Dili, 10 august 2021 (TATOLI) – Timor-Leste’s Prime minister Taur Matan Ruak asked the State General Inspector to investigate the june incident at a hospital that may spoiled the temperature-sensitive vaccines.
“The Prime Minister, Taur Matan Ruak, made an order on August 6, for the State General Inspector in coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO), to carry out an audit and investigation concerning the incident,” The President for the Council of Minister, Fidelis Magalhães, said at the National Parliament today.
The investigation process is underway by the WHO and the State General Inspector and the parliament will receive full information back after everything has been investigated.
Likewise, the Minister of Health, Odete Maria Freitas Belo, admitted that several vaccines have been corrupted during the April 4- flood and the impact of power outages on vaccine storage.
However, the Government had consulted with the WHO and pharmaceutical company that made the vaccines and had been reassured that there is no method to prove whether the vaccines are safe and effective after the vaccines were spoiled but saying all vaccines will be spoiled if there is a spoiled in any of it.
“We have assisted many people vaccinated with the freezes vaccine, and there was no harm or no effect in their bodies, it only has no efficacy since it has been freeze. Therefore the WHO is asking the MoH to communicate with those who have been receiving the frozen vaccine to receive their follow up dose,”Ms Belo explained.
According to Belo, it is possible to conduct the antibody screening for those who had received the spoiled vaccine, saying if the test result indicates positive results, there is no need to get another vaccine for them.
“For us who had received the spoiled covid-19 vaccine, we can get the booster vaccine for the third dose, thus we do not need to administer another AstraZeneca vaccine but wait for the booster vaccine, but the vaccine are spoiled, the person responsible for the warehouse/vaccine storage has to respond,” she said.
Until today the Participation of COViD -19 vaccine at the national level has already reached 41,2% on the first dose and 14.3% referred to the full vaccinated.
Jornalista : Florêncio Miranda Ximenes
Editora : Julia Chatarina
Translator: Camilo de SOusa
Editor: Nelia Borges Rosario
