Myanmar have received a booster shot.

SOURCE: Nation Thailand