[ SCMP ] Singapore residents who took Sinovac turn to Pfizer to up their antibody counts, amid debate on booster shots

Singapore residents with 2 Sinovac doses are finding they need a Pfizer boost

More than 85,000 people in the island nation have chosen to pay for Sinovac shots, despite having free access to Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna jabs. But some are going for booster shots to up their antibody count.

Even after receiving her second dose of the Sinovac vaccine last month, Soh, a 43-year-old Singaporean, was unsure about her immunity levels. So she went to get an antibody test – and the result took her by surprise.

Her antibody count stood at 140, a figure her doctor said was about 10 times lower than what someone would have after two Pfizer-BioNTech doses

Following a sharp spike in Singapore’s domestic cases this month, and fearing they would catch Covid-19, all three of them decided to get another dose – but this time, they elected for Pfizer. Soh’s antibody count shot up to 1,900 after that jab.

Even though antibody numbers do not necessarily correlate with the strength of an individual’s immunity, experts suggest they provide some indication of protection. Someone who has taken two Pfizer doses would typically have antibody levels of between 1,300 and 2,000 international units per millilitre, Leong said.

“But for Sinovac, it is zero to 40. We have a few with 200 to 300.”

IHH Healthcare Singapore told the paper that more than 6,000 people had expressed interest in getting the Sinopharm vaccine while Raffles Medical Group said it had more than 10,000 registrations so far.

Tan from StarMed suggested that people with links to China were the primary group getting Sinovac shots. “They were either Chinese citizens working here or were Singaporeans with strong familial or business ties with China, and wanted to receive Sinovac in order to facilitate travel to China,” he said.

DPA Notes: Actual data in countries like Indonesia had clearly shown that the protection by Sinovac is utterly insufficient on the macro scale, as medical worker fall very ill or died from COVID-19. However, we always have to note that, its better to have Sinovac, than have no vaccination at all.

There is protection from Sinovac, but its a lot weaker. But in countries that are struggling to get supply of high quality vaccines, every little bit counts.