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BUMMING JAYA: Trying to acquire natural group immunity against Covid-19 would mean that many people would get sick, pushing the health system beyond its limit, says Khairy Jamaluddin (Photo).
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation said that although the health infrastructure is sufficient to handle the current number of positive cases, the government must do everything possible to protect people from getting sick and losing lives unnecessarily.
“Allowing people to get sick and possibly die is extremely irresponsible,” he said on Wednesday (December 12) in a statement in response to Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Hamzah, who said alternatives to vaccines should be considered.
Razaleigh had recently quoted former Pfizer vice president Dr. Mike Yeadon in his statement as saying that we don’t need vaccines as people are getting natural herd immunity.
Khairy said Dr. Yeadon’s views have been flagged as inaccurate on Health Feedback, which is a member of the WHO-led Vaccine Safety Net (VSN) project.
“Perhaps the Gua Musang MP would like to verify the veracity of the sources he cites when preparing a statement,” Khairy said.
Regarding the safety of the vaccine, Khairy said the government takes the issue very seriously.
He said that one of the main goals of the first two phases of clinical trials is safety.
“Every vaccine must pass these two phases and must be tested to be safe before they can enter phase three,” he said, adding that they would ensure that all vaccines Malaysia buys are safe, effective and stable.
Khairy said that all vaccines should be approved and registered by the National Drug Regulatory Agency (NPRA) before vaccines, and Malaysia has some of the most rigorous standards in the world.
Regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine, Khairy said that at the moment none of the vaccines in the phase three trials have sufficient data to demonstrate sterilizing immunity, showing that infections can be prevented.
He added that more information will become available as the trials progress, but the data that has been shared shows that the vaccines being developed are effective in preventing the disease.
“This is important because the first goal of the vaccination strategy is to prevent people from getting sick or dying from Covid-19.
“By preventing disease, we may also be able to slow down infections because there is evidence that infectivity is higher at the onset of symptoms.
“Then it is expected that when enough people are vaccinated, herd immunity is achieved, protecting the rest of the population that has not received or cannot receive the vaccine,” he said.
As for the acceleration of the vaccine, Khairy said this was due to several factors, including the evolution of science and technology and global collaboration.
On potential side effects, Khairy said muscle pain, fever and fatigue are common side effects for many vaccines, but that the NPRA would independently review all safety data to ensure the vaccines are safe for use in Malaysia.
Khairy also denied that the cost of the vaccine per dose is RM 234, saying it was ridiculous.
He said that while he was unable to disclose the exact price of the Pfizer vaccine, it was “significantly” less than RM100 per dose.
“Based on our current negotiations to acquire a vaccine portfolio, we are still within our RM3bil estimate to acquire sufficient doses to cover 70% of our population. The Pfizer deal clearly has not exhausted the entire allocation, as the deputy from Gua Musang recklessly alleged, ”said Khairy.
Khairy said that Razaleigh’s statement contained many baseless allegations, misrepresentations and incorrect facts that needed to be answered in detail.
Khairy said his current focus is the safety, efficacy and stability of the Covid-19 vaccine.
“This is why we will vigorously defend the independence of the NPRA to evaluate Pfizer’s clinical data as it becomes available before we use the vaccine in Malaysia.
“I keep getting questions about this important global and national effort to vaccinate as many people as possible,” he said.
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