SODELPA MP Dr Antonio Lalabalavu urged the Ministry of Health to take precautionary approach when accepting free vaccines.
He was responding to Health Minister Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete’s ministerial statement on the COVID-19 vaccine in Parliament last week.
He said the ministry should ensure that it was the right dose for people.
He claimed three vaccines had been approved for emergency use in the USA – Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
Fiji, however, was using AstraZeneca that was manufactured in the UK, he said.
He said all four vaccines mentioned had efficacy rates in the 70 to 90 per cent range.
“It is the endpoint that matters, in that, all four vaccines give you protection against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death.”
He recommended the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was more appropriate for Fiji because it was easier to store, transport and was a single-shot vaccine.
He said the Johnson & Johnson vaccine storage was in the range of two degrees to eight degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Dr Waqainabete said more COVID-19 vaccines would arrive into the country next month.
He said 6278 individuals were vaccinated in the first batch, as some vials had more than 10 doses.
