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PETALING JAYA: The World Health Organization (WHO) has allayed concerns that Malaysia may have difficulty distributing vaccines that require sub-zero storage and transport, as the country has proven capable of doing so in the past.
Speaking in the virtual forum “Recovering better – Defending human rights”, the head of mission and WHO representative in Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore, Dr. Lo Ying-Ru said that the country’s ability to manage the outbreak polio in Sabah earlier this year demonstrates There is logistical capacity to maintain transport and storage in the cold chain.
“The oral polio vaccine that was donated from the WHO pool for children in Sabah required storage at -80 degrees, so we know that Malaysia has the capacity to deliver the vaccine at the storage facility and administer it,” said.
Of the Covid-19 vaccines that have published preliminary data, the vaccines produced by Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna require maintaining extremely cold temperatures to remain effective, -70 ° C and -20 ° C respectively, which must be maintained during transport and storage. .
“During the unfortunate polio outbreak, we were able to introduce vaccines at -80 ° C. We received them at the warehouse designated by the health ministry and they were distributed to Sabah, so we know it works. Malaysia can do it, ”Lo said.
He said the ability to distribute Covid-19 vaccines equitably will be key to ensuring that local and global efforts to slow the spread of the virus are not compromised.
This echoed statements made by Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein in his keynote speech at the forum, who said that “universal access to an affordable, accessible and equitable vaccine is crucial.”
“Vaccination is a human right that must be respected, protected and fulfilled,” he said.
The forum was held in recognition of Human Rights Day 2020, jointly organized by the Malaysian Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Legal Affairs Division of the Prime Minister’s Department and the United Nations in Malaysia.
